Patients I see are typically struggling in the areas of behavior, learning, mood, and cognitive performance.  Neuropsychology is study of brain / behavior relationships, specifically understanding how the brain functions, understanding how an injury or disease of the brain (known or suspected), effects function (e.g., behavior, learning, moods/emotions etc.). 

I was speaking at a conference when parent in audience asked the question, “What should I expect from a neuropsychologist?   I do not recall how I began my response, but I do recall that it was not progressing well. The mother of one of my patients happened to be in the audience and came to my rescue.  She reported that the greatest benefit provided was explaining to her the “logic” of her son’s behavior and symptoms.  She said that by understanding that, her ability to advocate for him was much improved.  She was better able to communicate with the school, asking questions, requesting services, etc. 

The mother’s description was reassuring and consistent with my professional goals.  Understanding the “logic” of an individual’s behavior is a very helpful foundation to beginning treatment.  Unfortunately, the tendency is to base our opinion of an individual who struggles on what we see, without understanding the why.  This logic becomes the foundation of how they learn most productively, why they behave the way they do, etc. 

My professional goal is to provide greater understanding for how a disruption (e.g., acquired brain injury, genetics, brain tumors, seizures, neurobehavioral disorder) can impact regulation of behavior, emotion, cognitive performance and learning.  With that understanding, we can recommend appropriate and effective treatment interventions and maximize outcomes.