When asked, “What do you do?”, I pause to decide how much time I have available. The abbreviated response is “I’m a psychologist”. For those times I have more time or when the inquiry is professional, my response is “I am a clinical neuropsychologist”. This usually leads to a general discussion of how a neuropsychologist is different from a psychologist. Perhaps most simply stated, psychology is the science of understanding human behavior, identifying what is “normal” behavior and what is not. Clinical psychology actively participates in identifying a diagnosis or diagnoses and recommending further diagnostic referral (Psychiatry), and providing or referring for treatment. 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.). Neuropsychology is actively involved in suggesting other potential diagnostic considerations (e.g., CT/MRI, MRA, EEG, neurologic consultation, etc.), and might be active in treatment, or in providing specific consultation and/or treatment recommendation for the patient. Pediatric Neuropsychology is the science of understanding and applying treatment interventions, but more specifically the developmental consequences of acquired brain injury occurring in children, beginning at birth.

Many neuropsychologists are actively involved in research related to understanding how changes in the brain affect behavior, self-regulation, learning, etc. They often teach at universities and train new neuropsychologists. Some neuropsychologists are particularly interested in the clinical applications of neuropsychology. A larger percentage are involved directly in applying the science of neuropsychology to the evaluation (e.g., neuropsychological evaluation) and treatment of patients with brain injury/neurodevelopmental disorders, strokes, learning disabilities, and other related problems. The goal of the evaluation process is to “understand the logic” of a specific individual, understanding the consequences of the injury, leading to a diagnosis, and most importantly identify specific treatment recommendations. It is critical that the patient and the family of patients be educated about consequences of the injury, treatment considerations, and support. Often insurance companies, attorneys, educators, and other resources request a neuropsychological evaluation to better understand or make decisions being made regarding the patient.