Clinical neuropsychologists are increasingly involved in the evaluation of civil capacities, such as driving, and healthcare and financial decision-making. This volume reviews the empirical literature on several of these civil capacities and provides a variety of practical, evidenced-based applications to improve neuropsychological consulting and report writing.
Clinical neuropsychologists are increasingly involved in the evaluation of civil capacities and are in demand by other professionals, particularly attorneys and judges, to assist their decision-making about these sometimes complex issues. While there has been some neuropsychological research in this area, this has not been assembled into a single volume nor have practice recommendations been provided. This volume fills these gaps. The first part of this volume reviews and synthesizes the research literature on neuropsychological aspects of civil capacities. The specific capacities addressed include driving, financial and healthcare decision-making, testamentary (i.e., will-making) capacity, and personal care and independence. Each chapter addresses relevant background issues, conceptual/theoretical advances, and empirical findings. The chapters also include an illustrative case study that demonstrates how the authors (each expert in the various areas) evaluated and conceptualized the case. Each chapter is written from an evidence-based perspective and, where appropriate, uses research to inform practice recommendations. The second part of this volume provides recommendations to practitioners on how to conduct civil capacity evaluations that utilize neuropsychological assessment. There are chapters on an evaluative framework for the assessment, capacity test selection and psychometric issues, working with other data sources besides testing (e.g., collateral interviews), best practices in report-writing and testifying, as well as common ethical issues in such cases. Throughout, these chapters provide practical how to advice to improve neuropsychological practice and consulting in civil capacity cases. In addition to these chapters, there is a chapter written by legal consumers of psychological reports. This chapter offers a wealth of useful information and recommendations that, if followed, will further serve to advance psychological report-writing and consultation in civil capacity evaluations.
Clinical neuropsychologists are increasingly involved in the evaluation of civil capacities and are in demand by other professionals, particularly attorneys and judges, to assist their decision-making about these sometimes complex issues. While there has been some neuropsychological research in this area, this has not been assembled into a single volume nor have practice recommendations been provided. This volume fills these gaps. The first part of this volume reviews and synthesizes the research literature on neuropsychological aspects of civil capacities. The specific capacities addressed include driving, financial and healthcare decision-making, testamentary (i.e., will-making) capacity, and personal care and independence. Each chapter addresses relevant background issues, conceptual/theoretical advances, and empirical findings. The chapters also include an illustrative case study that demonstrates how the authors (each expert in the various areas) evaluated and conceptualized the case. Each chapter is written from an evidence-based perspective and, where appropriate, uses research to inform practice recommendations. The second part of this volume provides recommendations to practitioners on how to conduct civil capacity evaluations that utilize neuropsychological assessment. There are chapters on an evaluative framework for the assessment, capacity test selection and psychometric issues, working with other data sources besides testing (e.g., collateral interviews), best practices in report-writing and testifying, as well as common ethical issues in such cases. Throughout, these chapters provide practical "how to" advice to improve neuropsychological practice and consulting in civil capacity cases. In addition to these chapters, there is a chapter written by legal consumers of psychological reports. This chapter offers a wealth of useful information and recommendations that, if followed, will further serve to advance psychological report-writing and consultation in civil capacity evaluations.
This exciting new, evidence-based book provides clinicians with a single source for considering the impact of secondary factors on cognitive dysfunction in neurological patients. The influence on testing of depression, anxiety, fatigue, pain, diagnosis threat, and symptom invalidity are all considered in the context of particular neurological disorders.
Featuring updates and revisions, the second edition of Clinical Neuropsychology provides trainee and practicing clinicians with practical, real-world advice on neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation. Offers illustrated coverage of neuroimaging techniques and updates on key neuro-pathological findings underpinning neurodegenerative disorders Features increased coverage of specialist areas of work, including severe brain injury, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, assessing mental capacity, and cognitive impairment and driving Features updated literature and increased coverage of topics that are of direct clinical relevance to trainee and practicing clinical psychologists Includes chapters written by professionals with many years' experience in the training of clinical psychologists
With the emergence of clinical neuropsychology as one of the fastest growing specialties in psychology comes the need for current and future practitioners to stay abreast of the most recent research. A number of professional journals more than adequately meet this need. But, there is also a need to stay up to date on the current thinking about important problems. Drawing upon the expertise of leaders in the field, the editors' intent in this book was to provide the practitioner with a source for discussions of topics that are vital to their ongoing development as clinical neuropsychologists but that generally are not addressed in the literature to any great degree.
The author has written an easily accessible summary of neuropsychological tests, neuropsychiatric disorders, and the relationships of test performance to disorder and treatment strategy. This ready reference provides neuropsychologists with an understanding of the medical context within which neuropsychological evaluation and psychosocial therapy takes place.
This volume is a contemporary survey of practice-related issues in clinical neuropsychology in the United States. Section 1 includes chapters on topics relevant to practitioners in clinical neuropsychology such as managed care, practice trends, business aspects of practice, training and credentialing, internet resources for practice, and research in the private practice setting. Section 2 provides narrative descriptions of a range of different practice settings. Authors give firsthand descriptions of their settings, billing and coding practices, how they interface with colleagues and referral sources, and other unique aspects of their practices. Settings range from independent practices to university based departments for both pediatric and adult practices. The volume will be a valuable resource for graduate students interested in clinical neuropsychology, postdoctoral fellows embarking on a career in the field, and practitioners interested in enhancing their practices via the experiences of a diverse group of successful practicing neuropsychologists.
Evidence-based practice has become the benchmark for quality in healthcare and builds on rules of evidence that have been developed in psychology and other health-care disciplines over many decades. This volume aims to provide clinical neuropsychologists with a practical and approachable reference for skills in evidence-based practice to improve the scientific status of patient care. The core skills involve techniques in critical appraisal of published diagnostic-validity or treatment studies. Critical appraisal skills assist any clinician to evaluate the scientific status of any published study, to identify the patient-relevance of studies with good scientific status, and to calculate individual patient-probability estimates of diagnosis or treatment outcome to guide practice. Initial chapters in this volume review fundamental concepts of construct validity relevant to the assessment of psychopathology and cognitive abilities in neuropsychological populations. These chapters also summarize exciting contemporary development in the theories of personality and psychopathology, and cognitive ability, showing a convergence of theoretical and clinical research to guide clinical practice. Conceptual skills in interpreting construct validity of neuropsychological tests are described in detail in this volume. In addition, a non-mathematical description of the concepts of test score reliability and the neglected topic of interval estimation for individual assessment is provided. As an extension of the concepts of reliability, reliable change indexes are reviewed and the implication of impact on evidence-based practice of test scores reliability and reliable change are described to guide clinicians in their interpretation of test results on single or repeated assessments. Written by some of the foremost experts in the field of clinical neuropsychology and with practical and concrete examples throughout, this volume shows how evidence-based practice is enhanced by reference to good theory, strong construct validity, and better test score reliability.
