Whitson Family Counseling Services is proud to offer psychological and neuropsychological testing services with a psychologist who specializes in Neuropsychology.  We are one of the few facilities in this area that offers such a specialty.  Our psychologist, Dr. Tanya Mesirow, completed her doctoral training with the Department of Mental Health and UC Davis Department of Neurology, UC Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Center, and the VA Sacramento Medical Center.  She has experience completing neuropsychological evaluations, psychological testing, cognitive rehabilitation, and psychotherapy with patients demonstrating a variety of psychological and neurological issues including, but not limited to, head injuries, dementias, stroke, depression, anxiety, substance abuse issues, Autism Spectrum disorders, learning disabilities, and ADD/ADHD.

Do you have problems focusing or remaining on task, have disorganized thoughts, or difficulty “getting to the point” when telling a story?

Do you have times you can’t sleep, behave impulsively, have pressured speech, have an excessive amount of energy, feel elevated/ grandiose?

Are you suffering from depression?

Do you have excessive worry, difficulty sleeping, or feel tense all the time?

Are you worried that you have an undiagnosed learning disability?

Do you finally want a definitive diagnosis?

If so, Psychological/ Neuropsychological testing may be the answer…

• In most cases, testing can give you a definitive answer to these questions.
• You can be sure you are getting the right diagnosis, which will allow you to proceed with the right kind of treatment.

Did you know…

• Bipolar disorder is one of the most under-diagnosed illnesses.  People often associate bipolar disorder with being “crazy”, but this diagnosis presents itself differently with different people, and some are able to hide it quite well.  If you feel like you have severe mood swings or suffer from the symptoms in question two above, it may be time for you to seek help.  Bipolar disorder is a mood issue, it has NOTHING to do with being crazy, and it is successfully treatable, once diagnosed.
• Individuals with ADD/ ADHD often also suffer from anxiety and/ or depression.  This can go undiagnosed because the ADD/ ADHD symptoms mask the other symptoms.  This causes the anxiety and/ or depression to go untreated, which leads to only limited improvement in functioning.
• Having testing completed can help you finally have a definitive diagnosis, which will allow you to finally get help

Who can benefit from testing/what can testing diagnose?

Neuropsychological testing can be beneficial in helping to diagnose learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and depression.  It can also help determine the presence of multiple diagnoses.  In addition, a neuropsychological evaluation can be helpful in differentiating between different diagnoses in adults (e.g. Depression versus Dementia, ADHD versus bipolar disorder).

Further, Adults with medical illnesses, neurological disorders and/or psychological difficulties can have trouble with their memory, language skills, attention, judgment, or problem-solving skills.  Neuropsychological assessment is designed to evaluate areas of cognition to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of these disorders.  The following are a few conditions for which a neuropsychological evaluation may be indicated.

• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Stroke/TIAs
• Dementia
• Parkinson's Disease
• Multiple Sclerosis
• ADD/ ADHD

What behavioral issues may be appropriate for testing?

Some of the behaviors that may indicate a need for testing include:

• problems with memory
• inattentiveness/ disorganization
• hyperactivity
• sensory issues
• dementia
• depression
• anxiety
• tics or OCD behaviors
• sudden change in behavior or mood
• learning difficulties
• developmental delays
• social awkwardness

These are just a few examples of behaviors that may indicate a need for testing.  If you think you or a family member may benefit from testing, feel free to call for a free consultation.

What are the benefits of having testing done?

There are a number of reasons it can be beneficial to have a neuropsychological assessment completed.  Neuropsychological testing can be helpful in differentiating between possible diagnoses (e.g., Depression versus Dementia or Anxiety versus Learning Disability).  It is important to determine the correct diagnosis, as this can be instrumental in determining the most appropriate treatment options including medication choices and behavioral interventions.

What can I expect from a typical neuropsychological assessment?

In most cases, a neuropsychological assessment will take 8-10 hours to complete.  The first step will be a diagnostic interview with the client and their family (approximately 1 hour).  Once the interview is completed, 2-3 testing sessions will take place (usually 2 hours each session).  When the testing is completed, the examiner will score and interpret all results.  The examiner will then write a comprehensive report outlining all of the clinical history, testing results, diagnoses and treatment recommendations.  Finally, there will be a meeting with the client and his/her family to discuss the results (approximately 1 hour). 

When will I get the results?  In what format?

Approximately two weeks after all of the testing has been completed, the client and his/her family will receive the results including a comprehensive written report, as well as verbal feedback from the examiner.

If you think you or your family member may benefit from testing, please call today for a free telephone consultation.