A neuropsychologist is an expert in the structure and function of the brain related to specific psychological processes and behaviors. At Pate, our neuropsychologists combine knowledge and understanding of an injury’s effect on brain function with the reality of the patient’s real strengths, weaknesses, interests, and personality in order to design a treatment plan that will work best for that individual patient. It is the neuropsychologist’s responsibility to ensure that every member of a patient’s treatment team understands the whole person. The neuropsychologist is an integral part of the rehabilitation team and continually re-evaluates the patient as progress is made. The team’s ultimate goal is for the patient to successfully reenter the real world.
Why do we have so many neuropsychologists?
Neuropsychologists are fundamental to the assessment and personalized plan development for each patient. Pate doesn’t limit treatment to speech therapy, grooming and dressing exercises, and mobility – our neuropsychologists consider all of the underlying neurofunctions required to perform these activities. Because we have 10 neuropsychologists on staff at Pate, each is able to give individual attention to effectively assess and treat his or her patient’s very specific needs.
What is a neuropsychological evaluation?
This type of evaluation helps determine an individual’s strengths and weaknesses in brain functioning. This is usually an all-day process and determines the most efficient treatment approach. It also helps us make appropriate recommendations for real-life questions such as: return to driving, living alone, making financial decisions, etc.
Success Stories
The following stories illustrate the importance of having a neurospychologist on your team.
Jack's Story:
One day, Jack suffered a stroke that affected the right frontal lobe of his brain. Once he was medically stable, Jack’s doctors decided he was ready to leave the hospital and begin his brain injury rehabilitation at Pate Rehab. When he first started at Pate, Jack could carry on slow, normal conversations, but he would often say inappropriate comments to women. At the same time, although Jack was fully capable, he would also refuse almost all physical activities, including daily showers and attending meals. To those with an untrained eye, Jack’s lack of physical activity was mistaken as laziness. However, Jack’s neuropsychologist immediately began to suspect that his unfiltered comments and, what appeared to be a lack of motivation, were both results of his brain injury. She believed Jack wanted to do all the right things, and that he wanted to take care of himself, but couldn’t because a crucial part of his brain was affected (full story....)
Rocky's Story:
Rocky suffered a severe brain injury when his motorcycle wrecked into some escaped livestock on the road. Before the accident, Rocky was a single father raising two children and had a stable job. After the accident, Rocky was diagnosed with “diffuse axonal injury”, which means the axons (long parts of his brain cells) all over his brain were damaged and couldn’t communicate well with each other – and he was in need of intense brain injury rehabilitation. (full story....)
Tish's Story:
Tish, a successful makeup artist, one day contracted a severe infection which ultimately spread to her brain, leaving her with a brain injury. On the day of admission to Pate Rehabilitation, her therapists recognized that Tish had trouble with visual memory - a fairly common problem after a brain injury. But her visual memory issue turned out to be much more complex – Tish’s therapist and neuropsychologist quickly realized that Tish wasn’t able to recognize faces, even those of her husband and child. Although, as a professional makeup artist, she was trained to be able to identify facial features, her brain injury now prevented this; because she could no longer recognize facial features, a disorder known as “prosopagnosia,” she could no longer recognize her friends, family, and clients. (full story....)
