A neuropsychologist must hold a clinical psychology license. As such, it is an area of speciality within clinical psychology. Many clinical psychologists also specialize in assessments, and provide a thorough evaluation of brain behavior. A difference between a psychologist and a neuropsychologist is their appropaches to addressing psychological conditions. Psychologists primarily focus on working with one's emotions and psychological well-being, whereas a neuropsychologist focuses on understanding any causes that impact the brain behavior. Both, a licensed clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist go through thousands of hours of supervised training before being able to participate in the licensing exam. A neuropsychologist has additional training and coursework in neuroanatomy and brain based conditions which must be completed prior to becoming a neuropsychologist.

A licensed educational psychologist (or LEP) can administer a variety of assessments that evaluate one’s academic functioning and test for learning disabilities or other issues that may affect learning. They also have expereince working in public schools and have an understanding of the laws and regulations at the district level. However, because an educational psychologist specializes in the academic application of cognitive abilities rather than day-to-day functioning, testing results will not be as comprehensive or encompassing as those yielded by a full neuropsychological assessment. Moreover, the licensing processes for educational psychologists are very different from the processes for clinical neuropsychologists or clinical psychologists. While the license requirements for educational psychologists include a qualifying master’s degree, several years of experience, and a passing score on the specific LEP Written Examination, becoming a board-certified neuropsychologist requires an existing psychology license to begin with, as well as a doctorate degree from a professional psychology program, completion of an accredited internship program, postdoctoral training in relevant areas of specialty, a written exam, and a three-part oral exam. As you can see, acquiring board certification in the field of clinical neuropsychology is not an easy or immediate process-- this is because it is a distinction of advanced specialty within the greater pool of licensed clinical psychologists.

When looking into various assessment options for you or your child, it’s important to check the source of your provider’s certification. In recent years, a variety of independent companies and websites have begun to pop up offering titles such as “competency,” “specialization,” and even certificates in specific fields like school neuropsychology. Some of these programs, however, are not nationally regulated or accredited. Board-certified clinical psychologists will be certified by either the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) or one of its specialty boards, the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN) or the American Board of Pediatric Neuropsychology (ABPdN), and their name will be published online by their respective organization within a publicly accessible directory.

Perhaps you have experienced or observed unexpected focus challenges, increased depression or anxiety symptoms, or sudden changes in you or your child’s mood, thinking, and/or behavior. You may not be sure if the anxiety is causing difficulty with focus or vice versa. In any of these circumstances, a neuropsychological evaluation will likely offer the most in-depth cognitive and behavioral analysis possible, taking into account not only one’s academic achievement scores, but also the efficiency of their gateway brain functions, their various processing speeds, and potential social-emotional contributors to their current functioning

If you do not need an in-depth evaluation, then consulting an educational or school psychologist may be the right choice for you. Additionally, a pediatrician or psychiatrist may also provide screening measures to treat attention or mood difficulties. Unfortunately, however, scholastic or work performance isn’t typically so straightforward to data collection, and underlying processing weaknesses, attention deficits, and/or social-emotional issues can often go undetected and contribute to reduced academic or professional outcomes in less directly-visible ways.

Click here to view a simple chart that compares the titles of various mental health professionals and the services that they provide here in the state of California.