Dr. Kristin Clifford, PsyD

• Provide mental health screenings
• Cognitive assessments (including intelligence, giftedness, abstract reasoning and categorical thinking)
• Personality assessments
• Social and emotional functioning and interpersonal adjustment
• Attention, concentration and memory functioning
• Executive functioning skills including problem solving, planning, organizing, self-monitoring, mental flexibility, pragmatics and focus
• Perception and perceptual organization
• Presurgical evaluations including bariatric and pain management
• Behavioral changes, struggles or concerns
• Adaptive behavior and socio-emotional adjustment, awareness and responsivity
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Spectrum disorders (including autism)
• Changes in memory functioning
• Elementary, high school and college/university accommodations and supportive services
• Treatment planning and diagnostic clarification  

Each assessment includes multifaceted aspects of data collection, interpretation and feedback. The assessments are completed over 2-4 testing appointments and can include intake assessments, intelligence testing, psychological assessments, cognitive behavioral rating scales, personality assessments, projective assessments, academic testing, self-report measures and the collection of collateral information.

• Psychological and Neuropsychological assessments are not something you can “study” for as many of the items have no “right” or “wrong” answers. The assessment is specific to each individual and tailored to a client’s referral question.
• After the assessment appointments, a report is specifically developed for a client to address their questions that brought them (or their physician) to request an assessment.

Many psychologists’ complete assessments but Dr. Clifford uses every aspect of data collection to find meaningful themes and recommendations for each person. Rather than separately listing each test with data, Dr. Clifford synthesizes the information to provide clients and their treatment teams with concrete ideas based on the information gathered. The strength-based biopsychosocial approach to assessment makes Dr. Clifford unique in that every item is tailored for the individual.

• Focusing on the strengths of each person allows for growth and the ability to find hope and solutions that are meaningful for clients
• A biopsychosocial approach means that Dr. Clifford understands and assesses biological, psychological and social factors that contribute to our wellbeing and mental health. Instead of evaluating data in a “black” and “white” format, Dr. Clifford uses these factors to make sense of the current concerns of each client.    

o   Biological factors can include physical health, diagnosed medical disorders, immune/stress response, disease, injuries and/or genetic factors

o   Psychological factors can include beliefs, emotions, coping skills, cognitive abilities and/or behavior

o   Social factors can include family, social support, environmental factors, trauma, school/work and/or culture

This perspective may mean that you are surprised by the results and hopefully that will help each person build insight and meaning in their lives.

Neuropsychological assessments are requested to assess cognitive functioning for possible or probable disorders and to evaluate a baseline for a client’s future treatment. Just like a person with a broken arm would go into the emergency room to complete an x-ray, neuropsychological assessments assess and evaluate functioning to provide clients with a written image (report) of how their intellect, abstract reasoning, attention, language, problem-solving, memory, visual-spatial abilities, motivation and performance validity, adaptive skills and mood impact them daily.