The following is an interview with Dr. Terry Harrison-Goldman, the Director of Assessment Services at the Center for Effective Therapy (CET). To learn more about assessments at CET, please click here.
What is your educational background and how did you first become interested in mental health?
My background is not linear. I initially trained as a school psychologist and then worked in San Diego for 3 or 4 years after I graduated from my master’s and specialist program. While I was there, I worked in a transdisciplinary integrated preschool program. I worked alongside a speech therapist, an occupational therapist, a physical therapist and a psychologist. I specifically worked with two little preschoolers who both had neurological disorders (i.e., brain tumors). While working with these children, I realized I had several “gaps” in my knowledge, specifically with respect to medical and neurological conditions. I also began to realize, at that time, communication between medical facilities and schools could be quite disjointed. So, at that point I decided I should return to school to obtain my doctorate. I received my doctorate at Northern Arizona University and completed an internship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). It was the first time I worked in a hospital setting and I loved it. After that, I completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. I worked with seasoned and well-known neuropsychologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuro-oncologists and geneticists (among others) and had numerous amazing experiences and gained incredible knowledge there. Much of which was gaining an understanding of the entire child, family systems, and how the brain and mental health interact and impact functioning. It’s just cool.
What about your educational and professional background in neuropsychology has set you up to be a successful neuropsychologist? What previous work experience do you hope to bring to The Baker Center?
I have always been fascinated by how children learn. Specifically, how we learn to read and why some children struggle learning to read, why do some children behave a certain way and others do not. My love for neuropsychology deepened after working in an inpatient rehabilitation program with children who had suffered a traumatic brain injury, children with cancer and other neurological disorders, and witnessing the recovery process. It was amazing to observe the resiliency in these children. I have trained and worked in a several different environments, including the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Warren Alpert Medical School: Brown University, the University of Minnesota Medical School, and, more recently, Nemours Children’s Health in Wilmington, Delaware. At Nemours, I was the Clinical Director of the neuropsychology program, which had five neuropsychologists, psychometrists, and trainees, including a neuropsychology postdoc, psychology interns, and practicum students.
What about The Baker Center inspired you to work here, and what stood out about the opportunity to be a member of the staff?
Having lived in the Boston area, I have always known about The Baker Center. Therefore, when I came across this position, my interest was piqued because the mission and vision of the Center for Effective Therapy aligns with mine. As I learned more about CET, I was impressed by the evidence-based approaches that are used along with the thought that goes into formulating unique treatment plans for each child. I also felt immediately “at home” during an initial visit to CET and was very impressed by all the staff and the workplace culture. Not to mention the chance to develop a neuropsychology program at CET is very exciting.
What are your goals in this role as a neuropsychologist at the center?
I want to build a neuropsychology program that is comprehensive; supports families, children, and their environment in community (school, therapist, etc.) and that adds to the continuity of services for The Baker Center. Being able to provide a range of services that can cater towards many different presenting problems is important.
What do you think are the benefits of neuropsychological assessment?
Neuropsychological evaluations can assist families and children to learn about a child’s or adolescent’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses, how they learn best and/or help understand what barriers might be in the way of their functioning. A parent or clinician may refer a child or young adult for an evaluation when they have concerns for or notice changes or differences in behavior, memory, cognition, attention, executive functioning, being flexible and managing different environments, and learning. Typically, neuropsychologists examine brain-behavior relationships through the evaluation process. Additionally, clinicians (e.g., speech therapists, occupational therapists, and/or psychologists) and medical providers may refer a child to obtain further information as a follow up from a previous evaluation, or if there are questions regarding other factors that may be impacting progress in therapy, or a medical provider may ask for more information prior to deciding about a medication trial, as well as recommendations other treatment planning and educational planning.
What should I expect from a neuropsychological evaluation?
The neuropsychological evaluation will integrate information from objective test data, input from multiple sources, such as parents, teachers, providers, etc and qualitative information from the testing session. The process typically involves several appointments (virtual and in person) depending on the referral questions. Following the testing session(s) the family will meet with the neuropsychologist to review all of the information gathered and discuss impressions of the child’s strengths and weaknesses, and provide recommendations, which usually include possible medical follow-up, therapeutic follow up and other treatment options along with educational recommendations, as needed.