PsyD4me said:
This may conjure up different opinions, but what is the ideal theoretical orientation pertaining to neuropsychology? Or is it too objective to need a theoretical orientation?
I imagine that you're referring to clinical neuropsychology as opposed to research neuropsychology. If this is true, then a theoretical orientation will be something that you will obtain as you go through a doctoral training program in clinical psychology, and ultimately postdoctoral specialization in clinical neuropsychology. This means that you have to take all of the APA course and practica requirements in clinical psychology BEFORE formally specializing in clinical neuropsychology. Most predoctoral training programs offer some level of academic and clinical training in neuropsychology, but in order to be formally recognized as a clinical neuropsychologist, you must complete a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology. Check out this website for more information:
www.div40.org
Clinically, your theoretical orientation may be psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, eclectic, etc. However, most clinical neuropsychologists don't do much therapy and spend most of their time conducting neuropsychological assessments and writing reports. Rehabilitation settings occassionally have clinical neuropsychologists conduct assessments, write reports, and conduct psychotherapy with patients who are dealing with major life changes due to a traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, etc.
I remember reading an article a few years ago that described a training program for clinical neuropsychologists that was independent of traditional clinical psychology training. To my knowledge, no such programs exist, so in order to become a clinical neuropsychologist, you have to train as a generalist clinical psychologist and then specialize. The parallel to this model is medicine, in which everyone obtains basic medical training and then specializes during a residency/fellowship.