I know this forum is not a place to seek medical advice, but since this is a professional issue as well I am hoping someone can help me. This year I applied to clinical psychology PhD programs after several years of preparing by working in research. However I have always had doubts about my abilities as a clinician because although I am really interested in helping people, it is hard for me to think of the appropriate way to respond at times. Recently I also had neuropsych testing done and the results showed my information processing speed is terrible (like first percentile) as well as my working memory. The neuropsychologist mentioned ADHD and something called executive function disorder but didn't give a definitive diagnosis. He also knew I applied to grad school and told me this shouldn't stop me from trying to continue on this career path. I feel like he just didn't want to crush my dreams but I just want an honest opinion of how this might impact my ability to work as a clinician. To work as a psychologist I feel like you have to be able to process things quickly and respond to your clients in the moment. It is hard because in some ways this information makes me want to help people with similiar situations ever more, but if this field might not be appropriate for me I would rather know now before wasting years of my life in graduate school.
Advice please
- Thread starter abc45
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It seems to me that the neuropsych was the person most qualified to give you this advice, so if I were you I would believe what he said. Neuropsychologists are expert at delivering bad news, so the fact that he didn't try to dissuade you is probably an indication that he believes you can do it. It may be difficult, but you'll have to see for yourself as you're doing it. It can be hard sometimes for most of us to think of appropriate ways to respond and this is something you learn (and become better at) over time. Becoming a good psychotherapist is a process.
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To be honest, without seeing the data, can't really make an informed decision. Additionally, giving that kind of diagnostic advice over the internet would be tantamount to a possible ethics violation.
Regardless of that, this is a cognitively demanding field. But, relative strengths can sometimes make up for relative weaknesses. I'd really look at how you did in demanding coursework in college, possibly at how your GRE was. If you can excel through those utilizing your strengths, may be good to go. If you struggled mightily there, clinical psychology may not be the path for you.
Regardless of that, this is a cognitively demanding field. But, relative strengths can sometimes make up for relative weaknesses. I'd really look at how you did in demanding coursework in college, possibly at how your GRE was. If you can excel through those utilizing your strengths, may be good to go. If you struggled mightily there, clinical psychology may not be the path for you.
If you give a person 10 NP tests, they will likely fail or show clinical ratings in just one by chance. Sometimes it happens.
If you are concerned - ask to take 2-3 different types of memory tests next time and ask if they corroborate with the evidence of the first test.
see: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21526613
as an example study.
If you are concerned - ask to take 2-3 different types of memory tests next time and ask if they corroborate with the evidence of the first test.
see: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21526613
as an example study.
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I have a hard time seeing how the above is true.
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Those studies (of which there are at least a few by now) indicate that variability across cognitive abilities, in and of itself, is not unusual in populations of cognitively healthy individuals. However, that's not the same as saying that any one person is almost guaranteed to show up in the impaired range if you give them a large number of tests; it's basically meant as a way of preventing folks from overpathologizing based solely on intraindividual variability.
Overall, yes, there are a variety of reasons why a person might perform relatively poorly on cognitive tests, and it's the professionals job to try and figure out what the reason(s) could be.
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If the neuro person said it can be done, it can be done. I'm sure you didn't wake up this morning and never lived before getting this information. And I'm sure you didn't just develop these issues the day before getting testing done. My point you have been functioning to this point, some kind of way, and will continue to function after finding out what was going on. You are going to have to make adjustments in your education, study habits, note taking etc. and keep your professors in the loop to make it through. Also, you should research different areas of the mental health field and gear your studies towards an area that work towards your strengthens.
Thank you for the responses. I have always done very well academically and did well on the GREs, so it has not been a problem there. However, in my case I don't think the test results were just by chance. I got the testing done because I noticed that I struggle with some things, like organization, communication, focus. For me these issues just show up more socially rather than academically; for example I have a hard time staying present (and people have noticed this) and communicating complex ideas without a lot of preparation. The reason for my concern is that in college you are tested on your ability to learn material, not counsel people or solve problems in the moment, so I really have no idea how I will perform in that area. Of course, no one can judge that for me or offer a diagnosis over the internet...so I guess I will just have to try and see what happens, if I make it into grad school.
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The nature of clinical work is that it's really hard to know if one will be good at it coming into grad school, because ethically you can't do psychotherapy until you are a grad student. Even the more "clinical" clinical work that one can do as a non-grad student, like psychoed groups or being an ABA technician, only approximate doing therapy to a certain degree, so everyone is flying at least somewhat blind with regards to clinical work.
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This applies to people maybe dipping into the borderline range. When someone falls into the severely impaired range, it ain't by chance. It is either due to impairment or some invalidation of the test, usually malingering.
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Do not worry! You say you have had doubts about yourself already, so it seems like maybe you're looking for more info to add to your own self-doubt. I know people in top notch clinical programs with similar issues. I also know there are a ton of people in clinical programs, and established highly regarded psychologists who are super crazy. It's part of being in the field. Your "condition" if even accurate -- always get second opinions -- will in NO way be a hindrance for you to succeed. We all have our issues--it's how we find methods to compensate for those issues that allow us to succeed. Sounds like if anything else, you should be in your own personal psychotherapy to find out why you carry such doubts about yourself.
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Just to throw in some fun input, I have ADHD (medicated) and I just had a severe traumatic brain injury 9 months ago. Even before my accident my executive functioning was not exactly the best. Having been trained in assessments, I had my pre-morbid WAIS to compare to my new self post-accident. I lost 22 points in my FSIQ and my processing speed had gone down 3 standard deviations.
However, I am now doing just fine in my doctoral program. Yes I have some limitations, but the brain is an amazing thing and can always learn new information and coping strategies. My advice is to seek more information from your neuropsychologist and, if needed, seek treatment. Don't be shy to ask for more clarification on what's wrong.
However, I am now doing just fine in my doctoral program. Yes I have some limitations, but the brain is an amazing thing and can always learn new information and coping strategies. My advice is to seek more information from your neuropsychologist and, if needed, seek treatment. Don't be shy to ask for more clarification on what's wrong.
