Hello, reviving this again to address a question that was hit on very briefly:
Was at a didactic for training, asked the question, and got helpful, but wishy-washy responses.
What types of evaluations can your 'general practitioner Psychologists' (psych) do vs your 'board-certified Neuropsychologist (neuro)?'
From what I understand, the answer comes down to this: Legally, a psych and neuro can do the same tests/batteries/evaluations(assessments), but technically (and ethically) a psych shouldn't do neuro-specific assessments.
What I understand (cont):
Psychs get licensed and are allowed to perform psych-related duties including assessments. These are usually...general? In the sense that specialized training isn't needed outside of the requirements from the licensing board (Autism, Personality, giftedness, LD, ADHD [Maybe?], etc).
Neuros go through board certification to call themselves neuropsychologists. This showcases that they had the proper training and experience to conduct these tests. This is especially helpful in forensic cases when appearing as an expert witness and while working in hospital systems to ensure optimal patient care. Neuros can do more specialized assessments for neurological-related conditions (Epilepsy, pre/post-op batteries, TBI, Dementia, Alzheimer, etc, etc?)
Now technically speaking, Psychs can still perform Neuro assessments without being board-certified right? They would be under the category of "Psychologists that do Neuro Testing" without calling themselves a neuropsychologist.... This seems risky. If you were for some reason to end up in a forensic case testifying as an expert witness for something neuro-related, wouldn't your whole testimony get thrown away if they identify you as doing Neuro testing without being board-certified? Also, this seems like an easy way to get the licensing board's attention if you really mess up a report.
And this makes answering the main question hard, as there seems to be a lot of argument about a psych's and neuro's scope of practice. But nonetheless, what tests/cases belong in neuro bucket?
The issue isn't really a matter of what tests are being used, but what you're attempting to use the tests for. There are few, if any, tests that are truly restricted to someone with neuropsych training. State licensing boards are usually even more vague in this regard RE: scope of practice. Basically, in most instances, it's up to the psychologist to decide what they're competent to do and what they're not. Although there may be situations in which a psychologist is credentialed by their employer in terms of what they can do, and/or by an insurance company to be able to bill for certain services and CPT codes.
Ultimately, it usually boils down to the referral question. A psychologist who is adequately trained in assessment could answer a question such as, "does this person have depression, anxiety, PTSD, or all of the above?" A psychologist with adequate training can also perform psychoeducational assessments for conditions such as learning disorders (relatively testing heavy), assessments for ADHD (much lighter on the testing), etc. The key isn't whether or not you're a psychologist/neuropsychologist, but whether you actually have training and experience in assessing for these conditions. For example, I'd feel comfortable performing an assessment for ADHD. If I had the materials, I could also assess for learning disability, but I'd want to brush up on some things first. I wouldn't immediately feel comfortable assessing for autism in adults. I could probably screen for eating disorders, but wouldn't want to get into the nitty gritty of treatment-focused assessment there. I haven't seen any children since grad school, so I wouldn't want to see anyone younger than 18 for pretty much any reason. Etc.
Neuropsychologists are usually going to answer some version of a question relating to cognition and/or underlying brain-related issues. "Does this person have a neurocognitive disorder (Alzheimer's disease/Parkinson's disease dementia/vascular cognitive impairment/etc.), and if so, what kind and severity?" Or, "this person had a TBI, how significantly and in what ways has it affected their cognition, if at all?" Neuropsychologists will usually also be asked to provide treatment recommendations, and some neuropsychologists will have training in providing cognitive rehabilitation. There's often a good deal of overlap with more general psych assessment. "Are these person's cognitive complaints due to depression, dementia, or both?"
"Neuropsychologist" is, by and large, not a protected term (there are a few exceptions, such as Louisiana, that do protect it). Any psychologist can
say they perform neuropsychological assessments. It can be risky, yes. If there's a board complaint by a patient or other provider, the psychologist would probably need to justify to the board how/why they're trained to do what they're doing. It's rare to unknowingly end up as an expert witness in a forensic case, and if that happens, you and/or the attorney have probably done something wrong. But if a psychologist without formal neuropsych training elected to take a forensic case in which they'd be serving as a neuropsychologist, then yes, that could open their eval and testimony up to impeachment. It could also mean that even if the court accepts them as an expert, their testimony is going to be horrible.
As for board certification, it's probably the most straightforward way to establish your expertise with the courts (and with patients, a licensing board, etc.), but it's not necessary, and not being boarded certainly wouldn't automatically lead to a psychologist's testimony being thrown out. Plenty of appropriately-trained neuropsychologists perform forensic work and are not boarded. It's becoming more common to be boarded, but it's still not universal. Early on, the psychologist may just have to provide some additional information about their education and training, either with retaining attorneys, the court, or both.
Psychology, and neuropsychology, are bodies of knowledge, not groups of tests. And relatedly, psychologists/neuropsychologists may feel comfortable answering some types of questions in some settings, but not others. For example, a psychologist may feel quite comfortable assessing for mood disorders, but wouldn't initially feel comfortable assessing for mood disorders in the context of a pre-surgical organ transplant evaluation.
