Neuropsychologist, clinical psychologist

Pros and cons of the professionImportant qualitiesWhere to study Neuropsychology coursesSalary as of 07/08/2021

A neuropsychologist deals with the correction of certain functions of the human psyche, which helps improve their functioning. The result of its activity is the restoration of speech, normalization of the characteristics of perception, thinking, as well as various higher functions of the psyche. By the way, in 2021, the ProfGid career guidance center developed an accurate career guidance test. He himself will tell you which professions are suitable for you, and give an opinion about your personality type and intelligence.

Features of the profession

The work of a neuropsychologist helps the client adapt to the living conditions in which he is currently located. There are officially two branches of neuropsychology: adult and child. The second is younger and is developing very quickly, without yet having an official branch. That is why neuropsychology uses the same diagnostic methods for children’s mental problems as for adults.

Most often, neuropsychologists work with children who suffer from:

• cerebral palsy;
• disturbances in the processes of controlling one’s own behavior, as well as attention (this phenomenon is classified as attention deficit disorder, as well as hyperactivity disorder);
• difficulties in the process of socialization (adaptation to society);
• increased fatigue;
• slow process of mastering the school curriculum.

This specialist also helps children with limited mental abilities of a congenital nature or those that appeared during life, for example, after injuries. For each child, a neuropsychologist selects a special training program, thanks to which effective correction of mental functions is possible. It consists of performing a variety of tasks aimed at improving attention, memory, etc.

A clinical psychologist in the field of neuropsychology also works with adult patients. They resort to the help of this specialist after damage to the nervous system, which has suffered as a result of illness, physical and psychological trauma. It is important to remember: this specialist is not a doctor.

Neuropsychologist: what is this “beast” and why is it needed?

Home » Psychological help » Notes from a psychologist » Neuropsychologist: what is this “beast” and why is it needed?

06 05 2021 NVL No comments yet

Today our guest is neuropsychologist Tatyana Buzinova with a story about her profession. We will talk about when and who needs a neuropsychologist, what methods he uses, and how he can help your child in preparing for school and for life.

“Well, it hurt, I’ve been in the profession for so many years, and I finally decided to speak out. How long can you maintain a professional position, “smile and wave.” Hoping at the same time that during my consultation, parents will see, notice, understand that a child neuropsychologist is not a judge, not some evil guy or old lady who sits in a shabby office and gives, gives, GIVES grades to your child, your parenting, your strengths, and more often, disadvantages...

From a recent conversation with my parents: - We went to a neuropsychologist, and it turned out that everything was so bad with us. - Did he determine whether your child is left-handed or right-handed? — That wasn’t what it was about!

This kind of feedback makes my professional brain explode. Ahhhh! What if parents leave my consultations with horror at how bad everything is for them and without any understanding of what to do?

Let's talk about what a neuropsychologist treats, and, I hope, by the end of the article you will have an idea of ​​what invaluable, sometimes magical help representatives of this still very young profession can provide.

Who is neuropsychology for?

Initially, neuropsychology was not considered as a mass specialty, unlike, for example, speech therapy. Therefore, it has a rather complex conceptual apparatus. The terminology frightens the ordinary parent and makes him feel the immensity and special depth of the problems. Just listen: interhemispheric asymmetry, tactile praxis, spatial gnosis, perception, synkinesis, stereotypy, and so on.

It is my sincere conviction that the founder of Russian neuropsychology A.R. Luria, creating this special area of ​​psychology, finding relationships between the anatomical structures of the brain and the mental functions attached to them, wanted one thing - to explain where various problems in people come from. And already knowing this, learn to help people overcome the consequences of injuries, strokes and other conditions. For example, a person recognizes an object but cannot name it, or speech impairments appear after a stroke.

His numerous studies allowed him to describe how mental processes occur in the brain and to identify 3 functional blocks. Neuropsychology for children has proven to be very effective. Thanks to this theory of his, I explain to almost every parent what happens in a child’s head when he “can’t learn . The science he created received worldwide recognition, and his “Little Book of Big Memory” became widely known in its time. In the book by O. Sachs “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat”, which is a bestseller in our time, and even shows are staged based on it, phenomena are described that Alexander Romanovich Luria was able to scientifically explain!

What idea underlies neuropsychology? The brain is an incredibly plastic structure, with enormous compensation capabilities. What does it mean? But only one thing, as soon as we understand what the problem is (this is the task of a neuropsychologist), we will be able to select exercises that will help develop these compensatory capabilities of the brain and thereby help development.

Can a neuropsychologist treat any problem? Can everything be compensated? Of course, like any method, child neuropsychology and sensorimotor correction have limitations; it is impossible to “cure” everyone. But for a large number of children, thanks to sensorimotor correction, new opportunities open up: studying at school, not at home; in a regular classroom; and not correctional; the effectiveness of speech therapy sessions increases; solve many problems with communication and perseverance in a child.

At what age should you contact a pediatric neuropsychologist?

In any case, already 40 days after birth, you can say a lot about the sensorimotor development of the child. Even if parents are not ready to contact a specialist, I strongly recommend carefully observing how the baby moves, whether he has a full range of motion, and whether there is hypertonicity or hypotonicity in the muscles. He will be wary if the child is not confident in his movements, cannot climb, crawl, walk, but is already beginning to speak. It is much easier to remember all this if the mother keeps a diary, especially if there are several children in the family.

Very often I hear parents “bragging” about their child’s early maturation: he started at 8 months, started speaking in phrases at one year. Early speech sometimes turns out to be the reason for the immaturity of the child’s emotional sphere. Anyone can speak, but it can be difficult to feel, “count” another, express an emotion without words, and use facial expressions. It is important to consciously monitor the peculiarities in the child’s development and ensure that there are no distortions.

Most often they come to a neuropsychologist a year before school. This is the best option: decide on the leading hand, see how the child is developed, what difficulties there may be in school in the future. And then, if necessary, there is time to study without overloading the child. Very often at appointments I recommend developing independence skills. Children do not know how to take care of themselves (get dressed, tie shoelaces, collect things, sometimes they do not even know how to ask to go to the toilet, because the adults around them take control). Therefore, the first grade at school becomes stressful: so many new responsibilities appear that the child did not even know about!

The second most popular age among neuropsychologists is 8-9 years. This is the second grade or the beginning of the third.

You know, like in a fable

“The Jumping Dragonfly sang a red summer (before school, difficulties with speech, excitability, and other things were put off in the hope that everything would work out on its own), before she had time to look back (the first grade flew by unnoticed, there were problems, but no grades), when winter rolled into our eyes” ( in grades 2-3, grades began, failures, behavior problems, the child lacks perseverance).

It became obvious that something had to be done. And the combination of school and correction begins. The result does not come quickly, the child is stressed, the parents are stressed, but everyone is doing it, because it is already obvious to everyone that help is needed.

Reasons to contact a neuropsychologist:

1. At least one of the parents feels that they are not coping . I have seen many times how problems “disappeared” by themselves, immediately after mom or dad understood what can be expected from a child at a certain age and what cannot be expected. For example, I often meet parents who say about a three-year-old: “a mathematician or a humanist, right-handed or left-handed,” “He doesn’t want to, but I force him to study.” That is, failure to cope can be done in different ways: parents may feel that their child is behind in development, but he simply does not meet the parents’ expectations. Or the opposite situation: parents do not see difficulties in the child’s development, but there is still discomfort, for example, it is difficult for the child to adapt to a group of peers. In school-age children, these are primarily learning difficulties. There may also be various forms of behavior in children that can confuse parents. For example, systematically biting nails, pens, etc., rocking and other forms of obsessive movements. In these cases, neuropsychology for children can be effective.

2. Features of movement . The child moves too little or too much, has an unbalanced gait, often falls, cannot master a scooter or bicycle, and cannot decide on his dominant hand.

From a conversation with my parents: “He’s hyperactive, and the neurologist wrote to us that way.” - Why did you decide that? - Well, we sat with him in line to see the neurologist for 40 minutes, and when they came in, he just stopped walking on the ceiling... And the grandmother, who sits with him while I work, is very fond of him gets tired.

3. Complaints from teachers and educators about inattention. Very often, teachers see things that parents do not notice or, conversely, teachers become nagging for reasons independent of health. A neuropsychologist will help you competently understand the root cause of such complaints, and during the consultation process you yourself will see all the difficulties and achievements of your child.

4. There is too much of something in a child’s life : stress, lessons, tablets, tears, grievances, fears, etc.

From conversations with parents Psychologist: - Could you study at home? Mom (about a 9-year-old child): - Yes, of course, on Tuesdays she comes after classes quite early at 19.30, she just has time, and on other days we We return at 20.30. — When does she do her homework? — In the car on the way to practice, while she’s waiting for me at school, and finishes it up at home in the evening.

Comments, as they say, are not required...

Buzinova Tatyana Viktorovna - clinical psychologist, neuropsychologist, kinesiologist, instructor of “Healing Touch”, mother of 3 children, official work experience 16 years.

Next time we will tell you how a neuropsychologist works

We invite you to a webinar with Tatyana Buzinova

Share this post

Related Posts
• How to teach a child to draw and avoid color mud
• How to prepare your children for the next baby
• If a child doesn’t like to draw at all, how to inspire him?
• How to talk and come to an agreement with a teenager?
• What to do if a parent does not know how to draw?
• How to help your child draw on a given topic?

Add a comment Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Find out how your comment data is processed.

Important qualities

Regarding human, and not professional qualities, a representative of this profession needs to be able to win over the patient and establish a trusting relationship with him. A prerequisite is the presence of empathy, but at the same time the ability to abstract, without letting the patient’s problems pass through oneself. It is also necessary to have a stable nervous system, since in practice we often encounter difficult cases of diseases.

A neuropsychologist must be able to work with children, since they make up the majority of the total number of patients. Patience and endurance are required.

In addition, a representative of this profession will require constant professional development and self-education. The majority of research in the field of neuropsychology is published in English, so it is important to have knowledge of this language. In addition, at various international seminars in this language it will be possible to exchange experiences with specialists from other countries.

Skills required to work as a pediatric neuropsychologist

It is clear that, in addition to scientific knowledge and skills, a pediatric neuropsychologist must also have personal qualities, which are essential in this profession.

Here are the top 6 personality traits and skills you'll need.

1. The main thing here will, of course, be the ability to win over and inspire the unconditional trust of the young patient. After all, without trust there will be no relationship and mutual understanding, and, therefore, the treatment itself becomes impossible.
2. Patience and iron endurance will also contribute to the result of the work. After all, you will have to talk with small children, and the child is not always able to clearly explain his condition or understand why he needs to follow all the doctor’s instructions.
3. The ability to empathize and sympathize does not exclude the obligatory ability to abstract from work issues in time so as not to get into trouble yourself. After all, it is the profession of psychologist that is at risk for emotional burnout.
4. A stable nervous system will help to cope with a high share of responsibility for the health of children.
5. Knowledge of the English language contributes to the conduct of neuropsychological research, since most scientific works are published in English, and at international seminars there will be an opportunity to exchange experience with specialists from other countries.
6. The desire to constantly improve and learn, including independently.

Training to become a Neuropsychologist

Courses

Russian Institute of Professional Education "IPO"

Russian Institute of Vocational Education, NANO "IPO" - is recruiting students to receive specialties: "Neuropsychology" under a distance program of professional retraining and advanced training from 9,900 rubles. Studying at the IPO is a convenient and quick way to receive distance education. 2000+ training courses. 15,000+ graduates from 200+ cities. Short deadlines for completing documents and external training, interest-free installments from the institute and individual discounts. Contact us!

Universities

Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov

Clinical psychology (Faculty of Psychology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University)

State University "Dubna"

Pathopsychological diagnostics and psychotherapy (Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Dubna)

First Moscow State Medical University named after. I.M.Sechenova

Clinical psychology (I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University)

Russian National Research Medical University named after N. I. Pirogov

Clinical Psychology (Psychological and Social Faculty of the Russian National Research Medical University named after N. I. Pirogov)

Moscow State Medical and Dental University named after. A.I. Evdokimova

Clinical psychology (Faculty of Clinical Psychology, A.I. Evdokimov Moscow State Medical University)

To become a specialist in this profile, you first need to obtain a higher education in the profession of “clinical psychologist”. Next, you need to improve your qualifications in graduate school, at the same time defend your candidate's dissertation, and then your doctorate.

Salary as of 07/08/2021

Russia 20000—90000 ₽
Moscow 25000—120000 ₽

The salary of a neuropsychologist depends on the country and region in which he operates. Directly in Moscow, an employee who has just started practicing receives about 20,000 rubles, and an experienced specialist earns 50,000 rubles. Payment for the work of a professional specialist in the field of neuropsychology can be more than 90,000 rubles. Those in private practice can earn much more, provided that they truly have fundamental knowledge in the field of neuropsychology.

Career

One of the career paths for a neuropsychologist is the opportunity to become the head of a department. Many specialists open private offices and also engage in scientific activities, which often extend beyond the country. This opens up great prospects in international practice.

Professional knowledge

For a clinical psychologist in the field of neuropsychology, it is necessary to have knowledge in such areas as:

• psychophysiology;
• clinical and age anatomy;
• hygiene and physiology;
• psychotherapy;
• neurology;
• physiology of sensory systems, as well as higher nervous activity;
• psychiatry;
• physiology of the central nervous system.

Particular attention should be paid to the sections of these areas that are aimed at children.

A neuropsychologist must have an understanding of both clinical psychology and neuroscience in order to design effective treatment programs for patients. At the same time, he must monitor how effective the method of improving mental functions is, and also correct it in a timely manner. This is possible with the help of knowledge of modern diagnostic methods, as well as the ability to use them.

Neuropsychologist

Questions about the patterns of functioning of perception, attention, memory, thinking, emotions and consciousness do not lose relevance. Cognitive sciences are becoming increasingly interdisciplinary, which creates a need for researchers who have knowledge of the latest achievements in the field of psychology, neurobiology, linguistics, artificial intelligence, and mathematical modeling.

A neuropsychologist studies the mechanisms underlying various cognitive processes. He studies phenomena such as perception, attentional control, mechanisms of reasoning, language and problem solving, cognitive development and cognitive impairment. In this case, various methods are used to study the functioning of the brain in real time.

The results of the work of neuropsychologists are in demand in medicine, biotechnology, education, production management systems, industry, and the IT field when assessing the ease of use, suitability and ergonomics of a product or service (usability).

Drivers of the profession

• Development of methods of psychophysical research

• Growing number of projects to implement brain-computer interfaces

• Demand for restoration and improvement of cognitive functions of people after illnesses

• Development of neuromarketing

Problems solved by a specialist

• Carrying out theoretical and experimental work in the cognitive field
• Application of cognitive technologies to improve the efficiency of people in various fields
• Development and examination of IT devices, applications and interfaces in which cognitive technologies are implemented
• Consulting on the development of individual creative abilities
• Working with cognitive impairment

Required competencies

• Knowledge in the field of cognitive psychology, linguistics, learning psychology, cognitive neuroscience, neuroeconomics, neurolinguistics
• Skills in planning and conducting scientific research in the field of cognitive science, statistical analysis of experimental data
• Knowledge of the molecular and neurobiological mechanisms that determine behavior
• Knowledge of modern methods and technologies for diagnosing brain functioning
• Skills in modeling the behavior of complex systems, such as neural channels, neural networks, cognitive processes
• Knowledge of brain imaging methods