Thank you for your interest in LPS. All clinicians are currently booked. If you recently submitted a request for services, please be patient as we work to find a fit with one of our clinicians. For new inquiries, please check back in February, 2021 as we hope to reopen appointments for new members.
Please note, we are still accepting clients for psychological testing (ADHD, bariatric, etc.). Please contact info@loudounpsychology.com for additional details.
We work with you to set realistic goals, improve your well-being, and identify treatment options to optimize your potential. Our positive, supportive, and innovative approach to therapy will help motivate you to create a more fulfilling and balanced life. Our staff includes licensed clinicians as well as psychology residents, interns, and externs working towards licensure. Treatment programs are developed collaboratively during the initial evaluation.
Group therapy at LPS involves one or two clinician(s) who lead a group of roughly five to 15 patients. Typically, groups meet for between one and two hours each week. Some people attend individual therapy in addition to groups, while others participate in groups only.
LPS groups are designed to target a specific problem, such as depression, trauma, panic disorder, social anxiety, chronic pain, motivation or substance abuse. Other groups focus more generally on improving social skills, helping people deal with a range of issues such as anger, shyness, loneliness and low self-esteem. Groups often help those who have experienced loss, whether it be a spouse, a child or someone who died by suicide.
Psychological testing and assessment are the mental health equivalent to medical tests. When a patient has physical symptoms, a primary care provider may order a series of diagnostic tests to help guide treatment planning. Likewise, psychologists often use results of psychological assessments to help guide treatment planning and better understand the extent and severity of mental health symptoms.
Psychological testing isn't like taking a multiple-choice or essay type exam that you either pass or fail. Instead, licensed psychologists use information gathered from various tests, assessments, and collateral reports to reach a specific diagnosis and develop a treatment plan.
Some people are tempted to peek at the tests ahead of time. If they suspect they may have a particular problem, they may look online for a practice test of that problem. That's a bad idea, experts say. In fact, practicing ahead of time usually backfires — when you try to take the test in a certain way, the answers may be inconsistent and make you appear to have more problems than you actually do.
Psychological testing and assessment is non-invasive and not something you need to study for. On the contrary, it is an opportunity for your mental health treatment team to determine the best way to help you.
After completing a clinical interview, a review of coverage and costs will be provided followed by scheduling testing appointments with enough time to accommodate each assessment. The testing protocol often includes gathering further data from various sources (e.g., parents, teachers, etc.), after which we will provide a comprehensive report which details any diagnoses along with treatment recommendations.
Neuropsychological assessments involve performance-based methods to assess cognitive functioning. This type of evaluation allows trained neuropsychologists to examine the impact of brain damage, brain disease, and severe mental illness on cognitive functioning. There are several specific uses of neuropsychological assessment, including collection of diagnostic information, differential diagnostic information, assessment of treatment response, and prediction of functional potential and functional recovery. In addition, a neuropsychological evaluation provides comprehensive assessment of patients in whom impairments of cognitive or neuropsychiatric function are evident or suspected, with or without obvious impairment, damage, or symptoms.
A clinical neuropsychological assessment offers important insight, in conjunction with neuroimaging, to provide for more meaningful treatment planning and prognoses. It is well known that the presence of significant brain changes can be associated with nearly normal cognitive functioning, while individuals with no lesions detectable on imaging can have substantial cognitive and functional limitations.
Assessment involves a systematic evaluation of higher cognitive abilities to identify possible problems with brain functioning. This helps lead to a diagnosis, defines strengths and weaknesses, and helps develop meaningful treatment programs and options.
Using LPS to conduct a neuropsychological assessment can help guide decisions on:
The technology and methodology behind neurofeedback has been around for several decades and has extensive research, but with mixed results. Various studies have shown that neurofeedback can be effective for treating issues ranging from anxiety, depression, and trauma, to ADHD and other behavioral issues. The evidence is most positive with respect to ADHD, as the user learns to “train up” or “train down” brainwave activity most frequently associated with attention issues.
Neurofeedback is still considered experimental by nearly all insurance companies, thus requiring treatment to be more expensive. Clinicians at Loudoun Psychological Services take new neurofeedback clients on a case by case basis. We typically conduct an intake evaluation (that may be covered by insurance) to assess if you are a good candidate for this treatment method.
An initial quantitative EEG (QEEG) is typically done to identify a treatment protocol followed by between 10 and 20 (up to as many as 30+) sessions to help “train” your brain, leveraging neuroplasticity, to improve issues including:
Limited research indicates some people may benefit from neurofeedback training for a broader range of brain-related conditions, including:
There are limited appointments available for this treatment method and patients are accepted on a case by case basis. Contact the office for more information and availability.
How can you limit your exposure to medical malpractice lawsuits, follow-up surgeries, and increased your chances in recognizing successful bariatric surgery candidates?
Our clinic offers you the opportunity to have your patients undergo a complete evidenced-based pre-surgical evaluation utilizing comprehensive assessment measures, normed on relevant surgical candidates.
Pre-surgical psychological evaluations meet insurance pre-authorization requirements and allow for communication across multidisciplinary medial and non-medial care teams.
Evaluations Includes