Counseling

LPS focuses on helping individuals, families, and the community with a wide range of interventions.

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.

Benefits of Counseling

• improved communication and interpersonal skills
• greater self-acceptance and self-esteem
• ability to change self-defeating behaviors/habits
• better expression and management of emotions, including anger
• relief from depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions
• increased confidence and decision-making skills
• ability to manage stress effectively
• improved problem-solving and conflict resolution abilities

Our Staff

Group Therapy

Another option is group therapy. Depending on the nature of your issue or concern, group therapy can be an ideal choice for addressing your concerns and making positive changes in your life.

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.

Benefits of Group Therapy

• group provides support
• group provides a sounding board
• can propel you forword
• promotes social skills
• therapy cost less than individual counseling
• teach you about yourself
• relate to others

Groups Therapy Programs

Psychological Testing

LPS provides comprehensive psychological assessment for children (9 and older), adolescents, and adults. The process includes an initial intake/evaluation interview to determine an appropriate testing protocol.

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.

Examples of typical testing include:

Neuropsychological Assessment

Neuropsychology looks at how the health of your brain affects your thinking skills and behavior.

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:

• Prognosis and disposition planning
• Rehabilitation
• Viability to return to work
• Independent living
• Establishing baselines and “new normal”
• Changes in functioning over time
• Educational and vocational planning

Make an Appointment call 703.297.4368 or info@loudounpsychology.com

Learn More About Neuropsychological Evaluations

Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback is a form of biofeedback that detects and uses EEG (brainwave) signals, delivered via sensors on the scalp, to track and present brainwave activity to the user, typically in the form of games, videos, or auditory stimulation (i.e, feedback).

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:

• Arousal (ADHD, anxiety, depression)
• Sleep/wake cycles
• Cognitive processing
• Inhibition of motor responses
• Moods and emotions
• Memory

Limited research indicates some people may benefit from neurofeedback training for a broader range of brain-related conditions, including:

• Pain
• Addiction
• Aggression
• Anxiety
• Autism
• Depression
• Schizophrenia
• Epilepsy
• Headaches/migraines
• Insomnia
• Tourette’s syndrome
• Partial recovery from brain damage from stroke, trauma, and other causes.

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.

Bariatric Surgery

Bariatric surgery requires an individual to have sound mental health, including the will-power and strength to attend numerous follow-up appointments, making drastic changes in their diet and eating habits, and commit to a completely new life-style.

How can you limit your exposure to medical malpractice lawsuits, follow-up surgeries, and increase your chances in recognizing successful bariatric surgery candidates?

Pre-Surgery Evaluations

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 medical and non-medical care teams.

Evaluations Include:

• A comprehensive psychosocial interview
• Measure of locus of control
• Assessment of psychosocial factors that can impact successful medical treatment
• Assessment of substance use and abuse
• Pain assessment
• Cognitive assessment
• Assessment of personality traits and psychopathology
• Measurement of mood
• Assessment of potential for litigious behaviors

Make an Appointment call 703.297.4368 or info@loudounpsychology.com