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Department of Psychology

The Department of Psychology at Shepherd Center is a comprehensive department staffed by various mental health professionals. With both outpatient and inpatient rehab psychology services, patients can find the support they need in a way that fits their lifestyle. Our Shepherd Center counseling services are designed to help patients through their recovery journey and transition into a new chapter. Our rehabilitation psychologists include a team of:

Rehabilitation Psychologists
Neuropsychologists
Health and Pain Psychologists
Licensed Professional Counselors
Licensed Clinical Social Workers
Rehabilitation Psychology Fellows
Neuropsychology Fellows
Psychometrists
Chaplains

Our Program Involvement

These professionals are involved with many inpatient and outpatient programs at Shepherd Center. Staff members work with:

Inpatient Units

Outpatient Day Programs

Outpatient Clinics

The department staff offers psychological services during each phase of the neurorehabilitation process, from ICU to inpatient acute care and outpatient care.

These interventions address emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and pain issues that can accompany the catastrophic injuries/illnesses treated at Shepherd Center.

Our Services

Psychotherapy or counseling to facilitate adjustment to injury and/or illness. Addressing adjustment issues early and at every phase leads to improved outcomes, providing key elements for successful reintegration into one's life.

Individual Therapy
Couple and Family Therapy
Support Groups
- Patient
  - ABI
  - SCI
- Family
  - ABI
  - SCI

Neuropsychological testing to help assess changes in thinking abilities, such as memory, attention, language, processing speed, and problem-solving skills, associated with various neurological and medical conditions. These evaluations may be requested to determine an individual's current level of functioning, track changes in cognitive abilities over time, assist with treatment planning and recommendations, clarify diagnosis and prognosis, determine the ability to return to school or work, or determine capacity to function independently.

Support and Education for patients and families/caregivers, including:

Family Series
Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Lecture Series
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Lecture Series

The psychology staff uses integrative models that work with Shepherd Center's deeply committed interdisciplinary teams. The philosophy of the department and Shepherd Center is that the neurorehabilitation psychology experts are active members of the rehabilitation team. This allows for more direct and immediate communication about patients rather than a consultation model used by other hospitals and rehabilitation centers.

The department is also strongly committed to training psychology students. We train advanced-level pre-internship doctoral-level students in the foundations of rehabilitation psychology and neuropsychology, as well as post-doctoral level fellows in clinical neuropsychology and rehabilitation psychology. We also train master's level counseling students. For further information, please contact Department Director Dr. Laurie Baker at 404-350-7470.