Shepherd Center's Neuropsychology Training Program


Neuropsychology Education Goals and Program Structure

This two-year neuropsychology training fellowship is consistent with Houston Conference Guidelines, with a balance of assessment, intervention, and consultation, reflecting prototypic contemporary neuropsychological practice in inpatient and outpatient settings. The fellow will be trained and evaluated in the competencies delineated by Smith (2019), which details the education and training in clinical neuropsychology. Fellows will also have ample opportunity to work alongside other allied health and rehabilitation specialists. 

Additional neuropsychology training goals of the fellowship include: 

  • Advanced skill in neuropsychological evaluation, treatment, and consultation with patients and professionals sufficient to practice on an independent basis. 
  • Advanced understanding of brain-behavior relationships. 
  • Sufficient scholarly activity through submission of a study or literature review for publication, presentation, submission of a grant proposal, or outcome assessment.
  • Eligibility for state licensure in the state/province in which the fellow intends to practice. 
  • Eligibility for board certification in clinical neuropsychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology.

View our Training Program Outline


Required Primary Rotations

Fellows complete two, 12-month major rotations as part of the fellowship. One rotation focuses on the neurorehabilitation of individuals with a neurologic disorder in the inpatient setting. Concurrent with the major rotation, a minor rotation is completed in which the fellow also maintains a small testing caseload in the Outpatient Clinic one day per week.

The other rotation focuses on acute neurologic disorders, as well as individuals presenting with chronic sequelae of neurologic disorders, in a post-acute setting. One fellow will be placed in each major rotation for the first year. The fellows will switch major rotations for the second year. A sample rotation structure can be viewed here.

Rotation A


Rotation B


Minor Rotations (Select One or More) 

Each fellow in satisfactory standing is expected to complete either two minor rotations (the equivalent of one day per week for a three-month duration at the rotation site) or one major rotation (the equivalent of one day per week for a six-month duration at the rotation site) during the last six months of the second year of their neuropsychology education with Shepherd Center.

Additional opportunities for minor rotations may be available or developed based on individualized interest. Some minor rotations may not be available every year, and some require state licensure for participation. 


Research Rotation

Consistent with the scientist-practitioner model and evidence-based practice, research plays an integral role across all programs at Shepherd Center. There are numerous research studies being conducted across the Center, including efforts within the ABI program. Additional opportunities may also be identified in other areas such as SCI, MS, and the SHARE Initiative.

Guided by our research mentor, Kristian Nitsch, Ph.D., fellows will have access to our robust neuropsychology registry database (REDcap) for use in their own investigations and will have the option of engaging in faculty research as part of their two-year-long research rotation. Interdisciplinary research is highly encouraged, with potential opportunities to explore research being conducted by allied health, vocational rehabilitation, and other rehabilitation clinicians. Fellows are encouraged to collaborate with each other and will participate in regular research meetings which involve project development, research article reviews and critiques, and ongoing project and database updates.


Fellowship Didactic Opportunities 

Didactic opportunities expand fellows’ existing knowledge base in neuroanatomy, neuropathology, and the neurosciences, and foster the fellow’s development as a neuropsychology scientist-practitioner. Through didactic and experiential training, the fellow develops a strong understanding of brain-behavior relationships and furthers their knowledge in basic psychological principles, research methodology, psychometric issues, and general clinical psychology, as well as practice and professional issues. A sample of didactic training opportunities available to the fellow are included below.


Supervision 

Supervision is provided in all aspects of the fellow’s clinical, research, and teaching activities. While each clinical rotation has a primary supervisor, day-to-day supervisory responsibility is rotated among the faculty to expose the fellow to different expertise and professional styles. Each week, the fellow will receive one to two hours of individual supervision and approximately two hours of group supervision obtained through clinical and didactic activities.   

Additional informal supervision regularly occurs as the fellow manages the demands of clinical services. The fellow receives supervision on case presentations, performance in team meetings and seminars, consultative/supervisory work, writing skills, and overall professional conduct. Supervisory sessions also address professional development, career planning, and interviewing skills.  

Fellows will have more than 1,500 hours of supervised work experience needed for licensure in Georgia and all other jurisdictions of the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards by the end of the fellowship. In addition, all fellows will sit for the written part of the national licensure examination, the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP), during the two-year fellowship. Fellows should complete the first part of the EPPP by December of the second year of the fellowship.  


Diversity

Shepherd Center is deeply committed to training future neuropsychologists from a culturally competent framework and fostering an environment that is highly sensitive to and appreciative of all aspects of diversity. We believe that increased self-awareness and appreciation for other viewpoints and cultures make psychologists more effective practitioners, scientists, supervisors, and teachers. For this reason, sensitivity to individual differences and cultural humility are integral aspects of our training philosophy. Our overall objective is to provide residents with the awareness, knowledge, and skills to provide clinical services across cultures and diverse settings. Training is focused on the integration of diversity-related knowledge into clinical services. A specific emphasis is placed on incorporating diversity-related concepts and knowledge into evidence-based assessment and intervention practices. As such, our fellowship is committed to the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology's Relevance 2050 Initiative.


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