1. Introduction:
It is important for a registered counsellor to understand and gain insight into the field of neuropsychology, in order to enhance their critical thinking abilities and ultimately be an effective and well informed counsellor (Lucas, 2011). This essay will examine what neuropsychology refers to while exploring key terms of this field, discuss the history of neuropsychology and how it has developed over the years, differentiate between the different types of neuropsychology, discuss the role of neuropsychological assessment in the field of psychology and the role of a neuropsychologist in the South African context, as well as discuss the relevance of knowledge in the field of neuropsychology for registered counsellors.
2. Neuropsychology as a field within Psychology:
According to the Reader’s Digest Oxford Complete Wordfinder (1990), psychology is defined as the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, focusing on those functions affecting behaviour in a given context. “Neuro” refers to the nerves in a person’s body and neuropsychology can therefore be seen as a field within psychology; as neuropsychology refers to a sub-discipline of psychology that aims to understand how the structure and functioning of a person’s brain relates to their thinking, behaviour and emotions (Banich & Compton, 2011, & Tulloch, 1990). This understanding of the brain and what makes people behave in certain ways can be applied practically in our everyday lives as we continuously interact with people (Cormier & Hackney, 2014, & Crutch, 2012). A registered counsellor could apply this knowledge of neuropsychology practically to their understanding of their clients as knowing and understanding that some disorders are biological can...
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...of neuropsychology (Lucas, 2011).
In South Africa, neuropsychologists use the standardized norms when assessing and treating clients using the standardized scores of people who are usually from the white middle-class (Lucas, 2011). However, this group of people forms a relatively small part of the South African population which means that these standardized tests and scores are invalid for most South Africans; and this makes the role of a neuropsychologists in the South African context more challenging (Lucas, 2011).
10. Conclusion:
This essay highlights the importance of neuropsychology in the field of psychology and highlights the role of a registered counsellor in neuropsychology. There are a number of different types of neuropsychology and the history of developments in the field of neuropsychology has lead to the advanced technology present in today’s society.

Dr. Correia has done many internships and fellowships in multiple places. Before acquiring his Doctorate, Dr. Correia had an internship at the Malcolm Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Gainesville, Florida for a year. After getting his Ph.D. he had two fellowships at the Brown Medical School dealing with Neuropsychology and Dementia Research in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior. Dr. Correia has been awarded countless times including his most recent Outstanding Teaching Award in Psychology at the Alpert Medical School at Brown University.
The World of Psychology. (2002). A Pearson Education Company. Boston, MA: Samuel Wood & Ellen Green Wood p. 593
As a Psychiatrist, they are to proficiently understand the function of the human mind to be able to penetrate into their patient’s thoughts and feelings. These medical doctors are required to spend approximately twelve years gaining a better insight into the complex structure of the brain. They are trained to understand how specific sections of the brain work together to achieve varieties of functions and how a mutation can cause a severe malfunction (Zorumski and Rubin). As a result of the years spent training, Psychiatrists are to differentiate and categorize physical and psychosomatic stress caused by chemical changes in the special parts of the brain. Psychiatrists are also trained to use neurotic technologies such as deep brain stimulation. Additionally, the medical doctors are equi...
Theron, M.J. (2008). Masters of Arts in Clinical Psychology [PDF] available at The University of South Africa website; umkn-dsp01.unisa.ac.za/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10500/2554/dissertation.pdf?sequence=1 (p.32)
Rivas-Vazquez, Rafael A.; Johnson, Sheri L.; Rey, Gustavo J.; Blais, Mark A.; Rivas-Vazquez, Ana. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 33.2 (Apr 2002): 212-223.
Levine, B. & Stuss, D. (2002). Adult clinical neuropsychology: lessons from studies of the frontal lobes. Annual Reviews Psychology, 401-433.
Professional groups, including the American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Chil...
The theory our learning team is studying is the psychodynamic approach or what is sometimes called psychoanalytic approach. The main contributors to Psychodynamic approaches was the founder Sigmund Freud (1859-1939), Anna Freud (1895-1982) gave significant contribution to the psychodynamics of adolescence and Erik Erickson (1902-1994) called the “new” Freud but with an emphasis on ego (conscious) forces, termed as psychosocial theory (Craig & Dunn, p 11-13). Psychodynamics is the explanation or interpretation (as of behavior or mental states) in terms of mental or emotional forces or processes (www.merriam-webster.com)
Ruff, R. (2003) A friendly critique of neuropsychology: facing the challenges of our future, Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology. 18( 8), 847-864.
Jansari, A. (2010). Cognitive neuropsychology In H. Kaye (Ed.), Cognitive Psychology Methods Companion (2nd ed., pp.59-101), Milton Keynes: The Open University.
So for the sake of patients and nurses it's crucial to have an understanding of psychology and psychological disorders. Once able to recognize your own mental state, it's important to know how to address it. Psychology, it the study of behavior and the mind. If nurses have a concrete foundation in psychology they’ll be able to address their own issue and their patients more adequately.
In conclusion, the clinical and statistical approaches in psychology can be beneficial to clinicians depending on the types of situations or specific areas that are being observed. As I mentioned earlier in my paper, the statistical method is useful when results are large and from heterogeneous samples and when they pertain to objective and specific areas. The clinical approach is beneficial in circumstances where situations are unforeseen rendering statistical tests moot. In addition, they are also useful when the interest in an individual case is high. Due to each individual being different and unique in their own way, I believe that clinicians should not rely heavily on statistical predictions and prepackaged treatments as opposed to clinical judgment and individual patients.
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior and translates as science of the soul. It is the study of human behavior and deals with how we think, feel, and act. Some areas of psychology are clinical, industrial, physiological, experimental, personality, social, and developmental. Psychologists can work in hospitals, schools, rehabilitation facilities, in public and private clinics or in the research field. They usually treat persons with mental and emotional disorders, so one may ask; why bother with psychology if you do not want to actually work as a psychologist? Even though it happens that i do want to study psychology, this year that i was introduced to it,i discovered that even if i wanted to study something entirely different, psychology would still be useful to me. So when studying psychology, you learn about human nature. This means that psychology actually has impact on every aspect in life. It helps see through the motives other people too have more importantly, it will help you to understand your own motives better. As a result
Neuropsychology is a branch of general psychology that is concerned with how the brain and the rest of the nervous system influence cognition and behavior. Professionals in this branch make it a goal to understand of how the brain influences cognitive functions and behavior. In fact, modern neuropsychology has roots that began in the 19th century. During this time, some of the first neuropsychologists studied animals and humans with brain and nervous system injuries. The significance of neuropsychology is subject to urgent brain trauma, which could cause complete loss of functionality of the body. The study of neuropsychology helps doctors understand how brain malfunctions occur.
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior. Psychology includes many sub-fields of study such areas as human development, sports, health, clinical, social behavior and cognitive processes. Many people go through troubles every day, some more than others; this might be related to a mental disorder or condition affecting the mind. This is why psychologist are important in society today. They are always working hard to find new medicines and therapy techniques to help make life a lot easier.