At Neuropsychology and Counseling Associates, we offer a wide range of services for older adults and their families.  Individual, group, and family counseling are offered to assist with age-related issues.  Cognitive and dementia screening, neurocognitive and behavioral rehabilitation help to determine if changes are needed or whether a new level of care be considered by the older adult and their families. Neuropsychology and Counseling Associates offers psychological education and consultation for stress management, retirement, and grief and loss counseling.  Click here for additional information regarding dementia screening and its value.  Please give our office a call at 732-840-5266 for further information or to schedule a consultation.

After a concussion, individuals may experience a number of physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms.  These commonly include headache, dizziness, fatigue, vision problems, memory difficulty, and poor concentration.  Sleep difficulty, depression, anxiety, and irritability are also common.

Comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation is often performed to diagnose and treat individuals with these symptoms of post-concussion.  Early intervention may prevent these symptoms from worsening.

We offer a number of treatment modalities for people experiencing chronic pain symptoms from illness or accident.  Treatment modalities include biofeedback, psychotherapy, and pain management support groups in addition to referral for medication evaluations, if necessary.

Symptoms of depression can include any of the following:

• Sleep disturbance (trouble falling or staying asleep)
• Poor appetite
• Negative thoughts
• Feeling sad, "down" or blue
• Low energy
• Lack of enjoyment of usually enjoyed activities
• Preference to be alone or to avoid social activities
• Mental dullness

Symptoms of anxiety can include:

• Nervousness
• Racing heart
• Racing thoughts
• Obsessive thoughts (disturbing thoughts you can't stop thinking of)
• Compulsive behaviors (maladaptive behaviors you feel you have no control over)
• Mental disorganization
• Phobias or extreme fears

We offer comprehensive psychological assessment of depression and anxiety symptoms.  We also provide treatment which may include individual and/or group psychotherapy in a warm and confidential atmosphere, in addition to providing referrals for medication evaluations, if necessary.

Can meditation and relaxation boost your memory and improve attention?
Definitely!

Research has shown that meditation can physically change brain structure to increase mental efficacy of the quality associated with a higher intelligence.

 

Anxiety and stress are frequent causes of memory and attention difficulties.  Biofeedback is an effective way to combat these problems.

Biofeedback uses your mind to control your body.  Using cutting edge computer technology, you receive “feedback” about your body’s physical condition.  You can “see” and “hear” activity inside your body and, through practice, learn to control these bodily processes leading to a healthier body and calmer mind.  Biofeedback will teach you how to counter the impact of stress on the mind and body, and promote the body’s natural healing process.  Research clearly indicates that biofeedback can be used to lower blood pressure and heart rate.  After each session of biofeedback, you will feel more relaxed, focused, and less stressed.  Over time, you will gain control over your responses to life’s stressors while becoming a calmer, more relaxed person.  These methods will give you the tools you need to manage stress for the rest of your life!

In a Harvard Medical School study, researchers observed the brain using MRI with average people while they were meditating.  They found that after 20 minutes of meditation/relaxation, there was increased thickness in the part of the brain that controls memory and attention.  The findings suggest regular meditation helps people maintain their ability to remember and focus.

 

Biofeedback is also useful for a variety of other medical conditions, including:

• Headaches
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• High Blood Pressure
• Chronic Pain
• Asthma
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Sleep Problems

Cognitive training can enhance memory, mental agility, and attention.

 

With the proper exercises, memory, attention, and reasoning can be improved.  The more you practice a particular skill, the stronger that skill becomes.  These changes can actually be seen in your brain!  Areas of the brain used frequently strengthen and grow.  With the proper help, cognitive training can enhance mental prowess and cognitive capacity.

The purpose of cognitive remediation is to improve the underlying skills that allow us to succeed intellectually, socially, vocationally, and at home.  Cognitive training utilizes a variety of exercises that are specifically designed to improve many skills including the following:

• Attention/Concentration
• Memory
• Planning
• Organization
• Mental Flexibility
• Sequencing
• Problem-Solving

Often, individuals with dementia, strokes, Traumatic Brain Injury, or other neurological disorders experience failure because of a weakness in an area of cognitive functioning which is needed to complete a task successfully.  Cognitive remediation will strengthen these skills through a variety of tasks which gradually increase in complexity and difficulty as the particular cognitive ability improves.

Cognitive training also generally leads to an improvement in self-esteem as an individual builds upon his successes with frequent, individualized, positive feedback from our therapist and related success at home, at work, socially, and in the community.

In addition to providing psychotherapy and counseling services to adults, our staff of psychologists and therapists also provide mental health services to children, adolescents, and families for the following:

• Work-related/vocational problems
• School-related/academic problems
• Family difficulties
• Relationship issues

• Stressed out?
• Worried about the future?
• Feeling frustrated, scared, and down?
• Afraid of being embarrassed in front of friends or family?
• Feeling less sure or confident of yourself?
• Not sure how to respond to the changes in yourself or a loved one?

These are all feelings, thoughts, and concerns someone experiencing cognitive decline and their family may experience.

Therapy, marital/caregiver support, and family counseling can be very important in successful treatment of memory loss and/or cognitive decline.  Cognitive decline can be associated with work performance changes, interpersonal difficulties, problems performing certain daily tasks and household responsibilities, family and parental stress, marital stress, and personality change.  Counseling can help to decrease depression and anxiety, provide support, bolster self-confidence, and address behavioral problems.  In therapy, skills are taught and practiced to manage stress and anger, improve communication, and resolve conflicts.  Therapy can also help to reduce marital conflict and enhance the happiness and relationships of everyone in the family.

Traditional therapy and Teletherapy available

Teletherapy is providing therapy through a live video connection, over the internet. It is the same treatment as you would in person, it's just done through a computer.