Description
Book SynopsisHave you ever looked at a heavy volume on neuropsychology and wondered what it would actually be like to become a professional clinician, working every day with neurological patients in a busy hospital while simultaneously learning your craft? This book tells the story of that journey.
The Notebook of a New Clinical Neuropsychologist vividly details the experience of starting work in clinical neuropsychology, exploring early-career learning and development through an intimate, case-based approach. Topics include the learning of basic clinical skills and knowledge, counter-transference, the clinician's emotional experiences, ethical and moral dilemmas, and the development of clinical reasoning. The book is structured around individual studies from the author's early caseload, with each vignette containing the relevant neuropathology, clinical presentation, history, neuropsychological test finding and other clinical data. Chapters are also organized around key neu
Trade Review
At the beginning of this book, a young Rudi Coetzer asks a senior colleague for help: "How to resemble a clinical neuropsychologist, just a tiny little bit more as I go along?". This question is also continually asked by my students. This excellent book provides an answer and will help students and young professionals develop. A mixture of sound theoretical knowledge, experience, understanding, and most importantly, deep clinical wisdom, this is a great and highly-needed book for young and more experienced psychologists alike. (Sanna Koskinen, Clinical neuropsychologist, University lecturer, PhD, University of Helsinki)
This beautiful book interweaves the vulnerability and modesty of a budding new neuropsychologist with the narratives of patients as experienced from the clinician's side of the desk. What adds great weight to the value of the book is that Rudi Coetzer has remained true to the origins of his first cases and refrained from the temptation of choosing only the extraordinary cases – as a result his book is both remarkable and a precious addition to the literature. (Dr Ava Easton, Chief Executive, The Encephalitis Society, Honourary Fellow, The University of Liverpool)
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements
Foreword by Robert Jones
Preface
1. Birth
First days in neuropsychology
2. Toughness
Traumatic Brain Injury
3. Fragility
Cerebro-vascular pathologies
4. Badness
Infections in the brain
5. Fate
Unpredictability in brain injury
6. Shock
Epilepsy and pseudo-seizures
7. Reality
Co‐morbidity in clinical neuropsychology
8. Life
Psychiatric aspects of neurological injury
9. Inheritance
Genetic disorders
10. Death
Dementia and neurological devastation
Epilogue
Appendix 1: Bibliography
Appendix 2: A short note on tests
Appendix 3: About the author
