The psychoanalytically-informed neuropsychologist can play an important role in supporting treatment planning for patients who are in the process of converting from psychoanalytic psychotherapy to psychoanalysis, at a treatment impasse in a psychoanalytically informed treatment, or suspected of having neurocognitive difficulties concurrent with psychoanalytic psychotherapy or psychoanalysis. Understanding the neurocognitive functions that help define perception of self and others, and which influence reality testing, executive functioning, attention, and memory represent examples of how traditional domains of a neuropsychological evaluation are bridged with ego functions, building on Heinz Hartmann’s discussion of autonomous ego functions in the 1930s, and the diagnostic testing strategy developed by David Rapaport, Merton Gill, and Roy Schafer in the 1940s. Interpretation of various neurocognitive domains influence patient adaptation both within and outside of treatment, and can play a critical role in providing clinical-psychodynamic language and recommendations to support treatment considerations. A case illustration demonstrates how a multi-method consultation conducted by a psychoanalyst employing both neuropsychological and personality tests and measures can inform psychoanalytic treatment planning for an adult patient diagnosed with a childhood neurological problem.
Learning Objectives:
Skill Level: Intermediate/Advanced