Are you a parent who is worried about your teenager who seems troubled or out of control? Mark D. Parisi, Psy.D. & Associates, P.C. is an Illinois-licensed professional service corporation that specializes in offering help for troubled, out of control teens in Chicago, Illinois. We provide integrated solutions for children and teenagers who are experiencing emotional or behavioral problems. Our team of behavioral healthcare professionals includes child-specialized therapists, child psychologists, school social workers, and child-specialized nurse practitioners under direction of our psychiatrist. We understand that in order to help teenagers who are troubled or out of control, it is essential to, first and foremost, understand what the core problem is. We provide expert psychological and educational testing to assist in diagnostic clarification and treatment planning. We are able to advocate for your teenager within school or work settings. We help to set up school and home-based behavior modification plans. We can recommend strategies to improve motivation within school and compliance with rules / expectations at home. We are participating providers on most insurance panels including Blue Cross / Blue Shield of Illinois, United Healthcare, CIGNA, Aetna, and Humana. We are also one of a select few practices in all of Metro Chicago that offers sliding scale fees for both counseling and psychiatric medication management. To learn more about how Mark D. Parisi, Psy.D. & Associates, P.C.’s innovative services can offer help for troubled, out of control teens in Chicago, Illinois, please visit our website or call us at (847) 909-9858 for a free, no-obligation consultation or to set an appointment.
Where Can I Find Help For Depression in Chicago, Illinois?
Are you looking for help for depression in Chicago, Illinois? Mark D. Parisi, Psy.D. & Associates, P.C. provides comprehensive solutions for treating depression and other psychological issues in Metro Chicago and surrounding suburbs. We are an Illinois-licensed professional service corporation that has been serving the behavioral healthcare needs of families in Metro Chicago since 2000. Mark D. Parisi, Psy.D. & Associates, P.C. offers psychological testing, solution-focused treatment approaches, and medication management – all under one roof. Our team of Illinois-licensed clinicians are experts in the diagnosis and treatment of depression. We understand that depression is caused by multiple factors including hereditary predisposition, stressful life circumstances, unhealthy ways of coping, and negative ways of thinking. We offer help for depression that targets each of these causative factors. Mark D. Parisi, Psy.D. & Associates, P.C. is one of the few for-profit practices in Metro Chicago to offer sliding scale rates for both counseling and medication management services. We are participating providers on most insurance panels and promptly and professionally file your insurance claims.
To find out more about how Mark D. Parisi, Psy.D. & Associates, P.C. offers help for depression in Chicago, Illinois, please visit our website or call us at (847) 909-9858 for a free, no-obligation consultation or to set up an appointment.
Where Can I Find Help For Anxiety, Stress in Chicago, Illinois?
Are you suffering from anxiety or stress? Mark D. Parisi, Psy.D. & Associates, P.C. offers help for anxiety, stress in Chicago, Illinois. We are one of the industry leaders in Metro Chicago in providing integrated behavioral healthcare. We offer expert psychological testing, counseling services, and medication management to help alleviate the suffering associated with anxiety and stress. We understand the causes of anxiety and stress are often multi-faceted and including hereditary factors, life stressors, maladaptive ways of coping, and unhealthy ways of thinking. We provide treatment solutions that target each of these causative factors. Mark D. Parisi, Psy.D. & Associates, P.C. is one of the few practices in the Metro Chicago area to offer sliding scale fees for both counseling and medication management services. If you are looking for help for anxiety, stress in Chicago, Illinois, look no further.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, we invite you to visit our website to learn more about how Mark D. Parisi, Psy.D. & Associates, P.C. can offer help for anxiety, stress in Chicago, Illinois or call us at (847) 909-9858 for a free, no-obligation consultation.
Psychologist Jobs, Employment, Careers in Chicago, Illinois
Mark D. Parisi, Psy.D. & Associates, P.C. is hiring Licensed Clinical Psychologists for employment opportunities in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Parisi & Associates, P.C. has been serving the behavioral healthcare needs of Metro Chicago since 2000 and is an industry leader in providing high quality behavioral healthcare in skilled nursing home settings. We are recruiting psychologists for part-time to full-time careers. Unlike many such jobs for psychologists in Metro Chicago, Dr. Parisi & Associates, P.C. offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance, paid malpractice coverage, yearly continuing education stipend, and paid vacation TO ITS PART-TIME ASSOCIATES AND FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES. As an associate, our psychologists earn $40-$70 per service hour starting salary.
To apply, you MUST possess an active, unrestricted license to practice as a Clinical Psychologist in the State of Illinois. You SHOULD also have excellent oral and written communication skills AND have good, reliable transportation and a willingness to travel as part of the job. Preference will be given to those psychologists with bilingual language skills (especially Spanish, Russian or Polish) and those with active Medicare provider numbers or experience working in skilled nursing facility settings.
To learn more about Dr. Parisi & Associates, P.C. employment opportunities for Licensed Clinical Psychologists in Chicago, Illinois, you are invited to visit our website’s Careers page by clicking on this LINK or contact Dr. Parisi directly with any questions or concerns at (847) 909-9858.
What is Neuropsychological Testing?
Neuropsychological testing involves the administration of standardized ability tests that help to identify changes in brain functioning that may result from various medical and neurological conditions. The results of these neuropsychological tests are interpreted in conjunction with a thorough understanding of clients’ backgrounds and the unique behavioral and emotional issues the client might be having.
Neuropsychological testing can helps physicians and rehabilitation specialists answer the following questions:
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- Is a client showing signs of dementia? If so, what is the nature of the dementia and prognosis for recovery / treatment?
- Does a client with medical conditions like Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, or other neurological condition(s) have any losses in mental abilities as a result of these medical conditions? Are there areas of functioning that are not affected by the medical conditions – or that are areas of preserved strength?
- Are clients’ claims of reduced mental functioning due to a brain-related condition, or to other factors, such as the effects of normal aging, increased cognitive (thinking) demands in daily life, or emotional issues such as depression, anxiety, etc.?
- Are clients competent to make decisions for themselves given their current mental abilities and emotional / behavioral issues?
- Have the passage or time or treatment interventions had an effect on clients’ mental abilities?
- Has clients’ alcohol/drug/prescription medication usage had a detrimental effect on mental functioning?
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Neuropsychological testing typically addresses the practical implications of clients’ strengths and weaknesses as they relate to education, work, retraining, independent living, etc., treatment needs and implications of any cognitive deficits for treatment, and prognosis for change over time.
Neuropsychological testing typically can be completed from a couple of hours to within one day, depending on the client’s age and referral questions to be answered. Neuropsychological testing measures client skills and abilities in the following areas: attention and concentration, academic skills, learning and memory, sensory-perception (vision, hearing, sense of touch) and motor function (dexterity), language, spatial abilities, planning, organization, reasoning, and problem-solving, and emotional adjustment
What is a Neuropsychologist?
A neuropsychologist is a doctoral-level psychologist who specializes in the study of brain-behavior relationships such as language, learning and memory, and higher level thinking (referred to as “cognition”). The neuropsychologist spends about eight to ten years (college, graduate school, post-graduate training) learning how to evaluate and treat individuals who have sustained an injury to the brain, who develop a disease of the brain, or who have a developmental disorder that may have affected the brain since birth.
The neuropsychologist is different than a clinical psychologist who typically studies and treats behavioral and emotional disorders such as anxiety and depression. Even though the neuropsychologist may do this as well, it is typically within the context of working with individuals who have neurologic disease (such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease) or brain injury (for instance, traumatic brain injury from a motor vehicle accident). The neuropsychologist is different than a neurologist in that a neurologist is a physician who treats the physical part of an illness or injury (e.g., headaches or seizures) and who oversee the medical aspects of their care (e.g., administration of medication, ordering diagnostic studies).
A client, family member, or most commonly, the treating physician seeks out the expert opinions of the neuropsychologist to help assess the basis of brain-based problems as well as its impact on physical and emotional functioning. Neuropsychologists are occasionally credentialed through the American Board of Professional Psychology (or, ABPP) or the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (or, ABCN) which denotes that the psychologist has completed the most rigorous training and certification standards within the profession. It is important to note, however, that neuropsychologists do not need to complete this certification in order to practice neuropsychology.
Controversy Over Intelligence Testing
The controversy over intelligence, or IQ, testing is not new to the field of psychology. The debate has raged for years over exactly what is being measured in traditional IQ tests and what, if anything, do particular IQ scores mean.
IQ testing began as a way of categorizing military recruits and quickly expanded into non-military applications as a means of determining someone’s capacity for success. Two of the most popular IQ tests, The Stanford-Binet and The Wechsler Intelligence Scales, measure intelligence as a construct composed of both verbal and nonverbal components. On these IQ tests, respondents are asked to solve different types of problems – some measuring vocabulary, mathematics, and general information skills, others assessing the ability to assemble sequences of pictures to tell a story or determine what is missing from a series of pictures. The question remains, though, what exactly are these IQ tests measuring?
In an attempt to answer this question, it is helpful to better understand which subtests on the IQ tests factor in most heavily to form the composite estimate of IQ. On the verbal scale, this is the Vocabulary subtest; while, on the nonverbal scale, this is the Block Design subtest. The Vocabulary subtest loads heavily on word knowledge and definitions. The Block Design subtest loads heavily on visual-spatial / perceptual-organization skills. Many experts believe that IQ tests are unduly influenced by language issues and load somewhat heavily on verbal skills. For this reason, there have been efforts to devise some IQ tests which factor out the influence of language to give, perhaps, a fairer estimate of intelligence minus the language bias. One such test that has received much attention and praise is the Comprehensive Test of Nonverbal Intelligence. Still other IQ tests have recognized that traditional IQ tests do not measure some of the most basic aspects of the human experience – the need to relate effectively to others. The Bar-On Emotional Intelligence Test was created to measure a construct called Emotional Intelligence, or E-IQ, which is believed to be a strong predictor of interpersonal success.
Still the question lingers of just how meaningful of a construct is IQ? The answer to this question appears to reside in asking another question which is, “What are you trying to predict?” There is a vast body of research that confirms that traditional IQ tests are good at predicting how far someone may be able to go in school. Also, traditional IQ tests are believed to be good predictors of how successful someone might be within a particular vocation. Clearly, though, IQ testing is shrouded in controversy because there are so many things which predict success or failure in the human experience that traditional IQ tests do not measure – such as, kindness, will to succeed, and willingness to learn.
So, the debate continues…and will likely rage on for years to come.
Coping With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD as it is commonly called, is classified as an Anxiety Disorder in which an individual experiences intense fear, helplessness, horror, flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, and/or distressing sensory experiences associated with a traumatic event(s) that were experienced previously. There are numerous types of events that can trigger symptoms of PTSD including exposure to war, torture, rape, child sexual assaults, terrorism, a major car accident, living with a fatal illness, a natural disaster, witnessing a death, finding someone dead, or being physically assaulted. These are only some of the types of experiences that can trigger PTSD.
The common denominator in experiences that may trigger symptoms of PTSD is that they are believed to be beyond the scope of normal human experience and are, in some way, associated with intense fear, horror, or panic in the person who endured the traumatic event(s).
The symptoms of PTSD vary in severity. Some of the more common symptoms include nightmares about the event, trouble sleeping, recurring distressing thoughts or images, intense psychological distress where memories of the event are triggered, sweating, muscle twitching and rapid heartbeat. Some people will go through sprouts of unexplained anger or irritability and will be on alert for danger. Still others will have symptoms of guilt or feel a sense of “depersonalization” where they feel a sense of detachment from others – like they been tainted by the trauma and are no longer the same person they used to be before the traumatic experience.
Many people dealing with PTSD will seem fine on the outside and, instead, will bottle up their feelings or emotions. This type of reaction to traumatic experiences are often classified as an avoidance reaction and includes resorting to drug and alcohol use in an attempt to block out the painful memories, avoiding people and places, losing interest in activities that were previously enjoyable before the traumatic event(s), and being unable to feel joyous or loving feelings. Many sufferers will also feel detached from society and feel a sense of hopelessness.
PTSD is a treatable psychological disorder. There are ways, often through a combination of medication management and psychotherapy, to overcome the crippling effects of PTSD. Treatment often comes through working through the painful memories and, by improving coping skills and mental attitude in the present day, learning a new, healthier perspective on the person one has become. The key is to get professional help and not suffer alone.
What is Expressive Play Therapy?
The use of expressive play therapy as a tool in helping children work through emotional issues dates all the way back to the time of Sigmund Freud in 1909 when he introduced this modality of treatment into his work with children. Freud’s theories were later expanded upon by his students, most notably his daughter, Anna, who systematized and expanded upon the use of play therapy as a legitimate treatment modality when working with children.
The practice of expressive play therapy is focused on helping children work through emotional upset by allowing them to express themselves through play.
There are a variety of types of expressive play therapy including dramatic and fantasy play, sandbox play, and art-focused play. All types of expressive play therapy are premised on the idea that play is essential to the normal development of children. Because children are often unable to communicate and talk about their feelings the same way adults do, expressive play therapy allows a natural vehicle for children to recreate, and with assistance from the child therapist, discuss feelings such as sadness, anger, and worry that might be influencing their daily lives.
As with any method of treatment focused on children, considerable effort must be devoted in the beginning stages of therapy in building rapport and trust that will enable children to express themselves through play. Initially, the child therapist attempts to foster rapport and trust – often referred to as a “therapeutic alliance” – by allowing the child to explore the office and select play activities that are developmentally appropriate and personally appealing. The child therapist may choose to target certain types of play activities in order to elicit certain types of emotions or reactions. For example, the child therapist might introduce doll house figurines and furniture in order to elicit emotions or reactions pertaining to his or her family life.
Through expressive play therapy, children gradually learn how to deal with difficulties they may be experiencing in daily life. In so doing, they begin to develop a sense of efficacy and improved self-esteem that, ultimately, leads to improved adjustment and resolution of any problems they may have been experiencing.
Understanding Psychological Testing
Psychological tests include a variety of different types of instruments given either through interview or in writing to assess an individual’s personality, intellect, achievement level, or behavior.
Objective psychological tests are those instruments which have “norms,” or a population against which to compare an individual’s test scores. For this reason, objective psychological tests are often referred to as “norm-referenced” tests and include such standardized psychological tests as the Stanford-Binet intelligence test as well as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Objective psychological tests are only as good as their normative base. To ensure the goodness of these instruments, test developers often go to great lengths to ensure that the normative base is large and well-represents both the characteristic(s) being measured as well as the population who might take the test.
Subjective psychological tests, as the name implies, leave the interpretation of test results up to the examiner. In a sense, there is no “right-or-wrong” answer to these tests. In other ways, because these subjective psychological tests do not have forced-choice answers, an individual taking such a test is able to reveal more about himself or herself during the scope of the assessment. There have efforts to standardize scoring of some of the subjective psychological tests; however, for the most part, the interpretation of the results on these tests is left up to the expert judgment of the examiner. Some of the most commonly used subjective psychological tests include the Rotter Incomplete Sentence Blank test as well as the Rorschach Inkblot Test.
Psychological tests are an invaluable part of a qualified mental health professional’s arsenal.
They can assist is decisions regarding diagnosis, treatment planning, and need for special services. However, psychological tests should only be administered, scored, and interpreted by someone qualified through both training and licensure to give these types of instruments. Also, and most importantly, the results of psychological tests must be integrated with information obtained from other sources to give the most accurate picture of what is really going on with an individual.