Dr. Yerzley's Clinical Services

Dr. Yerzley offers a wide range of clinical services, and is also available as a consultant to other practitioners.

During the first meeting, Dr. Yerzley will conduct an initial assessment, consisting of a comprehensive review of the patient's problem and situation, including but not limited to a discussion of significant historical events in the patient's life as well as of any medical conditions which may have an impact on the patient's mental well-being. She will also review fees and policies during this meeting. Occasionally, depending on Dr. Yerzley's preliminary assessment, she may recommend psychological testing as a part of completing the evaluation. This may include tests such as the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R), the Battery for Health Improvement (BHI2), the Pain Patient Profile (P-3) and the Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI).

Often, more people are involved than simply the patient who identifies himself or herself, and under these circumstances couples therapy, family therapy or group therapy may be helpful to the patient and others significant in the patient's life.

Dr. Yerzley offiers both psychological and neuropsychological evaluations. Psychological tests are designed to measure characteristics such as personality, level of intelligence and academic function and to detect and classify various types of psychopathology. They may also be used to obtain insights into attitudes and behavior patterns. A complete course of psychological testing may take four to six hours of evaluation time, with the psychologist spending additional time to analyze test results and prepare a summary report.

Neuropsychological tests are intended to evaluate a patient's capacity for concentration and focus as well as skills such as reading, comprehension, the ability to interpret and process information and the capacity for judgment. Tests may also evaluate visual perception, movement and coordination. Neuropsychological testing is usually performed to evaluate neurological or neuropsychiatric disorders resulting from injuries or illnesses such as traumatic brain injury, concussion, dementia, stroke and demyelinating disorders such as multiple sclerosis. The results often provide valuable information about the patient's neurocognitive functioning which may aid in development of a treatment plan. A course of neuropsychological testing may take up to 12 hours of patient participation. Dr. Yerzley then interprets the test results and prepares a final report.

Dr. Yerzley provides preoperative psychological evaluations for patients contemplating procedures such as spinal cord stimulator implantation and bariatric (weight reduction) surgery. During an evaluation she conducts a structured clinical interview, reviewing the patient's medical and psychosocial history, observes the patient's behavior, assesses the candidate's psychological readiness for surgery and may also perform psychological testing. She then proposes strategies to help the patient prepare for surgery and develops an individualized treatment plan to help the patient make beneficial lifestyle modifications. Such comprehensive psychological evaluations, supported by objective test data, can help surgical teams make appropriate decisions and formulate effective treatment plans.