The Division of Neuropsychology exists to support its members with training and advice, and to keep them apprised of ongoing news and developments within the field.
News
Annual General Meetings (AGMs)
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Division of Neuropsychology AGM 2021
Show contentThe Division of Neuropsychology AGM 2021 will be held on Thursday 14 October 2021 at 4.00pm via Zoom
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If you have any queries regarding the AGM, nominations or resolutions please email Member Network Services.
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Division of Neuropsychology, Faculty of Paediatric Neuropsychology AGM 2021
Show contentThe Division of Neuropsychology, Faculty of Paediatric Neuropsychology AGM 2021 will be held on Friday 15 October 2021 at 4.00pm via Zoom
You must be signed-in to access the following material
If you have any queries regarding the AGM, nominations or resolutions please email Member Network Services
Updates from the DoN
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Research Assistant Opportunity
Show contentThe Division of Neuropsychology (DoN) is a Member Network of the British Psychological Society and is seeking a Research Assistant to support the conduct of a study to establish research priorities in the domain of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in clinical neuropsychology.
The DoN recognises that it has not to date been a particularly progressive. nor one with an impressive track record on equality, diversity and inclusion. A lot of people working in clinical neuropsychological settings are not members of the Society or Division and may not feel welcome within it, and our lack of engagement with equality and diversity matters, along with the lack of visible difference and diversity within our committees and broader membership, will doubtless have contributed to this. The Society has also recognised that it needs to do more in this area and has set up the Presidential Taskforce on Diversity and Inclusion in its commitment to valuing diversity and promoting inclusion into concrete action.
At our Annual General Meeting in January 2019, Katherine Carpenter set out that Equality, Diversity and Inclusion would be an important focus of her work in her second term as Division Chair. A reciprocal mentoring scheme was set up for members from minority ethnicity groups. In 2020 the increased attention to racism following the murder of George Floyd in the United States and the ethnicity-related disparities in outcomes of Covid-19 in the UK led to a renewed commitment to ED&I.
Since then, a new DoN working group on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion has been established. In collaboration with the BPS Presidential Task Force on Equality and Diversity, we produced a webinar, Beginning to talk about diversity and inclusion in clinical neuropsychology, in which the focus was the experience of people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnicity groups within the profession. Our 2021 conference theme was set as Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Clinical Neuropsychology: Committing to Action, and an excellent programme of keynote talks, panel discussions, and symposia has been planned on the issues of ethnicity, culture, and disability (see https://www.delegate-reg.co.uk/don2021/agenda for details). The working group has expanded to a membership of seven, and an initial work plan has been created. At present the focus of this work is on ethnicity and culture; however, we recognise the many facets of diversity including those protected by law that have not been considered in depth and that are just as much in need of attention. This is our starting point and moving forward, equality, diversity and inclusion are firmly on the DoN agenda – on every DoN agenda.
The primary objective of the group is to work to improve equality and diversity within clinical neuropsychology, in relation to the profession, its clinical services, and its research.
The specific EDI research and evaluation objectives within clinical neuropsychology are:
- Establishing research priorities We are seeking to appoint a Research Assistant to conduct a priority setting exercise focussed on establishing the major research priorities related to improving inclusion in clinical neuropsychology across all the protected characteristics. The outcome of this exercise will inform our own later work and, we anticipate, encourage further research in this area.
- Maintaining a database of diversity-focussed research project Given the heightened focus on diversity and inclusion issues, and the scarce resources available to conduct research, we intend to establish an open database to track ongoing and completed projects and reduce the likelihood of efforts being duplicated.
The specific tasks of the Research Assistant role will be:
- To conduct, under online supervision, a study that will identify the research priorities related to ED&I in clinical neuropsychology from the perspectives of professionals and the public. This will include:
- Conducting initial literature reviews and potentially also systematic reviews in areas relevant to ED&I in clinical neuropsychology
- Creation of an online survey
- Data collection using online survey
- Support in online interviewing in relation to any in-depth follow ups
- Initial data analysis and report writing
- Remote working with reliable access to WiFi internet
It is essential that applicants have the following skills:
- Bachelors degree in Psychology
- Experience of quantitative and/or qualitative research methods in psychology
- Demonstrated interest in and commitment to furthering equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives
- Ability to use supervision to guide work but within this to demonstrate autonomy and initiative
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Excellent team working skills
- Good IT skills
It is desirable that postholder has the following skills:
- Postgraduate research qualification and/or experience
- Experience of conducting systematic literature reviews
- Experience of working as an Assistant Psychologist or Research Assistant in an area of practice relevant to clinical neuropsychology
- Experience of data collection using online survey software
This role is offered as a Contract for Services through The British Psychological Society and therefore the contractor is responsible for their own tax returns and declaring the income. The project value is £12,500 for 130 days work. It is expected that the project will be completed within six months of appointment.
Application for this post is by the submission of a covering letter linking your skills to our specific needs and a CV to Helen Barnett ([email protected]) by Monday 7 June.
Interested parties may contact Katherine Carpenter, DoN Chair, ([email protected]), or Jessica Fish, DoN Communications Lead and Chief Editor, ([email protected]), for an informal discussion about the role.
It is anticipated that the interviews will take place on Thursday 17 June with the successful applicant being able to commence as soon as possible after that. We aim to contact people selected for interview by Thursday 11 June.
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February 2021
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November 2020
Show contentDoN Newsletter
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September 2020
Show contentDoN Newsletter
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Beginning to Talk about Diversity and Inclusion in Neuropsychology
Show contentWatch "Beginning to Talk about Diversity and Inclusion in Neuropsychology" a ground-breaking webinar where honest discussion refreshes the air around these important and sensitive issues.
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June 2020
Show contentDoN Newsletter
St. George's Hospital - Responding to the Covid-19 Pandemic
Shai Betteridge from the St. George's Hospital NHS Trust has written a tribute to the staff's valiant response to the pressures and stresses of dealing with the ongoing pandemic.
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April 2020
Show contentTeleneuropsychology Guidelines
The Division of Neuropsychology supports the appropriate use of remote technologies when undertaking clinical neuropsychology work in the context of the current COVID 19 pandemic.
Careful consideration on a case-by-case basis must be given as to whether use of tele-neuropsychology is necessary and will address the current need of the patient/client.
Guidance for those planning tele-neuropsychological assessment and rehabilitation/treatment is provided but should be interpreted in the context of local guidance from employers and other host organisations.
Published studies indicate that remote administration of some neuropsychological tests can produce reliable and valid results, though the evidence base is limited.
The assessment of young children, adults with learning disabilities, and many older adults will require specific further consideration.
Please note: the following are interim guidelines only and are likely to be superseded by a consultation and a full position paper on tele-neuropsychology in due course.
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November 2019
Show contentAnnual Networking Event and AGM
Friday 31 January 2020
Manchester Hall, Manchester
We are delighted to announce that booking for our 2020 networking event is now open!
The focus for the day will on The Role of Neuropsychologists in Neurosurgery and Acute Care. With keynote speeches on Awake Craniotomy and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for FND, and three parallel workshops in the afternoon (adult, older adult and paediatric) it is set to be an excellent day.
PLEASE NOTE - DoN members qualify for a substantial reduction in registration fees and can register for £45!
Call for Submissions
We are seeking submissions for the data blitz presentations. This is an ideal platform to promote your service in a brief five-minute presentation. It provides an opportunity to find out what research other services are doing, network and even collaborate. We would particularly encourage psychologists starting out on their career or newly starting research to use this as an opportunity to share their work. Hurry to secure your place and
Society Membership Survey
Earlier this year the Society conducted a major survey of its members, looking at the pressures they are under in their working lives.The results of this survey have now been published and clear themes have emerged emerging. Significant numbers of members are worried about excessive workplace demands and feel spiralling workloads are affecting their ability to provide the best care. There is also a strong theme of funding and resources not matching increasing demand, creating gaps in the services that psychologists offer.
The results are being broken down by Division. We have not yet had the results for the Division of Neuropsychology, but the ones for the Division of Clinical Psychology show its members were more likely than other psychologists to reports signs of stress and burnout. And judging from what members tell me about the erosion of services and having to carry more and more complex and challenging cases, it’s likely that a similar picture will emerge for us.
The survey’s results will form the basis for the Society’s work on our behalf. Sarb Bajwa, (BPS CEO) is clear: “The BPS is your professional body, and we will be using these results to demand that all of our members have workplaces with the positive and supportive culture which the research done by psychologists has shown to be so important.”
The DoN will be continuing to work with the Society on this messaging.
Katherine Carpenter, Chair of the Division of Neuropsychology
Communications Lead
We are looking for a new communications officer for the DoN! This individual will work within the Membership Services Unit to maintain and develop the Division’s communications with our members. The role involves attendance at 5 DoN management meetings a year, attendance at our CPD events and preparation of the monthly email. Familiarity with social media would be beneficial as we would like to expand our presence in this area. Anyone interested should complete a Statement of Interest form by the 1 December.Cheryl Newton, MSU Chair
In memoriam
We regret to announce that Professor Elaine Funnell, passed away last Saturday.
Elaine began her career as a music teacher. She attended Reading University as a mature student then did a PhD at Reading with Alan Allport. She worked as a research fellow with Max Coltheart at Birkbeck College then became a lecturer at Birkbeck. She moved to Royal Holloway where she was promoted from lecturer to senior lecturer then professor. She retired as an Emeritus Professor in 2005.
Elaine was Honorary Secretary of the Experimental Psychology Society from 1993 to 1996 and was later made an Honorary Member. She was a member of the Steering Committee that helped to establish the British Neuropsychology Society, served as the society's President from 2002 to 2004 and Archivist for many years. She was President of the Psychology Section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 2004 and sat on the panel of the UK Research Assessment Exercise in 2007-8.
Elaine made many important contributions to the study of acquired language disorders in both adults and children. Nikki Pitchford and Andrew Ellis recently edited a selection of her publications for Routledge's 'World Library of Psychologists' series. The book included recollections of Elaine from Alan Allport and Max Coltheart:
Research Digest
Title: Genetic attribution and perceived impact of epilepsy in multiplex epilepsy families
Authors: Garofalo, D. C., Sorge, S. T., Hesdorffer, D. C., Winawer, M. R., Phelan, J. C., Chung, W. K., & Ottman, R.
Journal Info: Epilepsia, 60, 2286–2293.
Title: Measuring emotional suppression in caregivers of adults with traumatic brain injury
Authors: Carlozzi, N. E., Kallen, M. A., Brickell, T. A., Lange, R. T., Boileau, N. R., Tulsky, D., Hanks, R. A., Massengale, J. P., Nakase-Richardson, R., Ianni, P. A., Miner, J. A., French, L. M., & Sander, A. M.
Journal Info: Rehabilitation Psychology. Online.
Title: Ten things every neurologist needs to know about neuropsychological assessments and interventions in people with epilepsy
Authors: Baxendale, S. A., Wilson, S. J., Baker, G. A., Barr, W., Helmstaedter, C., Hermann, B. P., Langfitt, J., Reuner, G., Rzezak, P., Samson, S., & Smith, M-L.
Journal Info: European Journal of Neurology. Online.
Title: Behavioral Activation for Promoting Well-Being in Mild Dementia: Feasibility and Outcomes of a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Orgeta, V., Tuijt, R., Leung, P., Verdaguer, E. S., Gould, R. L., Jones, R., & Livingston, G.
Journal Info: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Online. 1-12.
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October 2019
Show contentOur recent ‘Sports Concussion in Developing Brains’ Event
This joint DoN/University of Exeter workshop convened by Huw Williams provided an incredibly useful update on advances in concussion – both its identification and management – with contributions from Barry Willer, from Buffalo University on integrating physiological and psychological measures, Adam Reuben, EM Consultant on the challenges of pitch side assessment of sports concussion, and contributions from James Tonks and Huw himself. In particular, recent research evidence on intolerance to exercise as a key sign; emphasis on the need to disentangle the potential contributions of neck injury, vestibular and ocular-motor dysregulation from brain involvement; and research findings that the autonomic nervous system recovers more quickly with exercise to tolerance, were all fascinating insights and highly relevant to much of our clinical practice.Congratulations and thanks to Huw and commiserations to those of you who couldn’t get there! But check out Professor Willer’s work. He recently published a landmark study of male and female adolescent athletes for enabling improving recovery.
Katherine Carpenter
Request for Resources for Colleagues in Developing Countries
Neuropsychologists in developing countries such as India can find it difficult or, in terms of their resources, horrendously expensive to procure neuropsychological tests. Over the past few years, UK colleagues have kindly donated surplus tests, and these have been gratefully received. We have recently had a specific request from a neuropsychology colleague in Bangalore to see if anyone has spare / surplus / no longer needed copies of these 3 tests – BORB (Birmingham Object Recognition Battery), TEA (Test of Everyday Attention), VOSP (Visual Object and Space Perception battery). If anyone can help out, please contact Narinder Kapur at [email protected]Narinder Kapur
Visiting Professor of Neuropsychology, University College London
Rare Dementia Support Impact Study begins
A £3.65m research project carrying out the first major study of the value of support groups for people living with or caring for someone with a rare form of dementia is now underway. The five-year Rare Dementia Support (RDS) Impact Study, a collaboration between University College London (UCL), Bangor University and Nipissing University in Canada, is led by Professor Sebastian Crutch from the Dementia Research Centre, UCL. Young academics, research students and clinicians who are working directly with people living with a dementia will benefit from the early careers clinical research network by having the opportunity to share research findings and practice and learn from the expertise within this and the three other funded research project teams to enrich their knowledge base around providing tailored individualised support to people living with a form of dementiaReinhard Guss, Dementia Workstream lead at FPOP at the BPS, says, “We welcome the involvement of people early in their training and careers, as our Faculty has long been aware of the need to interest and enthuse people early on for working with this client group in order to build the expertise needed in clinical and research posts”. The RDS study will be recruiting participants beginning later this year and we are keen to involve people with a rare dementia across the UK. There are different ways to be involved: (1) if you are interested in helping us recruit participants please send us your contact details now to [email protected] and Emilie will be in contact to discuss this with you and/or (2) if you are a trainee or early career
researcher interested in our developing clinical-research network group focusing on the rare dementias, please contact Prof Paul Camic at [email protected] for further information. The network is beingfacilitated by Paul and Dr Josh Stott [email protected]
The Rare Dementia Clinical-Research Network (RDCRN) seeks to encourage peer support for those interested in rare dementia related clinical research. This could include support for developing research projects for trainees to undertake at different organisations across the UK; opportunities to interact with peers to encourage and support researchers new to this area; dissemination of emerging research in rare
dementia support. And other areas that RDCRN members identify.
For updates on the RDS Impact Study, please follow us on Twitter @RDS_ImpactStudy
CPD Events
UK and Ireland DBS Neuropsychology Network
Tuesday 22 October, 1300 – 1630, BPS Offices, London
The next meeting of the DBS Neuropsychology Network will take place on 22 October in London. If you would like to attend this meeting and be added to the distribution list for the group please contact Dr Cliff Chen ([email protected]) or Dr Simon Prangnell ([email protected]). The meeting is free to attend.
Neuropsychology in Acute Medical Settings
CPD event and AGM of the Division of Neuropsychology-Scotland
Thursday 31 October, The William Quarrier Scottish Epilepsy Centre, Glasgow
The DoN-Scotland committee are hosting an exciting CPD event in Glasgow on 31 October 2019: Neuropsychology in Acute Medical Settings.
There will be presentations from Dr Simon Prangnell on The Neuropsychology of Deep Brain Stimulation, Dr David Gillespie about Neuropsychological Contributions to Epilepsy Surgery and from Dr James Anderson and Dr Louise Buchan on The North of Scotland Major Trauma Centre.
The AGM will follow at 12:30pm and is open to all DoN-Scotland members.
This event is free for all members of the Division of Neuropsychology.
The registration deadline: 23 October 2019
DoN 2020 Networking Event
31 January 2020, Manchester Hall, Manchester
CPD Event on Clinical Issues in Acute Stroke
This was a one day DoN workshop aimed at those new to working in stroke or those wanting a refresher.
Multi professional (psychology and medicine) speakers provided inspiring perspectives on common clinical issues - we were reminded about the breadth and depth of the work that clinical neuropsychologists carry out when working in acute stroke.
Eva Theochari provided an accessible overview of the neurology of stroke. Viki Teggart spoke about cognitive assessment (its importance and challenges), Emma Phipps and Alice Webster inspired us with their talk on therapeutic work. Camilla Herbert presented a very useful talk on mental capacity and Ndidi Boakye provided a very thoughtful view of couple work and cultural issues. Paul Shotbolt’s talk on the neuropsychiatry of stroke and FND raised a lot of interest and Mark Griffiths gave us the wider context when he explained the national stroke plan.
Overall it was a very useful day and it was pleasing that it also served as a networking event. A huge thank you to all of our speakers and of course to those who helped organise the day and also to our delegates who have given us such positive feedback.
Research Digest
The closing-in phenomenon in constructional tasks in dementia and mild cognitive impairment.
Lucia, N., Grossi, D., Milan, G., & Trojano, L.
Neuropsychology. Online.
Depressive Symptoms and Cognitive Improvement in Patients with Dementia with Lewy Bodies.
Pyun, J., Kang, M., Youn, Y., Park, Y., & Kim, S.
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. 71, 899-905.
Recall and Recognition Discriminability in Parkinson's Disease and Huntington's Disease.
Etten, E., Graves, L., Taylor, B., Holden, H., Lopez, F., Williams, M., Pirogovsky-Turk, E., Corey-Bloom, J., Filoteo, V., Delis, D., & Gilbert, P.
Journal of Huntington's disease. Online. 1-7.
Characterizing memory loss in patients with autoimmune limbic encephalitis hippocampal lesions.
Lad, M., Mullally, S., Houston, A., Kelly, T., Griffiths, T.
Hippocampus. Online. 1-7.
Deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease: A multicentric, long-term, observational pilot study.
Scelzo, E., Beghi, E., Rosa, M., Angrisano, S., Antonini, A., Bagella, C., Bianchi, E., Caputo, E., Lena, F., Lopiano, L., Marcante, A., Marceglia, S., Massaro, F., Modugno, N., Pacchetti, C., Pilleri, M., Pozzi, N., Romito, L., Santilli, M., Tamma, F., Weis, L., Zibetti, M., Priori, A.
Journal of the Neurological Sciences. 405. Online.
Are frontal and temporal lobe epilepsy dissociable in their memory functioning?
Kibby, M., Cohen, M., Stanford, L., Park, Y.
Epilepsy & Behavior. 99. Online.
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April 2019
Show contentDoN Chair features in The Psychologist
Chair of the DoN, Katherine Carpenter, was recently interviewed by The Psychologist editor, Jon Sutton, and features in this month's issue of the BPS' magazine.
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February 2019
Show contentAnniversary Conference
The 20th anniversary conference on 24 and 25 January was a huge success and we were pleased to received very positive feedback from the delegates who attended the event. We had an excellent line up of keynote speakers and the workshops included thought provoking talks and practice updates.
On Friday 25 January we held our awards ceremony which showcased outstanding contributions from clinicians working across the lifespan in a range of specialties:
(Left to right: Barbara Wilson; Huw Williams, Lifetime Achievement (Barbara Wilson Award) Winner & BPS Fellowship; Phil Yates, BPS Fellowship; Camilla Herbert, Distinguished Contribution; Amy Thomson, Pre-QiCN Early Career Award; Kirsten Verity, Practitioner of the Year; Katherine Carpenter, BPS Fellowship; Gus Baker; David Murphy)
Message from the Chair
Female Offending and Brain Injury
This week I represented the DoN to add our endorsement at an event in Westminster convened by Victoria Prentis MP to launch Making the Link: Female Offending and Brain Injury, a report on behalf of The Disabilities Trust. This work by Rachael McNulty, Ivan Pitman and Natasha Bloor independently evaluated by Royal Holloway, University of London, builds on previous work by Huw Williams and others, and achieves recognition for some staggering statistics from their pilot project at HMP/YOI Drake Hall – 64% of women reported a history of TBI; 62% of these reported having sustained a TBI due to domestic violence; and 33% suffered their first brain injury prior to committing their first offence. Carl Hardwick, Governor at Drake Hall, gave a moving account of the impact of their Brain Injury Linkworker pilot programme on his service. The DoN is supporting The Disabilities Trust in calling for:
- The inclusion of brain injury screening as a routine part of the induction health assessment on entry to prison or probation services.
- For all prison and probation staff to receive basic brain injury awareness training.
- And for the provision of brain injury support, similar to the Brain Injury Linkworker, in prisons and probation settings.
Service Spec Clarification
There seems to be some confusion about the recent consultation on the NHSE Adult Neurosciences Service Specification for Neuropsychiatry. The DoN’s Policy Unit is concerned that members are misunderstanding the scope of the specification and confusing it with a neurorehab service specification or indeed, any other neuropsychology service (e.g. in a neurosciences centre). The consultation is on the revision of the old Neuropsychiatry service specification. The document does make it clear that it is addressing the service for patients with neuropsychiatric needs and FND – not the general neuro population that we might see under neurology, for example for assessment of adjustment/psychological therapy. However, some of the wording is confusing and could be read as implying that all neuropsychology throughout the land will now fall under neuropsychiatry! This is not the case as far as we understand it. The addition of neuropsychology is just about neuropsychology integrated within Neuropsychiatry services. Our own Dr Martin Bunnage from the DoN’s Professional Standards Unit, is leading the Society’s consultation feedback and will clarify in the BPS response that the ‘Neuropsychology’ services mentioned only relate to neuropsychology services within neuropsychiatry services, and do not relate to neuropsychology under any other provision.
Save the date!
Paediatric Neuro-oncology
26 June, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London
(Convened by the Faculty of Paediatric Neuropsychology)
More details to follow soon.
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January 2019
Show contentDoN Annual Report 2018
The following report was delivered at the Division of Neuropsychology's Annual Conference, where this year's Annual General Meeting was held.
- Read the Annual Report 2018 (member only) - please note you must be signed-in to access this file