August, 2008

Dear Parents,

As NESCA fast approaches our one-year anniversary, I’d like to share my pride in all that we’ve accomplished and extend my gratitude to you for your support. I am fortunate to work with an extraordinarily committed and cohesive group of clinical and administrative staff who put forth tremendous effort to ensure that you receive top-caliber professional care.

I’m grateful for all the very positive feedback, such as these comments from parents: I wish we could live in the warmth we feel at NESCA; and, The feedback session was incredible, like throwing open the shutters to let the light in, allowing us to see our child clearly; and, from an educational advocate praising three NESCA clinicians, They have been great as usual. My families love them and I find working with them so easy and productive; and, finally, by a psychologist describing a NESCA clinician, ...very kind and compassionate, also brilliant, and thinks out-of-the-box in ways that can be very beneficial to parents and school systems alike.

Clinicians at NESCA are unparalleled in the quality of care we provide because of our passion for helping children, many years of clinical experience, and a high level of on-going professional support and training.

Passion for our work drives NESCA clinicians to go the extra mile for the families we serve. George Stephanopoulos put it best, "You pay for my brain; my heart I throw in for free." Over the years, I’ve chosen only candidates who convey their passion for this work. One clinician told me in her interview that she wanted to "eat, drink, and sleep neuropsych evals!" Another explained the desire to train in neuropsychology stemmed from her experience with her own child’s neuropsychological evaluation; she wanted to "be able to have such a profound impact on people’s lives".

Clinical experience is a key factor in the quality of a neuropsychological evaluation, greatly enhancing the ability to interpret the test results in the context of the child’s unique history and presentation, as well as providing the basis for generating a realistic and effective treatment plan that will support a child in reaching his/her full potential. At NESCA, two of our seven neuropsychologists have worked with me for more than ten years. Another has worked with me for five years and had previously been a neuropsychologist at a teaching hospital. Prior to training as neuropsychologists, four of our staff worked for many years as psychotherapists. All of the clinicians at NESCA received apprenticeship post-doctoral training with me or other senior staff.

Our staff has embraced frequent opportunities for professional training at NESCA this year. The weekly seminar focuses on treatment modalities to help our clients, bringing in professionals to speak on diverse topics, including: assistive technology, internet-based student time management (www.studyrails.com), yoga-based therapy, neurofeedback, "Thinking Maps" (www.thinkingmaps.com), sensory integration therapy and reading remediation programs. We had an evening seminar with Attorney Julia Landau, who reviewed special education law and provided information that improves our ability to advocate for the needs of children. Most recently, all NESCA staff participated in a two day intensive workshop presented by Dr. Stuart Ablon on Collaborative Problem Solving, a unique approach to behavioral management based on understanding the role of a child’s learning style in chronic behavioral issues.

In the upcoming year, we are excited about offering additional services for children:

• Speech/Language therapy and evaluations through our formal affiliation with Chatterboxes, a highly regarded group practice in Boston that has now expanded into the NESCA suite (www.TeamChatterboxes.com)
• Saturday groups to help children with developmental, learning, and attentional disorders enhance social skills and self-regulation led by Hannah Gould, M.Ed., previously at The Academy Metrowest
• Mind-body integration therapy to help children and adolescents manage anxiety, improve self-regulation, and concentrate more effectively
• Individual therapy to address emotional and behavioral issues using cognitive-behavioral approaches, play therapy, and Collaborative Problem Solving (www.explosivechild.com)
• Tutoring to build executive functioning skills and improve academic performance through the use of programs such as Thinking Maps and EmPOWER
• NESCA-Beacon Hill will launch in early 2009 to provide our high quality evaluation services to families in Boston

Thank you for sharing your wonderful children with us. We love their smiling faces, their energy, their funny responses, and watching them try their hardest; they are our inspiration! We’re honored that you trust us to help make important decisions about them. It’s a privilege to work with your children and we are most grateful for your continued confidence in NESCA.

Ann A. Helmus, Ph.D., Director

Jason McCormick, Psy.D., Nancy Roosa, Psy.D., Alissa Talamo, Ph.D., Nina Olsen, Ph.D., Elizabeth Gatti, Psy.D., Stephanie Monaghan-Blout, Psy.D.