In our ongoing series 'Clinician Spotlight', we learn more about all the amazing clinicians here at Newton Neuropsychology Group. In this installment, we sit with Dr. Carolyn Cassill to learn more about her!
How did you end up where you are now?
My mom is a clinical psychologist and does talk therapy with college-aged adults. My entire childhood, I swore up and down that I would never do psychology. In college, I majored in chemistry and then switched to neuroscience, but I was taking so many psychology electives that by my senior year, I finally switched my major to psychology. It took me a while to admit that I really liked psychology, and neuropsychology got me really hooked. I loved the experience of working in labs doing neuropsychology assessments. I worked as a psychometrist back in Texas, and that’s when I became interested in neuropsychology.
What do you wish everyone knew about this field?
I always joke that I have several TedTalks I wish I could give! There are two biases that really come to mind to me. One, a lot of people think that psychology is just laying down on a couch and free association, that Freud style of therapy. So I wish people knew that we are scientists, use standardized methods, and try to be consistent across the field. And I work a lot with kids with autism, so with any neurodevelopmental difference, we focus so much on the weakness and don’t talk about the strengths enough. That having autism or ADHD is not a sign of failure or the end of the world.
How do you like to approach providing feedback?
I really like using techniques from therapuetic assessment. The idea is that a family comes to me with an existing narrative of their child and how they fit into the family unit, and my job is to help rewrite that family narrative so that they can better support their kid. It’s not that your kid is lazy or not trying hard enough; it’s that they may have executive functioning weaknesses, and here is what we can do to help them. And for me, this process starts with the intake. I explain what might be going on or what diagnoses I’m evaluating for, and then on the day of the evaluation, I’ll talk to them about what strengths and weaknesses I’m seeing, and then by the feedback, I confirm that I’m seeing their same kid. I then explain that getting this diagnosis does not change who your kid is; it just changes our ability to help them. They are still that smart, loving, creative child; They can have educational and career goals and successful relationships.
What do you hope clients gain from working with you?
I always hope that they can gain a better understanding of their child, how their brain works and how they learn. But I also hope I’m putting them on a path where they can learn to embrace a lot of those differences. Kids with ADHD can make friends with a rock. A lot of kids with autism have amazing creativity and persistence. It’s great to give opportunities to show us these skills and view these strengths.
What have you loved about NNG so far?
The people! I feel like I could have never-ending conversations with everyone and everyone just has so many great personal and professional experiences. Everyone is so friendly it’s really fun! I really enjoy going to work and getting to talk to everyone.
What are some things you like to do outside of work?
I’m a homebody, and I love staying home with my husband and two cats. Sometimes we’re watching TV, sometimes we’re playing video games! I like playing pickleball, and I sing in a community choir. I like little things that help me keep my creativity and different communities and groups of people.
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