Neuropsychology Service

Turning Point Addiction Neuropsychology Service supports the management of clients presenting with difficulties relating to addiction, cognitive impairment and behavioural concerns. We offer:

Secondary consultation:

We provide service providers with a telephone based secondary consultation for all clients referred to our service. We collaborate with referrers to:

  • Explore the presence and extent of Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) / Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) risk factors.
  • Explore psychiatric, medical, substance, psychosocial, and cultural factors that impact cognition.
  • Obtain, review, and interpret relevant medical records and/or previous cognitive results/screens.
  • Characterise the client’s clinical presentation and explore specific client and referrer cognitive/functional concerns.
  • Understand a client’s goals, interests and strengths to inform intervention.
  • Provide a complex formulation to help better understand a client.
  • Develop and share cognitive, behavioural and lifestyle strategies tailored to the client to support management and optimise outcomes.
  • Provide individualised treatment pathway options to help address cognitive/behavioural concerns.
  • Help referrers to engage the systems around the individual.
  • We provide a written secondary consultation summary to the referrer.

Comprehensive neuropsychological assessment is not routinely indicated for all people experiencing cognitive challenges. In many cases during the secondary consult, we rule out an ABI/TBI, and identify other contributing factors impacting cognition. This addresses the referral question and provides clear treatment pathways to improve cognition without the need for a comprehensive assessment.

Comprehensive assessment:

Following the secondary consultation with the referrer, in some cases the neuropsychologist may identify that a comprehensive assessment is indicated. During this appointment we will see your client for an assessment face-to-face at our Richmond site. Assessments can be organised via tele-health for those residing in rural or regional settings where the referrer can provide a private assessment room.

During a neuropsychological assessment, we:

  • Evaluate the presence and extent of ABI/TBI risk factors.
  • Explore psychiatric, medical, substance, psychosocial, and cultural factors that impact cognition.
  • Obtain collateral history (medical records, family informant) to further inform nature, extent, onset, and course of cognitive difficulties.
  • Understand a client’s cognitive and functional concerns, as well as their goals, interests and strengths to inform intervention.
  • Administer sensitive measures of cognitive, academic, emotional and functional abilities, using standardised, validated measures.
  • We provide a complex bio-psycho-social formulation to enable better understanding of clients and guide differential diagnosis.
  • We provide individualised treatment pathway options to help address cognitive/behavioural concerns.
  • Help referrers to engage the systems around the individual.
  • Share cognitive, behavioural and lifestyle strategies tailored to the client to support management and optimise outcomes.
  • We provide therapeutic client feedback, including a plain language summary for the client.
  • We provide a written report for health care providers.

Suitable for

Clients with a history of addiction who are presenting with cognitive impairment.

All referrals must be initiated by a worker currently supporting a client with a history of addiction, and all referrals receive a telephone based secondary consultation to explore reasons for presenting concerns, increase an understanding of your client, and to guide formulation and treatment planning.

Referrals must meet all of the below criteria:

  • Subjective concerns (thinking difficulties and/or behaviour regulation challenges) noticed by you or reported by the client.
  • Regular substance use (current or past).
  • Client consents to the referral.
  • You (referrer) will have ongoing engagement with the client, and can implement treatment recommendations and strategies we suggest.
  • The client is not in an acute crisis (e.g. active psychotic symptoms, acute risk suicide or homicide).

Please note we do not conduct assessments for capacity (VCAT, parenting); medico-legal referrals; or referrals where the primary referral question is for diagnosis of ADHD or autism spectrum disorder.

Our referral form contains more detailed information about types of referral questions we can address.

Location

Church Street, Richmond

Address: 110 Church Street, Richmond, VIC, 3121

Opening Hours: Monday - Friday, 9.00am - 5.00pm

Phone: (03) 8413 8444

More information

Referral requirements

Individuals must consent to referral and feedback of any recommendations to the referring agency. Individuals must also be able to attend Richmond if face-to-face neuropsychological assessment is requested.

To refer a client to the Neuropsychology Service complete all sections of the referral form (68.74 KB), ensuring the client knows what to expect, has provided consent (page 6) and completed the short questionnaire about their thinking skills (page 7). Fax/email the completed form and any attachments to:

TP Neuropsychology Service
Fax: (03 8413 8499) or
Email: [email protected]

Attachments that may be useful to include in your referral include:

  • Neuropsychological/Cognitive Assessment 
  • Brain Imaging Reports (CT or MRI) 
  • Psychological/Psychiatric/Neurological Assessment 
  • Alcohol and Other Drug Comprehensive Assessment 
  • Alcohol or Substance Treatment Report 
  • ACSO COATS Report 
  • ACSO variation (if the assessment is funded by ACSO-COATS) 
  • GP Patient Health and Medications Summary 
  • Corrections Orders /Conditions 

Providing more information in your referral will help inform the assessment to give you and your client appropriate support. 

Program duration

One-off neuropsychology assessment.

Waiting period

Varies depending on program and volumes of requests. 

Once a referral has been received the referrer will be contacted within one week. If discussion with the referrer satisfies the referral question that the referral will be closed. If a formal face-to-face assessment is considered necessary an appointment will be made and referrers will be advised if waiting periods are expected to be over one month.

Please be aware that we operate a waiting list. In order to maximise the number of clients we can see, we are not able to reschedule if your client does not attend their scheduled appointment. Therefore, we appreciate it if referrers can support their clients to attend their appointments.

Cost

Free