About Us
 
Karen M. Falla, Ph.D.                     
Licensed Psychologist
Clinical Neuropsychologist
Child, Adolescent, Adult, Geriatric

Dr. Falla founded Neuropsychology Consultants with a vision of bringing together
outstanding clinicians offering state-of-the-art evaluation and treatment in the fields of
clinical psychology and neuropsychology. She is a licensed psychologist with a
specialization in Clinical Neuropsychology, focusing on the evaluation and treatment
of individuals across the developmental lifespan who are experiencing cognitive,
emotional, social, or behavioral difficulties. She provides services to individuals in the
office on an outpatient basis and also on an inpatient basis at Medical City McKinney,
including behavioral health and medical rehabilitation.

In working with children and adolescents, Dr. Falla helps to enhance understanding of
their functioning in several domains. With consideration of their strengths and
weaknesses, she works with parents to develop a plan of intervention to help the child
or adolescent fulfill their potential in multiple domains of life. Typical referral issues
include ADHD, learning disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, other
neurodevelopmental problems, and traumatic brain injury. She also helps with
emotional difficulties, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and
adjustment disorder.

In working with adults, she conducts evaluations for neurodevelopmental conditions
such as Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD, emotional difficulties, and differential
diagnosis of dementia and other neurologically based problems. Typical referral issues
include Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia, Frontotemporal dementia, Vascular dementia due to major stroke or microvascular disease, Parkinson’s disease,
multiple sclerosis, brain tumor, seizure disorder, and traumatic brain injury.  She works
with individuals and families to help them work toward positive emotional adaptation
to life changes associated with a family member’s decline in cognitive or physical
functioning.  She treats her patients with compassion and respect as they seek to
understand the basis of problems they are experiencing, and discusses with them
practical and accessible ways of improving their quality of life.

Dr. Falla earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology (APA-accredited) and her master’s
degree in Psychology from the University of North Texas. She earned her bachelor's
degree in Psychology from Arizona State University, graduating summa cum laude.
Prior to this, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Arizona State University. Afterward, she worked
for five years as a Software Engineer for Honeywell Commercial Flight Systems,
collaborating with systems engineers and hardware engineers to produce flight control (autopilot) systems for commercial aircraft.

As she transitioned her analytical skills into the field of clinical psychology, she
evaluated children receiving neuro-oncology services at Cook Children’s Medical
Center in preparing her dissertation, “The Relationship between Executive and
Psychosocial Functioning in Children Treated for a Brain Tumor.” She had a focus on neuropsychological evaluation and treatment of both children and adults during her
graduate practica with the Traumatic Brain Injury Program at the Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation in Dallas, Baylor Our Children’s House in Dallas, and Cook Children’s
Medical Center in Fort Worth.

She furthered her specialized clinical training on internship at the APA-accredited
Oklahoma Health Consortium in Oklahoma City (including rotations at the Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Hospital, Neuropsychology Associates at the Mercy Hospital
Neuroscience Institute, and the Child Study Center at the University of Oklahoma
Health Sciences Center). Her postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology was
completed at the Center for Psychological Development in Sherman, Texas, where she conducted in- depth neuropsychological evaluations with both inpatient and outpatient populations. Inpatient settings included acute care, rehabilitation, skilled nursing, and psychiatry.

Dr. Falla currently holds privileges at the Medical City McKinney where she sees
patients in behavioral health and medical rehabilitation. She has taught graduate and undergraduate courses at the University of North Texas. She has given presentations on
many topics, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Dementia, Depression, and
Coping with Stress at Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation, Raytheon, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Texas Woman's University, Wilson Jones Medical Center, Community Specialty Hospital, and several preschools, retirement communities, and hospice care facilities.

She has written a book chapter on Neuropsychological Assessment in "Disability and Accommodations in Higher Education: A Handbook for Disability Advisors." She is a member of the National Academy of Neuropsychology, American Psychological Association (including Division 40: Clinical Neuropsychology), Texas Psychological Association, and Collin County Psychological Association, and a founding member of the Dallas Fort Worth Neuropsychological Association.



Valerie Sive-Ramirez, Psy.D.Licensed Psychologist
Clinical Neuropsychologist
Child, Adolescent, Adult, Geriatric

Dr. Valerie Sive-Ramirez earned her doctoral degree from the APA-accredited
counseling psychology graduate program at the University of San Francisco, which
included a two-year graduate practicum at the Children’s Health Council in Palo Alto, California. She received additional training in the diagnosis and treatment of children
and adolescents at the APA-approved Southern Arizona Psychology Internship
Consortium in Tucson, Arizona. She earned her master’s degree from the University of
San Diego and has been licensed as a marriage and family therapist in California. She is currently a licensed psychologist in Texas.

Dr. Sive-Ramirez completed her post-doctoral training in Clinical Neuropsychology
from Fielding Graduate University. As part of this specialized training, she completed
a post-doctoral fellowship at St. Mary’s Medical Center, where she worked on the
inpatient rehabilitation unit and conducted inpatient and outpatient neuropsychological evaluations for children and adolescents. She further refined her specialization by
completing a second post-doctoral fellowship on the brain injury unit at Kaiser
Foundation Rehabilitation Center.

She has worked for the Memory Center at Baylor Neuroscience Center in Dallas as well 
as for the Pain Management Center at Baylor University Medical Center.  In both 
settings, she conducted comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations and pain 
evaluations, provided individual and group therapy, and assisted in coordination of
treatment services to gather outcome data. She provides in-home neuropsychological assessment and psychotherapy rehabilitation patients through Rehab Without Walls. 
She has worked with children with many different types of conditions, including 
ADHD, learning difficulties, developmental delay, and neurological problems. 

In addition to her clinical experience, she has worked in different research settings, 
including a study on anger management and substance abuse for the U.S. Department 
of Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center in San Francisco. She served as adjunct faculty for 
Wright Institute in Berkeley, California teaching graduate-level neuropsychological 
assessment. She is a member of the American Psychological Association.

Dr. Sive-Ramirez is committed to providing high quality evaluations and treatment.  
An important objective in her clinical work is to provide each individual with an 
opportunity to obtain optimal functioning in daily life. We are very happy to have Dr. Sive-Ramirez working with us.

   

            Licensed Psychologist
Mary Linda Chlipala, Ph.D, M.S., M.A., CCC/SLP     Clinical Neuropsychologist
    Speech/Language Pathologist
    Child, Adolescent, Adult, Geriatric


Dr. Chlipala specializes in neuropsychological assessment of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral difficulties in individuals across the lifespan. For adults, this includes concerns of possible dementia or other cognitive difficulties affecting quality of life. For children and adolescents, this includes developmental conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, learning disabilities, intellectual disability, and other difficulties affecting a child's ability to learn and function as expected in important domains of their lives. She also conducts presurgical assessments (bariatric, deep brain stimulator, spinal cord stimulator). 

Dr. Chlipala has experience in a variety of settings including private practice, hospital inpatient/outpatient, skilled nursing facility (SNF), medical specialty unit (MSU), juvenile detention center, Intermediate Care Facility for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IID) Level V, rehabilitation hospital, and an outpatient rehabilitation center serving children and adults, in addition to providing didactic clinical training seminars and supervision of post-doctoral neuropsychology fellows, pre-doctoral neuropsychology interns, and psychometrists, as well as experience as an ASHA certified Speech-Language Pathologist. She was formerly the Director of Clinical Training for an APPIC  pre-doctoral internship site.  

She earned her doctorate and master's degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of North Texas. Her dissertation is entitled "Organized Semantic Fluency and Executive Functioning in an Adult Clinical Sample and a Community Sample." Her master's thesis is entitled  "Longitudinal Study of Loneliness and Depression as Predictors of Health in Mid-To-Later Life." Her predoctoral internship involved work at Terrell State Hospital, where she saw children, adolescents and adults,; she also saw children for therapy at the Children's Advocacy Center. 

Prior to this, she earned a master's degree in Communication Disorders from Texas Woman's University and her bachelor's degree in Education from the University of North Texas. She worked as a Speech/Language Pathologist and eventual Department Head at The Rehabilitation Center for Children and Adults in Sherman, Texas. She also worked as a Speech-Language Therapist for the Grayson County Special Education Coop.

Dr. Chlipala has numerous scientific presentations and publications. She holds memberships in the National Academy of Neuropsychology, the International Neuropsychological Society, and the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. We are very happy to have Dr. Chlipala working with us.

   

Maria C. Boix Braga, Ph.D.                  
Licensed Psychologist
Clinical Neuropsychologist
Adolescent, Adult, Geriatric

Dr. Maria Boix Braga earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Neuropsychology from the APA-accredited graduate program at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Her dissertation was entitled Head-Impact-Related Outcomes by Position in Retired NFL Football Players.

As part of her graduate training, she completed an Inpatient Neuropsychology rotation at Memorial Rehabilitation Institute at Memorial Regional Hospital South in Hollywood, Florida where she worked as part of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation team of physiatrists, nurses, physical, occupational, speech, and music therapists.  She was group co-facilitator of the Stroke Wellness and Education to Enhance Treatment (SWEET) Program and the Behavioral Pain Management Program. She also worked at the Sports Medicine Clinic at Nova Southeastern University and Miami Jewish Mental Health. At Nova Southeastern University, she served as a graduate teaching assistant for Objective Personality Assessment.

She completed her internship in Rehabilitation Psychology at the Jackson Health System in association with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. There, she provided psychotherapy and neuropsychological assessment services to a wide variety of patient populations, including those with spinal cord injury, brain injury, strokes, amputations, multiple orthopedic traumas, cancer, and a variety of other medical conditions. She worked with them through multiple levels of care, including intensive care, acute care, inpatient rehabilitation and outpatient services.

Prior to her doctorate, she earned two master’s degrees from Nova Southeastern University, in Clinical Psychology and General Psychology. Her major paper for the former was entitled Exploration of the Perseverative Errors score of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test Performance on Measurements of Intelligence, Cognitive functioning, Memory, Executive Functioning, and Personality. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Florida International University in Miami, graduating Magna Cum Laude.

Dr. Boix Braga completed a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship in Rehabilitation and Neuropsychology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas where she provided neuropsychological evaluations and psychotherapy services in the neurology and rehabilitation outpatient clinics and on the inpatient unit.  She also provided consultation services for members of the interdisciplinary team regarding patient/family emotional status, behavioral functioning, capacity assessments and treatment-related issues.

Most recently, she worked as a Rehabilitation Neuropsychologist/Assistant Professor for the Department of Psychiatry at Parkland Hospital and Health Systems with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. While there, in addition to providing neuropsychological evaluations, psychotherapy, and consultation services, she completed Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) - Model Systems research responsibilities, including providing interventions nationally to care partners of individuals with neurological conditions.

In addition to fluency in English, Dr. Boix Braga has native proficiency in Spanish and Portuguese. She has authored and co-authored multiple research publications and presentations. The breadth and quality of her training has provided her with a strong foundation in the assessment of individuals with a wide variety of neurological, complex medical, and psychiatric conditions. As a result of her extensive training, she has come to appreciate the positive impact of that neuropsychologists can have on their clients’ mental and physical health. We are happy to have her collaborating with us and helping others as they seek to enhance their quality of life.


   


John Engle, M.A.

         
                  Graduate Clinical Extern
                      Clinical Neuropsychology
                      Child, Adolescent, Adult

John is working on his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of North Texas. He earned his Master of Arts degree in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Ohio State University. In addition to his clinical work at UNT’s Psychology Clinic, he conducts neuropsychological evaluations at Neurocognitive Specialty Group for clients experiencing cognitive concerns. John also serves as co-facilitator for a clinical trial of a group therapy using a method involving Novel Mindfulness Treatment.

While in New York, John participated in an internship at The Odyssey House Outpatient Center, a substance abuse clinic in the Bronx. While there, he conducted intake and assessment interviews, completed admission and discharge procedures, facilitated group therapy, conducted individual therapy sessions and developed treatment plans. He also served as a suicide hotline volunteer at the Samaritans of New York. He used nonjudgmental active listening techniques to help people in distress. When the Covid-19 pandemic began, he also made wellness calls to improve the morale of individuals in crisis or distress. While at Community Counseling Centers in Columbus, Ohio, he helped to connect clients with community resources and provided counseling and crisis intervention services.

John is currently on a forensics-focused research team at UNT where he writes and helps prepare manuscripts for publication. He worked as a research assistant at John Jay College in New York on a project using archival data to investigate the presence of psychopathic treats in members of the Emergency Service Unit department of the NYPD. He also worked on a project examining DSM-5 Antisocial Personality Disorder and psychopathy in a female correctional sample. He co-authored a scientific article on this research which was published in the journal Personality and Mental Health.

John has given several scientific presentations. At the meeting of the American Psychology – Law Association in Philadelphia, he and several collaborators presented Parenting Styles and Psychopathic Traits Demonstrate Differential Relationships and Measurement Invariance across Latinx and non-Latinx Male Offenders. At the Eastern Psychological Association, he gave a remote presentation on Adaptive psychopathic traits in members of the Emergency Service Unit. At the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies in Philadelphia, he participated in a poster presentation entitled The effects of Mindfulness and Modification Therapy on general psychopathology. As an undergraduate, he participated in a poster presentation entitled The role of construal level in attentional bias toward temptation at Ohio State University.

In addition to his involvement in research and assessment, John serves as a graduate teaching assistant at UNT for the courses Experimental Methods Lab, General Psychology, Biological Psychology, Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, Death and Dying, Health Psychology, and Abnormal Psychology. He is working in our office as a psychometrist to expand the breadth and depth of his neuropsychological assessment experience. We are happy to have John working with us!

   

Hana Jwaied, M.A.
     
                   Graduate Clinical Extern
                       Clinical Neuropsychology
                       Child, Adolescent, Adult

Hana is a Clinical Psychology doctoral student at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Dallas Campus, where she also earned her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. Her dissertation is entitled Healing Through Reading: The Quality of Bibliotherapy as a Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Intervention.  She earned her bachelor’s degree with distinction from The University of Iowa with a major in Psychology and a minor in Human Relations.

Hana’s clinical experience includes working at several clinical agencies conducting psychological and neuropsychological evaluations. She has worked with survivors of human trafficking, childhood sexual abuse, and children and teens involved with Child Protective Services. She has co-led Dialectical Behavior Group (DBT) group therapies which are very helpful in helping others improve their emotional regulation. She has also completed a practicum with Texas Woman’s University where she provided individual and group therapy to clients from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Hana has specialized clinical training and holds several certifications. These include Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD. Both of these interventions have been shown to be effective in helping individuals who have experienced different forms of trauma. She also holds certification in Resilience and Trauma-Informed Perspective which identifies how untreated Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can lead to mental illness, substance abuse, and suicide in childhood and adulthood. This approach focuses on ways of helping others to increase their resiliency.

Hana has worked as a teaching assistant for Advanced Assessment and Intellectual Assessment and as a Psychometrics tutor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She tutored students at The University of Iowa for various undergraduate courses and planned lessons and study strategies.

In addition to her dissertation and her work with Adverse Childhood Experiences, her research experience includes work in the Child Lab and Cognitive Lab at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. At The University of Iowa, she worked as a research assistant in the LaLumiere Lab. Her work in the ADHD Lab focused on assessment of students on measures related to social media use and psychopathology. Her work in the Quantitative Methodology and Measurement Lab involved development of a questionnaire assessing alexithymia. 

Hana’s professional activities include work with the Preparing Future Professional Faculty (PFPF) program which focuses on history and development of higher education and faculty roles within diverse institutions, teaching/research/service, academic job search, curriculum development and lecture planning, and faculty roles in governance. The latter addresses issues of diversity, including race, ethnicity, and gender equity in teaching, learning, research, and curriculum. She has also worked with the Texas Woman’s University Counseling and Psychological Services where she was Co-facilitator of Ally Training for TWU faculty, staff, and students with discussion about LGBTQ+ issues. These issues include the complexities of identities, expression, and orientation, language, the coming out process, microaggressions/-isms, intersectionality of identities, and psychological effects of stigma.

 

Hana has a heart for others and participates in a number of community service activities. These include the Walk for Freedom promoting global awareness and local action in the fight against human trafficking; the Drive for Refugee Support supporting refugee organizations and families in the DFW area; Big Brothers Big Sisters where she has served as an adult mentor; and work with the Denver Rescue Mission Food Bank of the Rockies and Habitat for Humanity to serve community members in Denver, Colorado. She has bilingual fluency in both Arabic and English. We are very happy to have Hana working with us!


   

Jill Palmer, M.S., M.A.
     
                 Graduate Clinical Extern
                 Clinical Neuropsychology
                 Child, Adolescent, Adult

Jill is a Clinical Psychology doctoral student at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Dallas Campus, where she also earned her second master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. She earned her first master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of North Texas. Her doctoral dissertation is entitled Impact of Diet on Perceived Stress in Relation to the Gut‑Brain Axis Among College Students. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of North Texas where she also completed pre-med prerequisites.

Jill holds credentials as a National Certified Counselor and a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. Her clinical experience includes conducting psychological evaluations at Richland Oaks Counseling Center, conducting dual diagnosis and substance use assessments at Dallas County Community Supervision and Adult Probation Services to provide treatment recommendations for successful completion of probation. She also developed a skills development course for high‑risk clients working toward gaining full‑time employment and maximizing independence, and she conducted individual and group therapy with a diverse clientele including veterans.

Jill also worked for Professional True Mental Health Solutions, Dallas where she provided therapeutic and support services adults with serious mental illness including Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective, Major Depressive, and Bipolar disorder. To prepare for this she received extensive crisis intervention training. She utilized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients identify and correct cognitive distortions and develop coping skills to manage symptoms with the goal of reducing the rate of hospitalizations. She also provided clients with resources to address other needs including housing, employment, and social security services, and she taught clients independent living skills.

At United Through Hope Childrenʼs Outpatient Center in Denton, she worked with children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities using applied behavior analysis (ABA) interventions and other techniques to promote learning and skill development. She also led group and individual therapy sessions. At Workplace Inclusion and Sustainable Employment (W.I.S.E.) in Denton, she provided rehabilitation and career counseling to adolescents in transition to adulthood led group workshops to help clients develop resumes and role‑played mock interviews to prepare for future job interviews as clients enter the workforce. She also taught independent living skills and informed clients about their right to receive accommodations to self‑advocate and address their needs accordingly.

At the Counseling Center at the University of North Texas, she engaged in individual therapy with university students with a wide range of presenting concerns, including anxiety, depression, eating, and adjustment disorders. She also administered assessments regarding symptomology as well as career exploration, including strength‑based and achievement/aptitude tests to help clients identify strengths and career interests.

She participated in the Social Justice and Public Policy Advocacy Seminar Series at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Dallas which increased awareness of social justice and public policy advocacy efforts in the field of clinical psychology. Through conversations with state and local legislators, community organizations, and local mental health agencies, she and other seminar participants learned how to work collaboratively with other health professionals, develop amicus briefs, and provide expert testimony about the impact of bills offered for passage by citing evidence‑based research.

She served as a teaching assistant for Statistics I and II and Intellectual Assessment at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology – Dallas which included leading weekly statistics labs to guide students learning SPSS statistical analysis software and reviewing lecture content. She also served as a tutor for psychometrics.

Jill’s professional activities include work with the Preparing Future Professional Faculty program which trains future professionals in becoming competent educators in academia. She served as Philanthropy Co‑Chair for the Doctoral Student Organization, Mentoring Co‑Coordinator for TCSPP Students, Officer for the PsycheD Doctoral Student Organization, and a member of the Doctoral Student APA Accreditation Committee.

Jill has also channeled her care for others through a number of community service activities. These include participation in the Dallas Pride Parade, New Student Orientation for The Chicago School,  the Immigration Refugee Donation Drive Winter Wishes Childrenʼs Gift Drive, Thanksgiving Food Drive, Mustard Seed Ministry Food Pantry Methodist Healthcare Ministries, and Angel Tree Salvation Army.  Jill has many areas of strength, and we are happy to have her working with us! 

   

 Bridgette Carroll, M.S.              

                          

                         Psychometrist
                         Clinical Neuropsychology

                                                                                                Child, Adolescent, Adult

Bridgette is working toward her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, with an emphasis in Neuropsychology, at the University of North Texas. Her dissertation is entitled The Effects of Sleep, Fatigue, and Screen Time on Attention, Behavioral, and Emotional Functioning in Pediatric Cancer Survivors, and her master’s thesis is entitled Domain Specific Cognitive Effects of Sickle Cell Disease in Children. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Tarleton State University.

Bridgette’s clinical work includes a neuropsychology practicum at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas. She conducted neuropsychological evaluations including cognitive, academic, and social-emotional assessments for pediatric patients with complex medical conditions. This work included case conceptualization and providing families with evaluation feedback and recommendations.

She also completed a clinical practicum at John Peter Smith Health Center in Fort Worth, a community-based outpatient clinic serving  individuals in an area with high health service disparity. She provided individual outpatient therapy using a variety of therapeutic techniques, including cognitive -behavioral, motivational, and dialectic-behavioral approaches for adults with a ranged of diagnoses including bipolar disorder, substance abuse, depression, and anxiety. At UNT’s Psychology Clinic, she provided individual and child psychotherapy services for a variety of clients with presenting issues such as depression, anxiety, and Complex PTSD.

Bridgette has worked as a research assistant at UT Southwestern Medical Center/Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, UNT Kristin Farmer Autism Center in Denton, Texas and at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. She presented collaborative research on Family Functioning Effects on Cognitive Abilities in Children with Sickle Cell Disease and Cognitive Effects of Sickle Cell Disease in Children at the International Neuropsychological Society in San Diego. She also presented collaborative research in poster sessions on Academic Goal Pursuit: The Structure of Academic Intentional Self-Regulation among First Generation College Students and Identity Distress in First Generational College Students: A Factor Analysis of the Identity Distress Survey at the Society for Research in Human Development 21st Biennial Conference, Plano, Texas.

Sher has worked as a teaching assistant for several classes at the University of North Texas, including Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Social Psychology, Quantitative Methods Lab, Psychology of Women, and Adult Development and Aging. For the latter, she presented a lecture on sexual identity and gender development. She also served as an ad hoc reviewer for Journal of Psychotherapy Integration. Bridgette has many talents, and we are very happy to have her working with us!

   
Grace Stokes, M.S.
     
                 Graduate Clinical Extern
                 Clinical Neuropsychology
                 Child, Adolescent, Adult


 Grace is a Clinical Psychology doctoral student at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Dallas Campus. Her doctoral dissertation is entitled Influences of Sex Hormones on Psychological Symptoms following Concussion in Student Athletes which involves analysis of National Institutes of Health (NIH) data on 46,000 NCAA student athletes. At The Chicago School, she also earned her Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology and is currently working on her Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychopharmacology. She graduated from Southern Methodist University with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Health and Society, and Psychology with minors in Spanish and Biology. Her undergraduate experience included study abroad in Seville, Spain, participation as a NCAA Division I Pom Squad Member, and Director of Recruitment Events for the Delta Gamma Fraternity. She holds basic proficiency in the Spanish language.

Her clinical work experience includes seeing clients at Jewish Family Services in Dallas age 12 to 90 years with varying cultural backgrounds, family structures, and socioeconomic statuses. This work included assessment and provision of feedback to clients and their families. She also worked with Holocaust survivors utilizing Person-Centered, Trauma Informed (PCTI training), and she cofacilitate of group for caregivers of people with dementia.

Grace also worked for the Dallas Cognitive Wellness Center where she provided neuropsychological evaluations of learning disorders, attention and executive functioning deficits, Autism Spectrum Disorder, psychological disorders, and other conditions. Her clients ranged in age from 5 years to 65 years. She worked as an rTMS Clinician for Thorntree Psychiatric Associates in Dallas where she handled TMS treatment equipment for daily treatment and was responsible for scheduling and patient documentation. She worked closely with a team of prescribing physicians to coordinate optimal patient care as part of a comprehensive care approach.

While studying abroad in Sevilla, Spain, she worked as an intern for Hospital Infanta Luisa where she rotated through several hospital departments including psychiatry, emergency department, urgent care, neurology, cardiology, and radiology. She provided limited direct patient care, managed patient care records, and collected case information from patients in order to improve patient care. She also translated Spanish-English or vice versa for patient-doctor interactions, when necessary.

Grace served as a Research Technician for the Chemistry Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she supported the instructional goals of the department and worked closely with teaching assistants and chemistry students, including preparation of laboratory experiments and maintenance of documentation.  She also worked as a Quality Assurance Intern for Exact Sciences in Madison where she assisted the Quality Systems Team in management of all quality records.

Her research and leadership activities at The Chicago School include membership in the Cognitive Laboratory, serving as Director of Advocacy and Legislature and Director of Wellness for the PsycheD Student Organization, and serving on the PsyD Student Accreditation Committee and Student Interview Committee.

Grace has spent time volunteering for several organizations, including Operation Kindness in Dallas, Journey Mental Health in Madison, Wisconsin, The Meadows Museum of the Arts in Dallas, and The Retina Center of Dallas. She has also participated in a Social Justice and Public Policy Advocacy Seminar Series designed to increase awareness of social justice and public policy advocacy efforts in the field of clinical psychology. Grace is very talented, and we are happy to have her working with us!

   

Connor Caya, B.A.              

                        Clinical Research Administrative Associate
                        Clinical Neuropsychology

Connor earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy/English from Texas Tech University where he earned a 4.0 GPA and was the highest ranked graduate in the College of Arts and Sciences. He has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the UTSA Distinguished Presidential Scholarship and the Edward W. Averill Scholarship. He is currently enrolled in graduate courses at Texas Woman's University. Connor has specialized training as a Crisis Counselor and a Behavior Technician. He has also received Risk Intervention and Safety Education training which is designed to help those having suffered sexual assault, improve drug and alcohol awareness, and aid in suicide prevention. He currently works as a behavioral therapist with clients on the autism spectrum and as a crisis counselor in addition to his work in our office.

In addition to his commitment to academic excellence while in college, he served as a volunteer for the Burkhart Center for Autism Education and Research where he helped young adults on the autism spectrum become more confident, expressive, and collaborative through the performing arts. He now works as a Behavior Technician for Centria Autism Services where he provides in-home behavioral therapy based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis.

Connor currently volunteers as a crisis counselor to provide support to individuals in crisis while simultaneously assessing their level of risk and determining appropriate interventions to help ensure their safety. Past volunteer work includes working with the Texas Girls and Boys Ranch where he assisted with group home activities, and with the TECHniques Center at Texas Tech where he tutored young adults with learning disabilities, ADHD, and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Connor has joined our practice to assist with clinical and administrative work as he prepares for graduate school. He also serves as a liaison between our practice and collaborative research partners in the community. We are very happy to have him working with us.

   

WE ARE COMMITTED TO HELPING INDIVIDUALS ACHIEVE THEIR ULTIMATE POTENTIAL AND ENHANCE THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE

We are committed to treating others with compassion and respect as we help them to more fully understand their unique characteristics and support them in seeking experiences that will enhance their quality of life.
6717 W Eldorado Parkway
Suite 110
McKinney, TX 75070

Telephone: 214-585-0584
Fax: 214-585-0586
E-mail:counsel@npconsult.net