Understanding the Biological Basis of Behavior: Developing Evidence-Based Interventions for Clinical, Counseling and School Psychologists

This book is an introduction to the biological basis of behavior, broadly defined, with practical applications for higher education programs that focus on advances in neuroscience. It has a special focus on training practitioners based on American Psychological Association (APA) health service psychology guidelines. It reviews and digests information for clinical, counseling, and school psychologists serving clients of all ages in a variety of settings, such as schools, hospitals, and clinics. Content for all developmental stages, including birth to geriatric practices are highlighted.

Some unique features of this book include:

• The integration of neuropsychological and theoretical foundations for clinical practice.
• Comprehensive consideration of projective, objective, and interviewing measures.
• Recent research in neuroimaging as it relates to clinical practice.
• Psychopharmacology and its effect within the neurosciences.
• Assessment for intervention in clinical, counseling, school, and neuropsychology.
• The use of research to guide neuropsychologically-based clinical practice.
• Eastern and western approaches to integration and case conceptualization.
• Interventions driven by brain-based scientific understanding.
• A variety of neuropsychological cases and report styles to improve practice

The enduring contribution of psychology into modern times will remain contingent on practitioners' commitment to ethically-based, empirically-focused, evidence-based practice; continuing education; and scientific discovery. This book will help health service psychologists and counselors to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population by providing cutting-edge, evidence-based, ecologically valid neuropsychological interventions currently lacking within the field. Cultural considerations are provided within each chapter, which is especially important given societal inequity that continues to persist within our world. Implications for the COVID-19 pandemic are also discussed in light of neuroscientific advances in medicine.

Rik Carl D’Amato, PhD is a professor of school psychology and neuropsychology at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. He was selected as the Chicago School’s Distinguished International Researcher and Scholar for 2015-2016. He also serves as editor-in-chief of the International Journal of School and Educational Psychology. Before joining the Chicago faculty, he served as director of the center for teaching and learning enhancement and head of the department of psychology in the faculty of social sciences and humanities at the University of Macau. Previously, he served for 19 years as a professor, director of the neuropsychology laboratory, and assistant dean of the college of education and behavioral sciences at the University of Northern Colorado.  Dr. D’Amato’s key research areas include neuropsychological assessment for interventions, cross-cultural psychology, collaborative teaching and learning, personality assessment, serving children in schools, consulting, work with families, teaching, and serving patients with traumatic brain injury.

Eleazar Cruz Eusebio, PsyD is an associate professor in the school psychology department at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. He serves as associate editor for the Journal of Psychology and Cognition and an advisory board member for the Brain Technology and Neuroscience Research Centre in Sri Lanka. Before joining the faculty at the Chicago School, he completed his doctoral internship at a children’s mental health hospital outside of Philadelphia and obtained his doctorate from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Prior to his career as a school psychologist, he worked as a behavioral teacher, applied behavioral analysis therapist, learning disability and special needs instructor, and extended day director in the public schools in and around Charleston, South Carolina.