Neuropsychological Evaluations

Dr. Steven Akeson has worked at NASM for over 20 years, and is experienced in performing evaluations and in providing therapy.

TYPES OF EVALUATIONS INCLUDE:

• Psychological Assessment
• Neuropsychological Evaluations
• Fitness for Duty Evaluations
• Dementia Evaluations
• Capacity Evaluations
• Pre-surgical Psychological Screening
• IME’s
• FAA Psychological and Neuropsychological Evaluations

DR. AKESON ALSO SEES PATIENTS FOR THERAPY, SPECIALIZING IN:

• Chronic Pain
• Adjustment to Disability
• Individual Therapy
• Steven T. Akeson, PsyD
• Licensed Psychologist

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Dr. Akeson graduated from The School of Psychology at Forest Institute in 1995 with his degree in Clinical Psychology. He completed his postdoctoral residency at Forest Clinics and Lakeland Regional Hospital in 1996 with an emphasis in Clinical Psychology & Clinical Neuropsychology. Dr. Akeson is licensed in the state of Missouri and has been in private practice at Neuropsychological Associates of Southwest Missouri since 1996. He served as Adjunct Professor at The School of Psychology at Forest Institute from 2000 to 2015, teaching courses in Objective Assessment, Advanced MMPI, Advanced Psychological Assessment, Report Writing, Psychopathology, and Biological Basis of Psychology. He also supervised practicum students and interns, and served on dissertation committees. He is a psychological consultant for Social Security Disability Determinations. He was the Director of Clinical Training at Neuropsychological Associates from 1998 to 2009. He also served as a Member of the Board of Directors, Heart of America Psychology Training Consortium from 2003 to 2005. He has been a guest speaker for the Missouri Employer Committee and the Kansas Department of Labor. He is also engaged in a professional research group that has published independent research.

Dr. Dale Halfaker has lived and worked in Springfield, Missouri since 1990. He received his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri in 1988. He has over 25 years of experience in working with people who have sustained injuries. He is well versed in the treatment and evaluation of individuals in the Workers’ Compensation system and Personal Injury cases, doing evaluations for both plaintiff and defense.

PRACTICE AREAS:

• Psychological Assessment
• Neuropsychological Evaluation
• Concussion, TBI
• Chronic Pain
• Pre-surgical Psychological Screening
• Anxiety/Depression/PTSD
• Adjustment to Disability
• IME’s
• Case Consultation and Records Review
• Disability Determination/Ratings

Dr. Halfaker’s practice has frequently brought him into the medico-legal context, sometimes as a treating psychologist, others as a retained expert. Because of that, he is accustomed to performing detailed record reviews, case consultation, and formulating reports and opinions suitable to providing testimony in depositions, hearings, and before court. He is experienced in dealing with psychological/neuropsychological issues associated with explaining the nature of injury; psychological ramifications of injury, impairment and disability; causation, reasonable and necessary treatment , and long-term outcome or prognosis.

Dr. Lindsay Vo is a licensed psychologist who completed two years of fellowship for specialization in clinical neuropsychology from Central Arkansas Veterans Affairs Health Care Systems (Arkansas) and Neuro-Psychology Associates (Massachusetts). She provides evaluation services to a wide range of individuals. She is experienced in using a holistic approach to evaluation in order to identify the next steps towards better functioning or quality of life. She is also accustomed to working with language interpreters in neuropsychological evaluation.

TYPES OF EVALUATIONS INCLUDE:

• Memory and learning problems
• Dementia
• ADHD
• Learning disability screening
• Cognitive impairment
• Thinking problems due to: Concussion/Traumatic Brain Injury, Stroke, Seizure Disorder, Accidents, Auto-Immune Diseases, Movement Disorders, etc.
• Deep brain stimulator (DBS) pre- and post-surgical evaluations
• Neuropsychological evaluations for non-English speaking individuals/culturally informed evaluations

• Case consultation and record review
• IME's
• Disability determination/ratings
• Neuropsychological evaluation for career consultation, work/educational accommodations, fitness-for-duty for employers
• Neuropsychological evaluation of cognitive capacity (Medical Decision-Making, Independent Living, etc.)
  Select immigration evaluations
• Dr. Vo also provides education to individuals and families about concussion or traumatic brain injury.

Dr. Michael R. Walsh, Psy.D is a clinical psychologist in Springfield, Missouri who was licensed in 2010 by the State Committee of Psychologists to practice psychology in Missouri. Dr. Walsh currently practices two days per week at Neuropsychological Associates providing psychological evaluation services.

Dr. Walsh’s practice interests include:

• Neurorehabilitation Psychology
• Forensic Neuropsychological Evaluations
• Neuropsychological Evaluations
• Psychosexual Evaluations
• General Psychological Evaluations
• Educational Evaluations
• Michael R. Walsh, Psy.D
• Clinical Psychologist

He accepts referrals from medical providers, educational institutions, social and community service providers, courts, including from judges, prosecuting attorneys, and/or public defenders, colleagues, or from patients and/or family members. Evaluations may be completed in Dr. Walsh’s office or at an offsite location if required because of the patient’s incarceration or hospitalization.

Dr. Walsh is also completing a post-doctoral residency in neuropsychology, three days per week at Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital in Springfield providing neurorehabilitation services, and one evening per week providing sex offender group therapy at Springfield Counseling Services.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Dr. Walsh has practiced psychology since 1990 when he was initially licensed as a psychological examiner by the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Psychology following completion of an internship at Delta Counseling Associates, Inc., a community mental health center in Southeast Arkansas. Dr. Walsh served in various clinical and administrative capacities for 19 years with that facility, the last three of which were as chief executive officer before resigning to pursue doctoral training. Dr. Walsh also served for 18 years as adjunct instructor in psychology with the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department of the University of Arkansas at Monticello prior to relocating to Missouri. Dr. Walsh continues to hold a valid license as an independent psychological examiner in Arkansas. He has held memberships in a variety of professional organizations including an associate membership in the American Psychological Association, a clinical membership in the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers, membership in the American Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology, and a charter membership in the North American Association of Master’s in Psychology.

A native of Forest, Mississippi, Dr. Walsh holds a Doctor of Psychology degree with a concentration specialization in neuropsychology from the Wright Institute in Berkeley, California (2016). He studied at the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri prior to its closing at which time his coursework was transferred to the Wright Institute under a teach-out arrangement between the graduate schools. Dr. Walsh also holds a Master of Science degree in counseling psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi (1990), a Master of Divinity degree in pastoral counseling from New Orleans Theological Seminary in New Orleans, Louisiana (1985), and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi (1981).

Away from the office, Dr. Walsh enjoys reading, listening to music, and spending time with his wife,three adult children, grandson, and fivedogs.