Mission Statement:

At Mark Besen Ph.D. Psychological Services, we strive to provide high quality, comprehensive, psychological and neuropsychological evaluations to assist individuals and their families to obtain the most appropriate and effective treatment services. We work collaboratively with healthcare providers, educational professionals, social service and other agencies to ensure excellent coordination of care on behalf of the individuals we serve.

About Mark Besen, Ph.D.

Dr. Besen is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University. He is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 25 years post licensure experience in hospital/medical, community behavioral health and private practice settings. He has held clinical and administrative leadership roles in large behavioral health organizations and is a nationally certified suicide prevention trainer and consultant through the QPR institute.

Dr. Besen currently specializes in providing psychological and neuropsychological testing for ages 6-90+.

About Michaela Putnam, LPA, BCBA, NCSP.

Michaela is a graduate of Western Michigan University and the University of Detroit Mercy. She has worked as a Nationally Certified School Psychologist for 6 years as well as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst for 1 year. Michaela has worked as a Registered Behavior Technician for children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder for 11 years.

About Mollie Mayse, LPA, NCSP.

Mollie Mayse is a graduate of Appalachian State University. She is a licensed psychological associate with the North Carolina Psychology Board. Mrs. Mayse has 15 years of experience working as a Nationally Certified School Psychologist with the North Carolina public school system. Mrs. Mayse specializes in providing psychological testing for children ages 2-18.

About Erica Elliott, MA, NCC, LCMHC.

Erica is a graduate of Clemson University and The University of Alabama. She is a licensed clinical mental health counselor (LCMHC) with the North Carolina Board of Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors and a National Certified Counselor (NCC) with the National Board of Certified Counselors. Erica has 4 years post-licensure experience working in the community mental health, private practice, and day treatment settings. She currently provides individual therapy services for adults (ages 18 and up).

About Jessica Coplin, LPN, Nurse Administrator.

Jessica Coplin is a graduate of Peace College and ECPI University with a licensed practical nursing degree. Mrs. Coplin has 10 years of nursing experience in Eastern North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia with management and supervising background for the past 7 years. She currently performs psychological testing administration as a technician and assumes administrative responsibilities for the practice.

Psychological and Neuropsychological Testing

What is the value of psychological or neuropsychological testing?

Psychological testing allows for information to be obtained through methods that do not solely rely on an interview alone. We can evaluate brain functioning as well as information obtained through standardized tools in addition to information obtained in a clinical interview.

Through this, we can better understand presenting problems and provide more accurate diagnoses than can typically be obtained by brief office visits with a healthcare provider or even through a clinical interview at a traditional psychiatric or behavioral health practice. Since we are a specialty practice where testing is all we do, we are able to spend significantly more time with each patient and their family members to obtain a more comprehensive evaluation.

In the case of neuropsychological evaluations, we are able to identify if a patient is experiencing impairment in memory and other areas of cognition which are unlikely solely due to aging. We can also identify patterns of impairment that may be consistent with various types of neurocognitive disorder such as:

Alzheimer’s disease
vascular dementia
stroke
post concussive syndrome
brain injury

In the case of psychological evaluations for children and adolescents, we are able to assess for additional factors contributing to difficulty with learning such as the presence of a(n):

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
depressive and/or anxiety disorders
impact of past trauma
prenatal exposure to substances
intellectual disability
specific learning disorder

What happens during psychological or neuropsychological evaluation and testing?

The psychological evaluations we provide include a clinical interview which consists of collecting background information from patients and accompanying family members and/or other support individuals. During the clinical interview, we will ask about details associated with the presenting concern for which testing is being requested, current and past symptoms, past relevant behavioral health treatment history, risk factors, medical history, medications, and social history. This information helps us determine the most appropriate assessments to use during testing.

Following the clinical interview, either the psychologist or a psychological technician will administer a battery of tests through a variety of methods including use of computers and iPads, oral questions, rating forms, and manipulation of materials. The tests we utilize assess intellectual and cognitive functioning abilities as they relate to the presenting concerns and also assess for the presence of symptoms and behaviors associated with various psychological disorders. In the case of a neuropsychological evaluation, more extensive testing in areas of memory, language, complex attention and central executive functioning are conducted to further assess for the presence of neurocognitive impairment associated with dementia or brain injury.

Once testing has been completed you will be scheduled for a follow-up consultation within 1-2 weeks to review the results of testing and discuss treatment recommendations. You will receive a full testing report summarizing background information, detailed scores and interpretations, and recommendations through an encrypted email several weeks following the feedback visit.