Clinical Services

The Vanguard Center for Neurological Health offers neurological, occupational, speech-language evaluations as well as individual and family counseling. Our unique relationship with Vanguard Preparatory School allows therapists to interact with students in the classroom and facilitates communication with teaching staff. This team approach lends itself to improved outcomes for children.

Individual and Family Counseling
VCNH offers both individual and family counseling. Individual counseling helps children and teenagers learn to identify, manage, and communicate their emotions in appropriate ways. Family therapy helps build relationships, improve communication, and develop healthy conflict resolution to create a better home environment.

Neurotherapy
Neurotherapy is a medication free and non-invasive form of treatment involving neurostimulation and brain training leading to enhanced emotional, cognitive, and behavioral regulation and efficiency. This type of therapy is effective in addressing ADHD, anxiety, depression, and autism in addition to many other conditions.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR is an evidence-based psychotherapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In addition, successful outcomes are well-documented in the literature for EMDR treatment of other psychiatric disorders, mental health problems, and somatic symptoms. The model on which EMDR is based, Adaptive Information Processing (AIP), posits that much of psychopathology is due to the maladaptive encoding of and/or incomplete processing of traumatic or disturbing adverse life experiences. This impairs the client’s ability to integrate these experiences in an adaptive manner. The eight-phase, three-pronged process of EMDR facilitates the resumption of normal information processing and integration. This treatment approach, which targets past experience, current triggers, and future potential challenges, results in the alleviation of presenting symptoms, a decrease or elimination of distress from the disturbing memory, improved view of the self, relief from bodily disturbance, and resolution of present and future anticipated triggers.

Play Therapy and Activity Therapy
Play Therapy is a structured, theoretically based approach to therapy that builds on the normal communicative and learning processes of children. The curative powers inherent in play are used in many ways. Therapists strategically utilize play therapy to help children express what is troubling them when they do not have the verbal language to express their thoughts and feelings. In play therapy, toys are like the child’s words and play is the child’s language. Through play, therapists may help children learn more adaptive behaviors when there are emotional or social skills deficits. The positive relationship that develops between therapist and child during play therapy sessions can provide a corrective emotional experience necessary for healing. Play therapy may also be used to promote cognitive development and provide insight about and resolution of inner conflicts or dysfunctional thinking in the child. Activity Therapy is a developmentally modified form of Play Therapy that is intended for older children, adolescents, and adults 18 years old and older.

Speech-Language Therapy
Speech-language therapy is used to treat a variety of disorders that effect speech production, expressive and receptive language, and cognitive-communication skills.

Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy aims to improve individuals’ ability to manage their daily activities through therapeutic activities, adaptive technologies/devices, and introducing alternate ways of completing tasks.