By: Ann Helmus, Ph.D.
NESCA Founder/Director
It’s finally Spring here in New England – and we are seeing signs of growth and emergence from the winter. At NESCA, we’ve had our own exciting growth over the past few months:
- In Londonderry, N.H., we brought Dina Karlon on full-time as a Transition Specialist, guiding students and young adults to their next life transition – moving from high school to college, taking a gap year, finding the right residential living environment or entering the workforce.
- We opened a new office in Plainville, Mass. to serve clients in South Eastern Mass. and Rhode Island communities, with Pediatric Neuropsychologists Reva Tankle and Erin Gibbons available to take on evaluations in the region.
- Dot Lucci joined our practice to direct our Consultation Services to families, schools, school districts, colleges and universities, businesses and community groups and agencies in Mass., R.I., and N. H.
While growth within an organization is exciting, it’s not without its risks. In previous work experiences, I’ve seen once thrilling and uplifting growth changes turn to a loss of values and culture, and confusion about an organization’s vision. With the recent growth NESCA has experienced, it’s led me to pause and reflect on who we are as a team.
At our core, we are a neuropsychological and educational services organization whose clinicians and practitioners are passionately driven both individually and as the NESCA team to do their best to help children, adolescents, young adults and their families get the information and support they need to be their best. We hire truly committed and dedicated neuropsychologists who want to live, eat and sleep neuropsychology. We take the time to work with families and individuals to unravel stories, dig into their concerns or struggles and identify the correct diagnosis/es (if warranted). Each clinician takes the time to develop relationships with individuals, often through multiple evaluation meetings, school or community observations and talking to stakeholders in the individual’s life to get a complete picture of each and every individual we evaluate. We aren’t about churning out reports or handing off evaluations to less experienced clinicians. Yes, we get reports out in a timely and expected manner, but not at the expense of doing what’s right and being thorough.
We value continued education and strive to stay up on the latest evidence-based treatments. We frequently invite professionals in to meet with our team and present on new resources, treatments, etc. We are always learning through formal continued education courses, the speakers we host, and most importantly, our own NESCA team.
The NESCA team is comprised of dedicated professionals who have grown their networks over the course of many years, both in discipline and geography, and use these connections to benefit our clients. If one of our clinicians is challenged with identifying the right camp, therapist, or other resource for a client, chances are very good that one of our clinicians has built – not just a knowledge base of referrals to recommend – but relationships there as well. If there is a particularly challenging case, our clients benefit from our entire team of experienced clinicians’ insights, ideas, recommendations, perspectives, experiences and resources to help. In fact, we meet on a weekly basis as a team to discuss these cases and come to the best conclusions and recommendations as a cohesive team. That’s why we can take on the difficult, complex cases and come out with the right diagnosis/es and recommended next steps and strategies.
We’ve carefully built and nurtured a work environment where we all feel supported by each other and by the company. NESCA’s staff knows that they aren’t being pushed to rush through neuropsychological evaluations to get the next client in the door. That would only be penny-wise and pound-foolish and would completely fly in the face of our values-based principles that guide our work daily.
Our staff – both new to NESCA and those who have been with us for years, if not from our inception – know they have my full support to conduct the best, most thorough and comprehensive evaluations. This is how we get to know, develop and foster relationships with our clients for years, all the while helping them succeed academically and in life. I’m proud to say that many of our staff clinicians and clients have been with NESCA for many years. As we grow, we will continue to evaluate the efforts we are putting forth to not just maintain but enhance who we are and what we do here at NESCA.
About the Author:
NESCA Founder/Director Ann Helmus, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical neuropsychologist who has been practicing for almost 20 years. In 1996, she jointly founded the Children’s Evaluation Center (CEC) in Newton, Massachusetts, serving as co-director there for almost ten years. During that time, CEC emerged as a leading regional center for the diagnosis and remediation of both learning disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders.
In September of 2007, Dr. Helmus established NESCA (Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children & Adolescents), a client and family-centered group of seasoned neuropsychologists and allied staff, many of whom she trained, striving to create and refine innovative clinical protocols and dedicated to setting new standards of care in the field.
Dr. Helmus specializes in the evaluation of children with learning disabilities, attention and executive function deficits and primary neurological disorders. In addition to assessing children, she also provides consultation and training to both public and private school systems. She frequently makes presentations to groups of parents, particularly on the topics of non-verbal learning disability and executive functioning.
To book an evaluation with Dr. Helmus, NESCA Founder and Director, or one of our many other expert neuropsychologists, complete NESCA’s online intake form. To book an evaluation in Plainville, ask for Reva Tankle on the intake form. To book Consultation Services, ask for Dot Lucci. To book Transition Services in N.H., ask for Dina Karlon.
Neuropsychology & Education Services for Children & Adolescents (NESCA) is a pediatric neuropsychology practice and integrative treatment center with offices in Newton and Plainville, Massachusetts, as well as Londonderry, New Hampshire. NESCA serves clients from preschool through young adulthood and their families. For more information, please email info@nesca-newton.com or call 617-658-9800.