| Karen M. Falla, Ph.D. |
| Licensed Psychologist
Clinical Neuropsychologist
Child, Adolescent, Adult, Geriatric |
Dr. Falla founded Neuropsychology Consultants with a vision of bringing together
outstanding clinicians offering state-of-the-art evaluation and treatment in the fields of
clinical psychology and neuropsychology. She is a licensed psychologist with a
specialization in Clinical Neuropsychology, focusing on the evaluation and treatment
of individuals across the developmental lifespan who are experiencing cognitive,
emotional, social, or behavioral difficulties. She provides services to individuals in the
office on an outpatient basis and also on an inpatient basis at Medical City McKinney, including behavioral health and medical rehabilitation.
In working with children and adolescents, Dr. Falla helps to enhance understanding of
their functioning in several domains. With consideration of their strengths and
weaknesses, she works with parents to develop a plan of intervention to help the child
or adolescent fulfill their potential in multiple domains of life. Typical referral issues
include ADHD, learning disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, other
neurodevelopmental problems, and traumatic brain injury. She also helps with
emotional difficulties, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and adjustment disorder.
In working with adults, she assists with differential diagnosis of dementia and other neurologically based problems. Typical referral issues include Alzheimer’s disease,
Lewy body dementia, Frontotemporal dementia, Vascular dementia due to major stroke
or microvascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, brain tumor, seizure disorder, and traumatic brain injury. She works with individuals and families to help
them work toward positive emotional adaptation to life changes associated with a
family member’s decline in cognitive or physical functioning. She treats her patients
with compassion and respect as they seek to understand the basis of problems they are experiencing, and discusses with them practical and accessible ways of improving their quality of life.
Dr. Falla earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology (APA-accredited) and her master’s degree in Psychology from the University of North Texas. She earned her bachelor's
degree in Psychology from Arizona State University, graduating summa cum laude.
Prior to this, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Arizona State University. Afterward, she worked
for five years as a Software Engineer for Honeywell Commercial Flight Systems,
collaborating with systems engineers and hardware engineers to produce flight control (autopilot) systems for commercial aircraft.
As she transitioned her analytical skills into the field of clinical psychology, she
evaluated children receiving neuro-oncology services at Cook Children’s Medical
Center in preparing her dissertation, “The Relationship between Executive and
Psychosocial Functioning in Children Treated for a Brain Tumor.” She had a focus on neuropsychological evaluation and treatment of both children and adults during her
graduate practica with the Traumatic Brain Injury Program at the Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation in Dallas, Baylor Our Children’s House in Dallas, and Cook Children’s
Medical Center in Fort Worth.
She furthered her specialized clinical training on internship at the APA-accredited
Oklahoma Health Consortium in Oklahoma City (including rotations at the Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Hospital, Neuropsychology Associates at the Mercy Hospital
Neuroscience Institute, and the Child Study Center at the University of Oklahoma
Health Sciences Center). Her postdoctoral fellowship in neuropsychology was
completed at the Center for Psychological Development in Sherman, Texas, where she conducted in- depth neuropsychological evaluations with both inpatient and outpatient populations. Inpatient settings included acute care, rehabilitation, skilled nursing, and psychiatry.
Dr. Falla currently holds privileges at the Medical City McKinney where she sees
patients in behavioral health and medical rehabilitation. She has taught graduate and undergraduate courses at the University of North Texas. She has given presentations on
many topics, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Dementia, Depression, and Coping with Stress at Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation, Raytheon, Texas Woman's University, Wilson Jones Medical Center, Community Specialty Hospital, and several preschools, retirement communities, and hospice care facilities. She is a member of the
American Psychological Association (including Division 40: Clinical Neuropsychology),
the National Academy of Neuropsychology, Texas Psychological Association, and
Collin County Psychological Association.
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| Valerie Sive-Ramirez, Psy.D. | Licensed Psychologist
Clinical Neuropsychologist
Child, Adolescent, Adult, Geriatric |
Dr. Valerie Sive-Ramirez earned her doctoral degree from the APA-accredited counseling psychology graduate program at the University of San Francisco, which included a two-year graduate practicum at the Children’s Health Council in Palo Alto, California. She received additional training in the diagnosis and treatment of children and adolescents at the APA-approved Southern Arizona Psychology Internship Consortium in Tucson, Arizona. She earned her master’s degree from the University of San Diego and has been licensed as a marriage and family therapist in California. She is currently a licensed psychologist in Texas.
Dr. Sive-Ramirez completed her post-doctoral training in Clinical Neuropsychology from Fielding Graduate University. As part of this specialized training, she completed a post-doctoral fellowship at St. Mary’s Medical Center, where she worked on the inpatient rehabilitation unit and conducted inpatient and outpatient neuropsychological evaluations for children and adolescents. She further refined her specialization by completing a second post-doctoral fellowship on the brain injury unit at Kaiser Foundation Rehabilitation Center.
She has worked for the Memory Center at Baylor Neuroscience Center in Dallas as well as for the Pain Management Center at Baylor University Medical Center. In both settings, she conducted comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations and pain evaluations, provided individual and group therapy, and assisted in coordination of treatment services to gather outcome data. She provides in-home neuropsychological assessment and psychotherapy rehabilitation patients through Rehab Without Walls. She has worked with children with many different types of conditions, including ADHD, learning difficulties, developmental delay, and neurological problems.
In addition to her clinical experience, she has worked in different research settings, including a study on anger management and substance abuse for the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center in San Francisco. She served as adjunct faculty for Wright Institute in Berkeley, California teaching graduate-level neuropsychological assessment. She is a member of the American Psychological Association.
Dr. Sive-Ramirez is committed to providing high quality evaluations and treatment. An important objective in her clinical work is to provide each individual with an opportunity to obtain optimal functioning in daily life. |
Licensed Psychologist Mary Linda Chlipala, Ph.D, M.S., M.A., CCC/SLP Clinical Neuropsychologist Speech/Language Pathologist Child, Adolescent, Adult, Geriatric
Dr. Chlipala specializes in neuropsychological assessment of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral difficulties in individuals across the lifespan. For adults, this includes concerns of possible dementia or other cognitive difficulties affecting quality of life. For children and adolescents, this includes developmental conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, learning disabilities, intellectual disability, and other difficulties affecting a child's ability to learn and function as expected in important domains of their lives. She also conducts presurgical assessments (bariatric, deep brain stimulator, spinal cord stimulator). Dr. Chlipala has experience in a variety of settings including private practice, hospital inpatient/outpatient, skilled nursing facility (SNF), medical specialty unit (MSU), juvenile detention center, Intermediate Care Facility for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IID) Level V, rehabilitation hospital, and an outpatient rehabilitation center serving children and adults, in addition to providing didactic clinical training seminars and supervision of post-doctoral neuropsychology fellows, pre-doctoral neuropsychology interns, and psychometrists, as well as experience as an ASHA certified Speech-Language Pathologist. She was formerly the Director of Clinical Training for an APPIC pre-doctoral internship site. She earned her doctorate and master's degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of North Texas. Her dissertation is entitled "Organized Semantic Fluency and Executive Functioning in an Adult Clinical Sample and a Community Sample." Her master's thesis is entitled "Longitudinal Study of Loneliness and Depression as Predictors of Health in Mid-To-Later Life." Her predoctoral internship involved work at Terrell State Hospital, where she saw children, adolescents and adults,; she also saw children for therapy at the Children's Advocacy Center. Prior to this, she earned a master's degree in Communication Disorders from Texas Woman's University and her bachelor's degree in Education from the University of North Texas. She worked as a Speech/Language Pathologist and eventual Department Head at The Rehabilitation Center for Children and Adults in Sherman, Texas. She also worked as a Speech-Language Therapist for the Grayson County Special Education Coop. Dr. Chlipala has numerous scientific presentations and publications. She holds memberships in the National Academy of Neuropsychology, the International Neuropsychological Society, and the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. We are very happy to have Dr. Chlipala working with us!
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| Ashley M. Smith, Ph.D. |
| Licensed Psychologist
Postdoctoral Fellow, Clinical Neuropsychology
Child, Adolescent, Adult, Geriatric |
Dr. Smith earned her Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in School Psychology with a certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis. She earned her master's degree from the University of Texas at Austin in Human Development and Family Sciences, as well as her bachelor's degree in Psychology with Departmental Honors. In graduate school, she completed an externship at Children's Hospital of San Antonio where she conducted comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations for children and adolescents
presenting with a wide range of medical conditions and participated in an interdisciplinary autism evaluation team. She also provided Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy for patients ranging in age from early
childhood to adolescence. Experiences included functional analysis, picture exchange and
communication system, functional communication training, parent training, and extensive data
tracking and treatment planning
She completed an internship on the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Track at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, one of the largest and most comprehensive pediatric hospitals and research institutes in the U.S. At Nationwide, she participated in interdisciplinary diagnostic assessment teams specialized in autism evaluations, including collaboration with neurologists, developmental pediatricians, speech therapists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists.
Her postdoctoral training includes a fellowship at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, where she conducted comprehensive psychological and neuropsychological evaluations for children and adolescents referred for a wide range of neurodevelopmental disorders. Common referral concerns included Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, anxiety, depression, learning problems, developmental delays, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, and genetic syndromes. She received specialized training in the administration of the Rorschach Inkblot Test using the Exner Scoring
System, and she participated in grand rounds discussing a wide range of pediatric conditions, including enuresis,
epilepsy, and eating disorders.
She completed additional postdoctoral work in a private practice setting, where she conducted comprehensive psychological and neuropsychological evaluations for children,
adolescents, and adults referred for a wide range of presenting problems ranging from
neurodevelopmental disorders and personality disorders to dementia and aging in older adults. Therapeutic intervention work with adults targeted trauma, mood, and navigation of major life
transitions. Therapeutic approaches included Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and
Commitment Therapy.
Dr. Smith has participated on several research teams, including the PLAY Project at Children's Hospital San Antonio, Integrated Vocabulary for Comprehension, Reading for Understanding Research Initiative, and Early Literacy Measures at Texas A&M University, THRIVE research at the University of California Santa Barbara, Social Relationships and Health at the University of Chicago, relationship dynamics at the University of Texas, Alcohol and Addiction research at Stanford University, and Psychophysiology research at Harvard University. She has made many associated contributions to the scientific community in terms of research publications and presentations to the American Academy of Pediatric Neuropsychology, the National Academy of School Psychologists, and the Pacific Coast Research Conference.
Dr. Smith has assisted in teaching university courses at the University of California Santa Barbara and University of Texas at Austin, including Introduction to Caribbean Studies, Introduction to African American Studies, Child Development, Human Ecology, and Family Interaction and Development.
Dr. Smith has earned specialized training and certifications, including Applied Behavior Analysis - Texas A&M University Graduate Certificate, ADOS-2 Clinical Workshop, and RUBI Autism Network: Parent Training for Disruptive Behaviors. She is a member of the American Psychological Association, National Academy of Neuropsychology, and National Association of School Psychologists. She is currently expanding her knowledge of adult neuropsychological evaluation by means of a postdoctoral fellowship in our office that includes didactics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and a core curriculum at the Fielding Graduate Institute. We are very happy to have Dr. Smith working with us!
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| Joe Hinojosa, B.S. | Psychometrician
Clinical Neuropsychology
Child, Adolescent, Adult, Geriatric
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Joe is a graduate of Baylor University where he earned his Bachelor
of Science degree in Psychology. He is bilingual with fluency in English and Spanish.
He began work with us as an Administrator and was trained as a Psychometrician, helping
with assessment activities such as test administration and scoring. He has completed his first year toward his master's degree in Kinesiology at the University of North Texas.
Joe’s collegiate experience at Baylor and at UNT has prepared him well for
work in our office. He participated in research in the Department of Psychology
and Neuroscience, including research assistantships in the Social-Personality
and Film and Perception Research Labs. He also served as a teaching assistant for
Biology classes.
In addition to his academic activities at Baylor, Joe participated
in club soccer and rock climbing, and he was a member of the Linguistics Club
and the Zeta Zigga Zamma service fraternity. He served as an intramural referee
for several sports, including volleyball, flag football, soccer, and softball. Joe founded Baylor Athletes Without Limits, an organization that helps children with mental or physical disabilities participate disabilities participate in sports. He coaches youth soccer in the local community, and he participates on a competitive soccer team. He also enjoys playing, producing, mixing, and recording music. We are happy to have Joe with us as an important part of our clinical team!
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| Samantha Saldana, M.S. | Graduate Clinical Extern
Clinical Neuropsychology
Child, Adolescent, Adult
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Samantha is working on her Ph.D. in
Clinical Psychology at the University of North Texas where her focus is Health Psychology and Neuropsychology. Her master's thesis is entitled Comparing Cognitive Functioning in non-Hispanic Whites and White Mexican/Mexican Americans with/without Type 2 Diabetes. She earned her bachelor's degree in Psychology her minor in Biology with departmental honors from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was a McNair Scholar and Presidential Achievement Scholar. Her undergraduate thesis was entitled Functional Brain Mapping in Pediatric Patients
using Magnetoencephalography. This data was collected in collaboration with Dell Children's Hospital and the University of Texas at Austin. Samantha's clinical experience at the UNT Psychology Clinic includes cognitive and achievement testing, personality testing, structured interviews, projective
testing, Autism Spectrum testing, and ADHD testing. Her therapy experience includes modalities of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational
Interviewing, and Psychodynamic Theory. She has also worked on the Mental Health Gold Team at the North Texas VA where she conducted psychotherapy and facilitated substance abuse workshops and and group counseling. She has worked as a teaching assistant for several university classes, including Social Psychology and General Psychology, and also has tutored undergraduates in Statistics. She worked as a Prevention/Intervention Specialist where she provided
an intervention model for young female and male juveniles. This intervention involved community based programs that included education, counseling, vocational trade
and recreational activities in an effort to empower and motivate them to become
successful and productive citizens. She also worked as a program assistant at Texas State Technical College in the Texas Prefreshmen Engineering Program (TexPrep), an academically rigorous
mathematics-based summer enrichment program for middle and high school
students who are interested in
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Samantha is working with us to continue developing her expertise in neuropsychological assessment. We are very happy to
have her working with us!
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| Hannah Hagler, B.S. | Graduate Clinical Extern
Clinical Neuropsychology
Child, Adolescent, Adult
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Hannah is working on her Ph.D. in School Psychology at Texas
Woman’s University where her dissertation is focused on better understanding
Autism Spectrum Disorder. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from
TWU, graduating as an Honor’s Scholar Graduate with minors in English, Global
Studies, and General Science. Her Capstone Project was conducted on the subject
of Autism.
Hannah’s clinical experience includes counseling and
therapeutic interventions with children, adolescents, and adults with a variety
of concerns (e.g., trauma, anxiety, depression, stress, difficulty with
relationships, coping skills, social skills, oppression/discrimination). She
also has conducted comprehensive autism assessments for children and
adolescents aged 18 months to 18 years at the UNT Kristin Farmer Autism Center.
Her work with the Allen Independent School District included
early education programs through high school, where she conducted psychoeducational
assessments using a team-based approach. She also planned and implemented
individualized behavioral interventions, trained teachers and staff on a variety
of psychoeducational topics, and held social skills groups for first- and
second-grade students. She worked with children and adolescents with variety of
diagnoses (e.g., ADHD, autism, depression, anxiety, intellectual disability) and cultural backgrounds. Hannah's academic experience includes work as a Statistics Consultant for the Department of Psychology and Philosophy at Texas Woman’s University. In this position, she assisted undergraduate and graduate students in understanding statistical concepts, choosing appropriate statistical analyses for research questions, conducting statistical analyses, and analyzing the results of statistical analyses. She has also worked as a Graduate Research Assistant at TWU and as a Statistics Tutor for TWU’s Math and Technology Success Center. She has taught and/or assisted in teaching classes at TWU, including Introduction to General Psychology, Social Psychology, and Experimental Psychology. We are very happy to have Hannah working with us to further her assessment expertise!
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WE ARE COMMITTED TO HELPING INDIVIDUALS ACHIEVE THEIR ULTIMATE POTENTIAL AND ENHANCE THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE |
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