The Testing Psychologist Podcast

Recent Episodes

1. 587. Demystifying Functional Neurological Disorder w/ Dr. Alison Buchholz

   Jul 20, 2026

   Dr. Alison Buchholz, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Behavioral Sciences, and Neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, discusses functional neurological disorder (FND) in depth. The episode covers the history and evolution of FND understanding, diagnostic criteria, neurobiological mechanisms revealed through fMRI research, assessment and diagnostic processes, treatment approaches including psychotherapy and physiotherapy, and program building for coordinated multidisciplinary care. Dr. Buchholz emphasizes that FND is neither psychiatric nor neurological but both, and addresses common misconceptions about the condition.

2. 586. Current Research on AI Adoption Among Psychologists w/ Dr. Adam Lockwood

   Jul 13, 2026

   Dr. Adam Lockwood, an associate professor of school psychology at Kent State University and founder of Lockwood Educational and Psychological Consulting, discusses current research on AI adoption among psychologists. The conversation covers his empirical findings on AI's capability to write psychological assessment reports, comparative studies of human versus AI-generated clinical reports, adoption rates across different psychology disciplines, and practical applications of AI in psychological practice. Lockwood addresses key concerns including bias in AI models, ethical barriers to adoption, and strategies for implementing AI responsibly in clinical and school psychology settings.

3. 585. Unmasking ADHD in Girls and Women w/ Dr. Kathleen Nadeau

   Jul 6, 2026

   Dr. Kathleen Nadeau, a pioneering ADHD specialist with 40+ years of clinical experience, discusses the evolution of ADHD understanding and how the disorder manifests differently in girls and women. The episode covers diagnostic criteria gaps, hormonal impacts on ADHD symptoms during puberty, social difficulties girls with ADHD face, school accommodations, and the importance of distinguishing ADHD from anxiety in girls. Nadeau emphasizes moving beyond the medical model to understand neurodivergent strengths and the exhausting masking that girls with ADHD begin in kindergarten.

4. 584. When to Start a Group Practice (and When to Wait!) w/ Whitney Owens, LPC

   Jul 2, 2026

   Whitney Owens, LPC and founder of Wise Practice Consulting, discusses when practice owners should and should not start a group practice. Drawing from her experience building a 15+ clinician private pay group practice in Savannah, Georgia, Owens covers critical business fundamentals including compensation structures (45% for W2 employees, 60% for 1099 contractors), the minimum threshold of 5 full-time clinicians needed to see meaningful income increases, and common mistakes owners make when scaling. The conversation emphasizes culture, transparency, and mindset alongside operational details like hiring pipelines, turnover expectations, and the benefits of the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) framework.

5. 583. EHR Review: Practice Better

   Jun 25, 2026

   Dr. Jeremy Sharp, host of the Testing Psychologist podcast, conducts an in-depth review of Practice Better, a cloud-based EHR platform designed for wellness practitioners, mental health professionals, and medical-adjacent healthcare providers. Sharp evaluates the software's user-friendliness, onboarding experience, scheduling, billing integration, note-taking, and claims submission workflows through a hands-on demo. He identifies strengths including robust reporting, customizable dashboards, and integrated payment processing, while noting workflow disconnects between scheduling, note-writing, billing, and claims generation as significant drawbacks.

6. 582. Discovering & Assessing Gifted and Twice Exceptional Kids w/ Dr. Megan Helmen

   Jun 22, 2026

   Dr. Megan Helmen, founder of Developmental Discoveries, discusses the assessment and support of gifted and twice-exceptional (2E) children. The episode covers defining giftedness quantitatively and qualitatively, Dabrowski's overexcitability framework, the association between giftedness and mental health concerns, and practical assessment strategies. Helmen emphasizes a strengths-based, family-centered approach to understanding neurodevelopmental differences in bright children, including the overlap between giftedness and autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities.

7. 581. Inside the BASC-4 w/ Dr. Cecil Reynolds

   Jun 15, 2026

   Dr. Cecil Reynolds returns to discuss the BASC-4 (Behavior Assessment System for Children, Fourth Edition), releasing in late June. Reynolds covers major updates including new narrow-band rating scales, improved autism detection in younger children (ages 3-5), person-friendly language revisions, and an empathy/caring scale. The conversation explores the science and practice behind test revision decisions, development costs and market pressures, and the importance of maintaining diagnostic rigor in child assessment.

8. 580. Using AI to Upgrade Your Hiring w/ Nicole Brewer, LCPC

   Jun 11, 2026

   Nicole Brewer, founder and CEO of Rethink Therapy, a 24-person group practice in Henderson, Nevada, discusses how she uses AI to improve her hiring process and combat unconscious biases. She describes her four-layer hiring framework—pre-screener application, interview one, assessments (Colby and DISC), and interview two—and explains how she leverages Claude to challenge confirmation bias, overconfidence, and homogeneous hiring patterns. The conversation explores practical implementation details, the limitations of AI in reading non-verbal cues, and how AI serves as a tool rather than a replacement for human judgment in leadership hiring decisions.

9. 579. EHR Review: My Best Practice

   Jun 4, 2026

   Dr. Jeremy Sharp, a licensed psychologist and group practice owner, conducts a detailed first-time walkthrough review of My Best Practice, an EHR built by psychologist Dr. Ryan Fuller. Sharp evaluates the software across ease of use, onboarding, calendar functionality, customization options, reporting features, and suitability for testing practices, noting strong pricing ($39/month for first practitioner) and comprehensive settings but identifying the need for custom note templates as a setup requirement.

10. 578. What the DSM is Missing About Autism w/ Dr. Wenn Lawson

    Jun 1, 2026

    Dr. Wenn Lawson, a British psychologist, autistic researcher, and key theorist of monotropism, discusses limitations of current DSM-5 autism diagnostic criteria and what clinicians are missing in assessment. The episode explores monotropism (single-focused attention) as a foundational characteristic across all autistic individuals, examines how object permanence and interoception challenges manifest, and addresses masking/camouflaging. Lawson provides practical, autism-friendly modifications to assessment processes, office environments, and report writing to better serve autistic clients.