No Fault/Workers Compensation

Services:

-Comprehensive Psychological Evaluation with Narrative report

-Individual Therapy

-Referral for psychotropic medication evaluation if warranted

-Coordination of care with treating psychiatrist and inclusion in narrative report/monthly progress reports

Dr. Duffy has worked in the areas of Personal Injury and No-Fault Auto Accident related cases since receiving her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Hofsra University in 1993.  In dealing with clients involv ed in such cases, her goal is to provide the most effective psychological services possible to help improve the mental health of the individual. When a person sustains significant physical trauma, reaching the threshold of permanent physical impairment, there is usually an adverse effect on thier mental health manifesting in psychological trauma.  In addition, when physical injuries preclude an individual from getting back to work, diminished self-esteem and profound anxiety could manifest themselves causing augmentation of muscle tension which retards the natural healing process. This could actually prolong their recuperative period preventing maximal benefit from surgery or varied therapies such as Physical Therapy and anit-inflammatory / analgesic drug protocols.  Conversely, if through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a person can learn coping strategies to address their fears about the permanency of their injuries and its’ impact on their life, they are more likely to adapt to physical limitations.

Our office produces concise, detailed Narrative Reports that documents such psychological trauma resultant from permanent physical impairment in verbiage that is understandable and useful to other treating physicians and attorneys. Dr. Duffy gets referrals of such cases from orthopedic surgeons, neurologists and physiatrists with whom she works closely. When warranted she will refer appropriate candidates for psychotropic drug protocol determination to a psychiatrist.

In such traumatic cases, an attorney can take on the role of confidant to the client. This could lead to many unnecessary calls placed to their offices in an effort to seek emotional comfort through aspects of reassurance. In many instances, clients who are depressed are seeking out someone to simply talk to as opposed to seeking answers to valid questions about their case and the dynamic of no-fault. We help educate the client about the No-Fault process; time frames involved, what an Independent Medical Examination (I.M.E.) and an Examination Under Oath (E.U.O.) are, and what to expect from them. This lessens anxiety caused by ignorance of this system and helps prepare the client to embrace realistic expectations. I n a sense we do the emotional “hand holding” instead of the attorney, freeing them up to actually work on the case.

Dr. Duffy has worked with a vary large Washington D.C. based law firm which provides legal services pro bono for debilitated veterans who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (P.T.S.D.) yet have been denied benefits in terms of psychological services and monetary compensation by The Veteran’s Administration.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapeutic approach that aims to solve problems concerning dysfunctional emotions, behaviors and cognitions through a goal-oriented, skills based, systematic procedure.
There is empirical evidence that CBT is effective for the treatment of a variety of problems, including mood disturbances such as anxiety and depression, personality disorders, eating, substance abuse, and psychotic disorders. Treatment is often manualized, with specific technique-driven brief, direct, and time-limited treatments for specific psychological disorders. CBT is used in individual therapy settings, and the techniques are often adapted for self-help applications. Some clinicians and researchers are more cognitive oriented (e.g. cognitive restructuring), while others are more behaviorally oriented (in vivo exposure therapy). Other interventions combine both (e.g. imaginal exposure therapy).

CBT was primarily developed through a merging of behavior therapy with cognitive therapy. While rooted in rather different theories, these two traditions found common ground in focusing on the “here and now”, and on alleviating symptoms. Many CBT treatment programs for specific disorders have been evaluated for efficacy and effectiveness; the health-care trend of evidence-based treatment, where specific treatments for symptom-based diagnoses are recommended, has favored CBT over other approaches such as psychodynamic treatments.[In the United Kingdom, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommends CBT as the treatment of choice for a number of mental health difficulties, including post-traumatic stress disorder, OCD, bulimia nervosa and clinical depression, and for the neurological condition chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Bio-Feedback

Biofeedback is a non-medical process that involves measuring a subject’s specific and quantifiable bodily functions such as the activity of brain waves, blood pressure, heart rate, skin temperature, sweat gland activity, and muscle tension, conveying the information to the patient in real-time. This raises the patient’s awareness and therefore the possibility of conscious control of those functions. By providing the user access to physiological information about which he or she may be unaware, biofeedback may allow users to gain control of physical processes previously considered an automatic response of the autonomous nervous system.