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Clinical neuropsychology
Clinical neuropsychology is the applied specialty of psychologists trained in the science of brain-behavior relationships, documented here mainly through training and recognition statements.
- Type of entry
- Professional specialtyAn applied area with its own training routes and, in some places, credentials. Types are editorial labels, not an official classification.
- Cluster
- Health and careAssessment, care, health and the specialties built around them.
- Sources opened
- 4 of 40 read as a full page, 4 as selected text or an abstract, 0 not verified.
- Independent review
- Admitted after correctionsClaude Code reviewer agent, separate from the writer, 2026-10-21. 9 claims checked against 4 sources opened by the reviewer.
What it studies
A policy statement from the Houston Conference defines a clinical neuropsychologist as a professional psychologist trained in the science of brain-behavior relationships. The sources opened describe the specialty mainly through training and recognition documents, and this profile treats research neuropsychology as a separate neighboring field.
History and people
The Society for Clinical Neuropsychology's site lists a definition approved by the APA Council in 1996, Houston Conference guidelines in 1998, and a joint definition with the National Academy of Neuropsychology in 2001. The Houston Conference itself met September 3 to 7, 1997. H. Julia Hannay is the listed author of a two-page piece titled Proceedings of the Houston Conference in Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology in 1998.
People and documented roles
- H. Julia Hannay. Author of a 1998 piece titled Proceedings of the Houston Conference
- Listed as the author of the Proceedings of the Houston Conference piece in Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology. [4]
The sources opened name one author tied to the Houston Conference proceedings and no earlier contributors. The history of the field before 1996 and contributors outside North America are not documented here.
Dated milestones
- 1996Event. Year.The Society for Clinical Neuropsychology timeline lists a definition approved by the APA Council; this is a US professional decision, not the start of the field. [2]
- September 3-7, 1997Event. Exact date.The Houston Conference on specialty education and training meets in Houston. [1]
- March 1998Publication. Month and year.Hannay's piece on the conference proceedings appears in Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology. [4]
- 2001Event. Year.The Society's timeline lists a joint definition with the National Academy of Neuropsychology. [2]
Methods
The sources opened do not describe tests or assessment procedures, so none are listed. What they document is a training model: the Houston Conference aimed to advance an aspirational, integrated model of specialty training, with sponsoring organizations that included Division 40 of the American Psychological Association.
Training and applications
The Society for Clinical Neuropsychology, an APA division, describes applying knowledge of brain-behavior relationships to human problems. It promotes empirical research and the development of education, training and practice standards. In the United States, the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology promotes board certification by the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology as the standard for competence in practice. These are US professional organizations' descriptions; the sources opened here do not establish current licensing or examination requirements for any jurisdiction.
Boundaries and limits
The Houston page states that the specialty is formally recognized by the American Psychological Association and notes Canadian recognition, but it is a university-hosted copy of a policy statement, not the recognition record itself. The Society's timeline gives titles only. The sources opened do not trace the field before 1996 or outside North America.
Evidence behind the claims
The Houston Conference on Specialty Education and Training in Clinical Neuropsychology was held September 3 to 7, 1997, in Houston, to advance an aspirational, integrated model of specialty training in clinical neuropsychology.
The conference's sponsors were the National Academy of Neuropsychology, Division 40 of the American Psychological Association, the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology, the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology and the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology.
Section III of the conference policy statement defines the clinical neuropsychologist as a professional psychologist trained in the science of brain-behavior relationships.
The page states that clinical neuropsychology is a specialty formally recognized by the American Psychological Association, notes recognition by the Canadian Psychological Association, and says Division 40 petitioned the recognition commission.
The Society for Clinical Neuropsychology's timeline lists a definition approved by the APA Council in 1996, Houston Conference Guidelines in 1998, and a joint definition by the Society and the National Academy of Neuropsychology in 2001.
H. Julia Hannay is the author of the Proceedings of the Houston Conference piece published in March 1998 in Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, volume 13, issue 2, pages 157 to 158.
The American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology says it promotes board certification by the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology as the standard for competence in the field.
The Society for Clinical Neuropsychology, Division 40 of the American Psychological Association, describes the clinical application of knowledge about brain-behavior relationships to human problems and says it promotes empirical research and the development of education, training and practice standards.
Where it appears
Professional contexts
Examples show documented structures. They are not a ranking, a census, or a statement about admission or licensing.
In the Psy101 course
- OpenStax Psychology 2e, section 8.2: Parts of the Brain Involved with MemoryChapter 8, Memory. Topic reading. Nearest related reading; direct coverage of this field has not been verified.Nearest textbook reading on brain structures involved in memory; OpenStax page not opened.
- OpenStax Psychology 2e, section 8.3: Problems with MemoryChapter 8, Memory. Topic reading. Nearest related reading; direct coverage of this field has not been verified.Nearest textbook reading on memory problems after brain injury or disease; OpenStax page not opened.
This is course relevance only. It is not evidence for the historical or practice claims on this page.See the full course map.
Sources and inspection
4 of 4 sources were opened and read at the level shown. A source marked as not verified supports no claim on this page by itself.
- [1]The Houston Conference on Specialty Education and Training in Clinical NeuropsychologyUniversity of Houston, undated. University page. Supports the definition of the area.Selected text readRead the conference page covering dates, sponsors, the definition in Section III and recognition statements; the full policy statement was not read.
- [2]Society for Clinical Neuropsychology (APA Division 40) home pageSociety for Clinical Neuropsychology, undated. Professional association. Supports the history.Selected text readRead the home page introductory body paragraphs on clinical applications, empirical research, education, training and practice standards, plus the SCN History timeline. The timeline lists milestone titles only; the linked documents behind each title were not opened. Independently reopened on October 21, 2026.
- [3]American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology home pageAmerican Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology, undated. Professional association. Supports a statement about practice.Selected text readRead the home page mission and statements of purpose, including the first purpose on ABCN board certification. Independently retrieved on October 21, 2026; the www HTTPS URL redirects to https://theaacn.org/ and returns HTTP 200. The History section was not opened.
- [4]Proceedings of the Houston Conference on specialty education and training in clinical neuropsychologyArchives of Clinical Neuropsychology (Oxford Academic), 1998. Original publication. Supports the history.Selected text readRead only the landing page metadata (title, author, issue, pages and date); the content is offered as a PDF and no abstract is shown, so this source supports authorship and citation details only.
Independent source review: Claude Code reviewer agent, separate from the writer, 2026-10-21. Verdict: Admitted after corrections. Of 9 claims checked, 8 were supported as written, 0 were reworded and 1 were removed.