How to Write Better Reports

TTP #38: Dr. Jacobus Donders – How to Write Better Reports

Dr. Jeremy Sharp Podcast 2 Comments

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In the late 1990’s, Jacobus Donders was seeing a lot of neuropsych reports that didn’t really say much. So he decided to gather some of the top psychologists and neuropsychologists to literally write the book on effective reports. Published in 2014, Neuropsychological Report Writing details the “right” and “wrong” way to write reports across several settings. Dr. Donders spent an hour with me to talk all about reports and how to write them well. Here are some things we talked about:

  • Jacobus’s current report length and time it takes him to write
  • The “must have” elements of a report
  • Two to three sections you can probably cut way down on your next report
  • “Life hacks” to shorten your report writing while maintaining quality

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About Dr. Jacobus Donders

Dr. Jacobus DondersDr. Jacobus Donders is the Chief Psychologist at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI.  He is board-certified in Clinical Neuropsychology, Pediatric Clinical Neuropsychology, and Rehabilitation Psychology through the American Board of Professional Neuropsychology.  In addition to being an active clinical practitioner, he has served on multiple editorial and executive boards, has authored or co-authored more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals, and has edited or co-edited five textbooks.  Dr. Donders is a current associate editor of the journals Child Neuropsychology and Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology.  He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and of the National Academy of Neuropsychology.  His main interests include validity of neuropsychological tests and prediction of outcome after brain injury.

About Dr. Jeremy Sharp

I’m a licensed psychologist and Clinical Director at the Colorado Center for Assessment & Counseling, a private practice that I founded in 2009 and grew to include seven licensed clinicians, three clinicians in training, and a full administrative staff. I earned my undergraduate degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina before getting my Master’s and PhD in Counseling Psychology from Colorado State University. These days, I specialize in psychological and neuropsychological evaluation with kids and adolescents.

As the host of the Testing Psychologist Podcast, I provide private practice consulting for psychologists and other mental health professionals who want to start or grow psychological testing services in their practices. I live in Fort Collins, Colorado with my wife (also a therapist) and two young kids.

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Comments 2

  1. Hi,

    My name is Julia Goldmark. I am a doctoral student in psychology and I need to write a neuropsychological report. I was wondering if you also provide help with proofreading and editing reports? It would be extremely helpful if the report could be reviewed before I submit it. Please let me know.

    Thank you so much for your help! I look forward to hearing from you.

    Kind regards,
    Julia Goldmark

    1. Post
      Author

      Hi Julia,

      Thanks for listening and reaching out! I don’t provide report feedback and editing, but you may check with Dr. Stephanie Nelson at http://www.thepeerconsult.com. She provides consultation on neuropsych cases and may be able to help. Best of luck!

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