Courtney L. Murphy, PhD, MS

Dr. Courtney Murphy is a neuropsychologist and licensed psychologist who works in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has a private practice and is available to see patients from San Francisco, through the Peninsula, and to San Jose.  She also works at a major hospital on the Peninsula providing both in- and outpatient neuropsychological assessment, intervention, and consultation to patients, families, and providers. She is adjunct faculty at Palo Alto University, where she teachers undergraduate level coursework in developmental psychology and neuropsychology, and she has provided supervision to graduate level Stanford and PAU students in neuropsychological and psychoeducational assessments. 

 

Dr. Murphy has trained and worked in a variety of settings, including Stanford University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS), VA Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS), Washington DC VA Medical Center, Palo Alto University, and Kaiser Permanente.

 

Dr. Murphy has extensive experience in provision of neuropsychological assessment of patients with complex neuropsychiatric comorbidities.  Specifically, she has immense experience in medical neuropsychology (please see FAQ page for a list of diagnostic specialities and common referral questions), among other referrals. She  specializes in capacity evaluations to determine one’s ability to make medical, financial, and/or legal decisions. Finally, she also holds advanced training and specialty in assessing various learning disorders (e.g., ASD, Specific Learning Disorder, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) and providing recommendations based on strengths and weaknesses to inform academic advancement. Dr. Murphy is an expert in working with highly intelligent individuals with neurodiagnostic differences that may have been "missed" across the lifespan. 

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Across referral questions, Dr. Murphy appreciates the sensitivity of the neuropsychological assessment and her work highlights the impact that this deep understanding of brain-behavior functioning may have on one's life, whether it be at home, work, school, or guiding medical or psychiatric treatment recommendations. Above all else, not only does Dr. Murphy describe the individual's unique neuropsychological and learning profile, but she also focuses on how to apply these findings in practical ways to facilitate change in the individual's life and alleviate difficulties in order to improve quality of life. In addition, she provides comprehensive multi-disciplinary recommendations and generates referrals as indicated. 

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Dr. Murphy is also incredibly timely in her work, providing detailed assessment reports in about one to two weeks from the final appointment, while typically these assessment reports are generated in about three or four weeks or longer. Dr. Murphy understands that the assessment findings are time sensitive and often necessary to guide treatment, care, or educational planning, and so she aims to work efficiently from the start to the end of the assessment in order to facilitate timely care. Dr. Murphy also works to be available after assessments are completed to consult as needed with ongoing treatment providers, educators, family members, etc. 

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In addition to providing comprehensive assessment, Dr. Murphy also is skilled at providing neuropsychological rehabilitation therapy focused on learning skills to compensate for cognitive difficulties. She understands how to utilize the neuropsychological findings to functionally implement change. 

 

She has worked with civilians, veterans, and service members, as well as adolescents, adults, and older adults (ranging from age 10 to 100+).

 

Dr. Murphy has extensive experience in working with the LGBTQIA+ community and her practice is culturally sensitive. She is an ally and friend of the LGBTQIA+ community and she supports fairness and quality to minorities and marginalized communities. 

 

Dr. Murphy has presented at national and international conferences, co-authored peer-reviewed journal articles, and has served as an ad hoc reviewer for well-respected journals. She is available for public-speaking engagements and she is excited about bringing her expertise in neuropsychology into the public and private sectors. 

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Aside from her professional work locally and nationally, Dr. Murphy was born and raised in the Bay Area. She lived for many years in Woodside and Menlo Park and as a native Californian, she understands the unique difficulties faced by our Bay Area children, teens, and adults. And, as a provider who has worked in the Bay Area across private and public settings, Dr. Murphy is humbled by having cultivated an incredibly strong network of providers across disciplines that she refers and consults with regularly to ensure strong care plans for patients within a carefully hand-selected team of providers.

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Credentials:

 

Licensed Clinical Psychologist in California (PSY26630)

Licensed Psychologist in Maryland (07000)

APIT PsyPact (13790)

Completed a Two-Year Postdoctoral Fellowship in Clinical Neuropsychology at the War Related Illnesses and Injury Study Center (WRIISC), Washington D.C. VA Medical Center

Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Palo Alto University

  Neuropsychological Assessment Certificate Program (Division 40 Houston guidelines)

M.S. in Clinical Psychology from Palo Alto University

B.A. in Psychology from University of San Francisco

 

Past & Present Professional Affiliations:

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International Neuropsychological Society (INS)

National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN)

American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN)

California Psychological Association (CPA)

Maryland Psychological Association (MPA)

American Psychological Association (APA)