Picture of Dr Fadell
Adult

Individual Therapy: Together, Dr. Fadell and her clients determine the most effective and direct approach to take to achieve emotional health.  Many people have waited a long time to feel heard, understood, and empowered; and to feel they have a clear plan for success.  This plan provides a solid foundation for change on which the client can build.  It also helps clients identify their own arsenal of strengths they have lost or never knew they had.
Neuropsychological Testing: Neuropsychological Testing:  A neuropsychological evaluation is a comprehensive assessment of cognitive processes (brain functions) that provides a wealth of information to the referring doctor and you, by answering important diagnostic and treatment-related questions.  Neuropsychological testing with Dr. Fadell is divided into three phases.  The first, which lasts about an hour, involves a clinical interview and assessment.  This is where Dr. Fadell will gather information about your family and medical history and the symptoms that prompted the evaluation.  It is very helpful to have a family member, or someone who knows you well, attend the clinical interview and assessment to assist in providing this information; however, they do not need to be present for the actual testing.  The second phase is when testing begins and is divided into two parts.  Part one is frequently done immediately after the clinical interview and lasts two to three hours.  During testing you will be asked to do a variety of things.  These will include puzzles, memory and word tasks, drawing shapes, sharing your general knowledge, identifying pictures, etc.  You are allowed to take breaks throughout this time, such as getting up to stretch your legs, get a cup of coffee or tea, eat a snack, use the restroom, make a phone call, etc.  You and your family member or person who knows you well (respondent) will also be given some checklists to take home and complete.  These involve obtaining both of your opinions regarding changes in memory, attention, decision-making, and emotional state.  The second and final testing session again lasts about three hours.  You will be asked to do similar tasks and return the completed checklists given to you at the first testing session.  In many cases for convenience, Dr. Fadell can provide a self-addressed stamped envelope for your respondent to mail back their completed checklists.  At this time, you will also schedule a feedback session with Dr. Fadell.  This is the third phase and a much shorter appointment (an hour or less) at which time, your results will be reviewed and explained, and any questions you have will be answered. Once your testing is completed and before the feedback session, Dr. Fadell will score and interpret all your results.  These results will be compiled into a comprehensive report, of which you will receive two signed copies.  The report will also be faxed to any health care professionals you request, provided you sign a release of information to that professional.  Any time a diagnosis is made, you will receive printed psychoeducational material to aid in your understanding of the diagnosis.  Recommendations, including those that may improve or accommodate your condition will also be included.

Clinical Specialties

Postpartum Depression and Anxiety / Infertility and Fetal Loss:  Postpartum depression and anxiety are serious mental health problems for women and their families, with an estimated prevalence of 10-15% among new mothers.  For 11 years, Dr. Fadell's work at WSU and the DMC focused on enhancing the postpartum relationship between mother and infant and working with new mothers to be happy and emotionally healthy during this very special time. Dr. Fadell also works with women and couples struggling with infertility.  This can be an extremely stressful time for the couple and raises many sensitive emotions.  Whether a couple is preparing to take the first steps with infertility treatment or have progressed to IVF, Dr. Fadell offers support and a safe environment to process this very delicate phase of life.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can take many forms.  Not everyone's symptoms manifest as those shown on television shows such as "Monk."  The defining components of OCD are obsessive thoughts that are intrusive and usually irrational and cause a high level of anxiety.  These thoughts and the subsequent anxiety then require some kind of action (or avoidance) on the part of the individual in order to bring the anxiety down.  However, as those with OCD know, the reduction in anxiety is always only temporary.  The most successful treatment for OCD is called Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).  Dr. Fadell utilizes this type of therapy using small, gradual steps of exposure that eventually lead to the elimination of symptoms.
Women’s Issues: During the course of being someone’s wife, mother, employee, household accountant, taxi driver, or child-care provider, many women are overwhelmed with their responsibilities and feel as if they have lost a sense of who they are as individuals.  Women tend to put their needs last, a dangerous practice, but one that women have been socialized to accept.  Dr. Fadell assists women to find their voice without feeling guilty or selfish, gain more control over their lives, and invest some of the energy the spend on others back into themselves.
Neuropsychological Disorders: Dr. Fadell has extensive training and experience in the evaluation and diagnosis of cognitive changes related to aging, head trauma, and other progressive diseases.  For example, she collaborates with a number of neurologists in the area to provide data driven and empirically supported differential diagnoses for patients whose symptoms include changes in short-term memory, comprehension, attention, and executive functioning.Many of those patients belong to the growing senior population.  The US Census Bureau (2017) estimates that the population age 70 and older is projected to increase to almost 54 million by 2030.   Of these, an estimated 5.7 million will be living with Alzheimer’s disease in 2018.  In Michigan, this number is projected to be 180,000 in 2018 and by 2025 it will be 220,000, an increase of 22.2% (2018 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures).The early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease provides several essential benefits for the patient and their caregivers and loved ones.  It enables individuals to prepare legal, financial, and end-of-life plans while they are still cognitively able to make such decisions.  In the US, if those individuals who will eventually develop Alzheimer’s disease are diagnosed earlier, in the Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) stage and before dementia begins, they are provided with valuable time for these life matters to be put into place.Aging is not the only cause of changes in memory and cognition (thinking).  Head trauma, such as that sustained in a fall or car accident, frequently affects neurological functioning, especially if a concussion has occurred.  Likewise, other types of physical illnesses, including Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Epilepsy, sleep disorders, and stroke can affect brain functioning.