Services & Quality

High Integrative Quality (High IQ)

Finding the best practitioner can feel like trying to solve a puzzle

How do you find a highly trained doctor that can help you hand pick the treatment "pieces" that together will most efficiently solve your problem?

Sifting through all of the different techniques can be overwhelming. You may want a practitioner that says they are "integrative", but many practitioners state they are integrative. The question is where can you find High Integrative Quality, what I call "High IQ" treatment...where the most effective techniques are combined to create the most powerful, and evidence-based treatment. I specialize in a growing trend in healthcare: evidence-based treatment; I work to remain aware of the latest findngs to present you with the soundest treatment options.

Performance Enhancing Assessment (PEA)

PEA is a favored option for athletes, professionals, and others who want to maximize their functioning.   The deepest and most long-lasting insight human functioning comes from thorough assessment, not from off the cuff advice from friends. All of the below assessments are in the end about enchancing functioning and givign the person the edge they need to overcome whatever obstscles are in their path. 

I specialize in the following kinds of assessments:

• Developmental assessment
  
  One of the most common situations I am placed in is answering the following kinds of questions from a parents: “My child does X, is this normal?”, “My child has Autism, where should we focus our efforts?”, “My child has anxiety, how do I help them be more calm”.
  
  Child specialists like myself know early detection of emotional/behavioral problems is critical to minimize their harmful impact on the developing child, because as an infant or child develops, so too does their problem…often, into something worse than it was originally. Too often, I see parents who say another doctor said their child would “grow out of” their problem. Often, their child “grows into” a worse problem.
  
  Over 85% of my research, clinical experience, and ongoing consulting work is with children and adolescents. Due to my extensive research, training, and clinical experience with children, adolescents, parents, teachers, therapists, learning specialists, and pediatricians, I conduct especially thorough assessment to give you clear answers about how to help your child the most. I have substantial experience across the spectrum of unique developmental/normal problems, from mild issues like bedwetting, to severe pervasive developmental delays part of conditions such as Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. To read more about what is unique about my assessment style,*click here.
  
  My spectrum of services includes helping you know how to help your gifted child excel the most, linking you to the experts in reading problems, and helping you advocate to the school for your child’s needs.
• Functional assessment of Complex/Highly comorbid conditions
  
  My goal with assessment is to show you and/or your child what Character Strengths they have, and how to use them to minimize the impact of any difficulties. But very often more than one problem is present in a person seeking assessment. And the greater the number and complexity of the issues, the less formal diagnoses sometimes help. Diagnoses to me are the beginning, not the end. A diagnosis simply tells you whether a collection of symptoms are present. Meanwhile, none of us should be happy to simply know whether we qualify for a category, or a “label”. This can be important, but is not the end goal of a thorough assessment.  Rather, people most often want a functional feel for the problem they or their child has, and they want potent recommendations. People come to me to obtain this kind of functional feel. For example, you don’t just want to know if anxiety is a problem, but rather, how that anxiety is uniquely experienced and expressed by the person having difficulty. Read more about my unique approach here.
• Functional Assessment of problems that affect learning and emotions and/or behavior
  
  So often a person’s problems affect both the emotional/behavioral and learning domains of their life. While many psychologists try to assess both psychological and learning problems, I am part of a growing movement where clinical psychologists (who are experts in intervening with emotional/behavioral problems team up with learning specialists (who are experts in the area of learning problems, Learning Disabilities, and how to teach the person a new set of learning skills). I work with recognized experts to give you the best set of recommendations. Read more about my unique approach here.
• Pre-surgical medical assessments
  
  Finding psychologists that have rigorous training and experience with medically-related assessments can be difficult. I have completed over 150 assessments in medical settings, including the nationally renowned Shands Teaching Hospital at the University of Florida. Most recently I conducted these kinds of assessments for St. Joseph’s Hospital. My experience includes, but is not limited to assessing the following kinds of medical patients: cardiac, bariatric, transplant, craniofacial, diabetes, pediatric, immunological and psychiatric patients.

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Intervention

Intervention is a general term for a diverse group of activities which all involve a direct hands-on approach to the problem. The most up to date clinicians use a combination of interventions, including evidence-based techniques One of my specialties is in using a “High IQ” treatment approach.

Examples of effective techniques Dr. Brunner uses include the following:

• Social Skills Training
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Exposure-Response Prevention (ERP)
• Insight-Oriented/Psychodynamic
  Therapy
• Hypnosis
• Stress Reduction Techniques
• Group Therapy
• Family Systems Therapy
• Play Therapy

I also take pride in helping people find other quality professionals when his services are not sufficient.

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Professional and Parent Consultation

A consultant is a “confidential confidant” who helps the requester solve their problem(s) by offering effective advice tailored to the situation.

Child-Adolescent Psychology

As a child/adolescent specialist, I help parents and their sons and daughters translate their dreams/vision into reality. While problems often make all members of the family feel like the "sun is setting", ur work together helps to bring a "dawning awareness" of how these problems can lead to greater insight and family unity. While many practitioners say they work with children. adolescents, and their families, you should look at what kind of specialized training they have had.

Examples of parent consultation Dr. Brunner has provided includes the following:

• How to keep your sanity when taking care of a newborn
• How to help your child’s behavior/emotional control develop in a healthy manner
• Principles of effective parenting
• Principles of effective discipline – how to help your child have Inner Discipline

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Professional Consultation

As an expert in child adolescent psychology, as well an experienced consultant, I regularly help people apply behavioral techniques to enhance their performance. This type of consultation is not about just addressing problems, but helping people tap into their own potential for Excellence.

Parent and Professional Consultation

Psychologists are experts at being "confidants" for parents and professionals who may need advice on how to strategically and maturely handle what are often complex situations. Due to my unique training in developmental psychology, I am a specialist in helping parents and professonals use powerful psychological principles to handle family and business situations in a way that maximizes growth for all of those involved.

Teaching/Training/Supervision/Presentations

As on ongoing consultant to parents and professionals, I am available for teaching/training and presenting to groups.

I am also available to allied mental health professionals who by State law may fulfill training requirements by having their clinical work overseen by a clinical psychologist.

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