Dr. Sharon Murphy, Licensed Clinical Psychologist & Pediatric Neuropsychologist

Dr. Sharon Murphy is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Pediatric Neuropsychologist with more than 30 years of experience helping children, adolescents, and families. She specializes in comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations that identify each child’s unique strengths, challenges, and learning needs.

As a pediatric neuropsychologist, Dr. Murphy has extensive expertise in understanding how brain development influences learning, behavior, emotions, and psychological functioning from infancy through young adulthood. Additionally, she evaluates children experiencing difficulties with attention, concentration, memory, executive functioning, organization, learning, anxiety, depression, and other emotional or developmental concerns.

Neuropsychological Evaluations for Children and Adolescents

Dr. Murphy provides in-depth neuropsychological assessments for children with complex developmental, medical, or learning concerns. These evaluations help families better understand the underlying causes of academic, behavioral, and emotional challenges while providing practical recommendations for home, school, and treatment planning.

She has particular expertise working with children whose difficulties may be related to:

• ADHD and attention difficulties
• Learning disabilities
• Executive functioning challenges
• Memory and processing problems
• Anxiety and depression
• Developmental disorders
• Medical conditions affecting learning
• Perinatal and developmental risk factors
• Medication-related cognitive effects

Specialized Training and Clinical Expertise

Dr. Sharon Murphy earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Neuropsychology from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. She completed postdoctoral fellowships in Pediatric Neuropsychology at the University of Chicago Medical Center and in Developmental Psychology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. In addition, she earned a postdoctoral Master of Science degree in Clinical Psychopharmacology. As a result, this advanced degree enhances her ability to understand the complex effects of medications, neurological conditions, processing differences, and psychiatric disorders when conducting diagnostic evaluations and developing individualized treatment recommendations.

Throughout her career, Dr. Murphy has developed expertise in:

• Pediatric neuropsychology
• Child development
• Special education
• Medical and developmental disorders
• Brain development
• Behavioral health
• Psychopharmacology

Research and Publications

Dr. Murphy has published research studies in the areas of neuropsychological assessment, brain development, and the effects of prenatal drug and alcohol use. Additionally, she co-authored a book chapter on the neuropsychological correlates of childhood epilepsy.

Clinical Leadership at Plum Tree

At Plum Tree, Dr. Murphy primarily conducts comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations for children whose learning, developmental, or behavioral concerns are especially complex or difficult to diagnose. These assessments often provide the missing pieces that help families and treatment teams better understand a child’s needs.

As one of Plum Tree’s clinical specialists, she also consults with therapists on some of the practice’s most challenging cases. Furthermore, her expertise strengthens treatment planning across the entire clinical team and helps ensure children receive the most effective, evidence-based care.

Dr. Murphy is passionate about supporting children and families by identifying processing difficulties, developmental concerns, medical factors, trauma, perinatal risks, and other conditions that may impact learning, emotional well-being, and healthy development. Ultimately, her goal is to build on each child’s strengths while providing a clear path toward growth, resilience, and success.

Throughout her career, she has worked across the fields of special education, medical issues and medication, and neuropsychology. Today, her work at Plum Tree is primarily focused on administering comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations. Through these evaluations, she helps children whose developmental or learning issues are complex, subtle, or may not have been fully understood previously.

Dr. Murphy is a clinical specialist at Plum Tree. In this role, she consults with our staff on some of the most complicated and challenging cases. Because of this collaboration, she helps strengthen the care we provide to every child and family.

She loves supporting the work that Plum Tree therapists do by evaluating children with issues that may be related to processing difficulties, medical or health problems, developmental trauma, perinatal risk factors, and medication effects.