Dr. Hughes grew up as a military dependent, living all over the United States and the world, primarily in Saudi Arabia. Family ties brought her to South Dakota in 2008. She earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology in Chicago in 1996 and her post-doctoral specialization in Neuropsychology in California in 2015. Dr. Hughes’ practice includes neuropsychological evaluations for patients aged 7 and older, as well as pre-surgical psychological evaluations for patients considering bariatric, spinal cord stimulator placement, and organ transplant surgery.
Dr. Hughes uses a collaborative approach to her evaluations with patients and their families and offers the opportunity to meet about the results and recommendations arising from her reports. She believes evaluations are most useful when the patient and family understand how a disorder or injury affects the patient’s future, and she always ensures the patient and family’s questions are fully answered. Dr. Hughes enjoys outdoor activities including hiking, swimming and kayaking with her family. She is the co-organizer of the only open water swim race in the Black Hills, Pure Pactola.