About ClearStep
Meet Christine Wolfe, Psy.D., L.P.
formerly Dr. Mathiowetz
Dr. Christine Wolfe is a licensed psychologist and pediatric neuropsychologist who provides comprehensive neuropsychological and psychological evaluations for children, adolescents, and young adults.
She believes an evaluation should do more than identify a diagnosis. It should help families understand how a child thinks, learns, remembers, manages emotions, solves problems, and interacts with the world around them. Her goal is to identify both strengths and areas of difficulty and then translate those findings into practical recommendations that families, schools, physicians, therapists, and other professionals can use.
Prior to entering private practice, Dr. Wolfe practiced at Children’s Minnesota for seven years, where she conducted outpatient neuropsychological evaluations. During her tenure, she helped develop and implement the hospital’s Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) Neurodevelopmental Follow-Up Program and provided specialty care within the multidisciplinary NICU follow-up program.
The Training Behind the Title
In Minnesota, any licensed psychologist may call themselves a neuropsychologist. Dr. Wolfe completed the full specialty training — a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology that meets the Houston Conference Guidelines, the national training standard.
Dr. Wolfe earned her Doctor of Psychology degree in Clinical Psychology from the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology. She completed an APA-accredited doctoral internship at Penn State Hershey Medical Center and then completed a two-year fellowship in pediatric neuropsychology through the Department of Neurology at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics.
Throughout her career, she has evaluated children and young adults with a broad range of developmental, neurological, medical, learning, attention, behavioral, and emotional concerns. Her professional experience includes work in outpatient clinics, children’s hospitals, specialty medical clinics, and multidisciplinary settings.
Areas of Clinical Expertise
Dr. Wolfe has extensive experience evaluating patients in inpatient, outpatient, and multidisciplinary clinic settings. She has specialized interest and training in congenital heart disease and traumatic birth/NICU graduate populations. Her clinical practice focuses on assessing the cognitive sequelae of a wide range of medical, neurological, and genetic conditions, including:
- Cardiology & Neonatology: Congenital heart disease (including cardiac conditions associated with hypoxic events), premature birth, and significant perinatal/NICU complications.
- Neurological & Neurosurgical Conditions: Epilepsy and seizure disorders, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and concussion, hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, brain tumors, history of neurosurgery, stroke, and cerebrovascular disorders.
- Oncology: Cancer and the late effects of chemotherapy or radiation.
- Common Chromosomal & Genetic Syndromes: Down syndrome (Trisomy 21), Turner syndrome, 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (DiGeorge), and Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1).
- Rare Neurodevelopmental & Congenital Disorders: Noonan, Williams, and Cornelia de Lange syndromes, as well as VACTERL association.
- Monogenic & Inherited Metabolic Conditions: Cystic Fibrosis (CF), Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), Hemophilia, and Wilson’s disease.
- Infectious & Autoimmune Conditions: Central nervous system infections (meningitis, encephalitis), autoimmune, or demyelinating disorders (e.g., multiple sclerosis).
- Environmental & Chronic Medical Factors: Prenatal exposure to toxic substances, lead poisoning, and chronic conditions affecting the brain (e.g., diabetes, sickle cell disease, lupus).
Dr. Wolfe’s clinical approach is collaborative, compassionate, and evidence-based. Recognizing that a successful evaluation begins before the clinical interview, she prioritizes preparing families and patients of all ages so they know exactly what to expect on testing day. She places particular importance on demystifying the evaluation process and translating complex neuropsychological data into clear, actionable insights. Families leave her evaluations knowing not only what the findings mean, but with a practical, step-by-step roadmap of what to do next.
To ensure the highest standard of clinical care and validity of results, Dr. Wolfe conducts every evaluation herself—from the initial intake and direct testing to the feedback session and final report. No aspect of her patients’ care is handed off to a trainee or a technician.
Clinical Services
When to Seek an Evaluation
A neuropsychological or psychological evaluation is highly beneficial when a child, adolescent, or young adult presents with unexplained cognitive, behavioral, or academic changes.
Cognitive & Academic Concerns
- ›Difficulties with attention, concentration, or impulse control (e.g., suspected ADHD)
- ›Learning problems, unexplained academic underachievement, or a decline in school performance
- ›Challenges with memory, organization, time management, or executive functioning
- ›Difficulty understanding or using language (receptive or expressive)
- ›Concerns about developmental delays, uneven development, or loss of previously acquired skills
- ›Difficulty following multi-step directions or completing tasks independently
Behavioral, Social, & Emotional Concerns
- ›Behavioral changes, such as increased irritability, aggression, or withdrawal
- ›Emotional regulation difficulties (e.g., anxiety, depression, mood swings)
- ›Social difficulties, including trouble making or keeping friends
- ›Unexplained changes in behavior, mood, or personality
- ›Poor response to previous academic or behavioral interventions, or an unclear diagnostic picture
- ›Concerns regarding autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or other neurodevelopmental conditions
My Philosophy
Every Child Is More Than a Diagnosis
Every child and adolescent deserves to be understood as a whole person—not simply as a collection of symptoms or labels. An evaluation should identify strengths as thoughtfully as it identifies difficulties.
Look at the Whole Child
Cognitive abilities, learning, memory, attention, executive functioning, emotional regulation, behavior, medical history, development, family context, and school functioning can all be important pieces of the same picture.
Make Complex Information Understandable
Testing is useful only when the results can be understood and applied. Reports and feedback should be clear, accessible, and meaningful to families, educators, physicians, therapists, and other members of the care team.
Provide a Path Forward
Assessment should not end with diagnosis. The purpose is to translate findings into individualized recommendations, strategies, supports, interventions, and accommodations that help the child move forward.
Background
Education & Advanced Training
Pediatric Neuropsychology Fellowship
University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics, Department of Neurology. Specialty training aligned with the Houston Conference on Specialty Education and Training in Clinical Neuropsychology guidelines.
Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Clinical Psychology
Minnesota School of Professional Psychology
APA-Accredited Doctoral Internship
Penn State Hershey Medical Center
Master of Arts, Marriage and Family Therapy
Minnesota School of Professional Psychology
Bachelor of Arts, Psychology
University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
Selected Professional Experience
- Pediatric neuropsychologist in a major children’s hospital setting
- General outpatient pediatric neuropsychological assessment
- Brief neuropsychological assessment in NICU follow-up
- Development of a congenital heart disease neurodevelopmental follow-up program
- Multidisciplinary specialty-clinic collaboration
- Supervision and didactic training of interns and postdoctoral fellows
- Professional presentations, research, publications, committee work, and clinical leadership
Professional Affiliations
- Minnesota Psychological Association (MPA)
- International Neuropsychological Society (INS)
- National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN)
- American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN)
- American Psychological Association (APA)
At ClearStep, the goal is greater understanding, clearer direction, and a practical path forward.