The Forensic Psychologist Podcast

In this episode, we cover a very broad overview of malingering. Talking points include:

-Common myths about malingering

- How is malingering different from factitious and somatic symptom disorder

- When would you assess for malingering (pretty much always, at least informally).

- The different kinds of performance validity and symptom validity measures as well as some stand alones that commonly used in forensic evaluations.

- How one gets referrals for these types and other forensic evals

-Advice to students studying forensic psychology

The episode covers a broad overview of starting a private practice. It moves into a discussion on how Dr. Vienna approached transitioning into a forensic practice. She mentioned and touched on the following:

-Developing a Vision, Mission, and Company Values

-Developing a Business Plan as a crucial first step

-Location considerations

-Renting/Sublet considerations

-Legal structure considerations

-Licenses & Permits to think about

-Private Practice Essentials (Paperwork forms, payment forms, etc.)

- Various system considerations such as charting or electronic medical record keeping

-Choosing a specialty or niche

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Resources in show notes!

In this episode, Dr. Vienna discusses the road to becoming a forensic psychologist. She talks about the importance of knowing what a forensic psychologist and what is forensic psychology. There are many misrepresentations of forensic psychologists in the media and even by practicing psychologists. However, it is important that we do not misrepresent ourselves and maintain integrity in the field. There is need to clarify the distinction of forensic psychology from correctional psychology and even police psychology. The distinctions inform the ethics in the respective fields. Moreover, distinctions help inform psychologists, students, and the general public about the real role of forensic psychologists.

In today's episode, Dr. Vienna overviews mental health diversion evaluations. These were born out of SB 215 and specifically, PC 1001.36. Mental health diversion is a pretrial program in California that diverts individuals from the criminal justice system into mental health treatment, in lieu facing a criminal trial or conviction. This is an alternative created for individuals where mental health played a significant part in their alleged crime.

California Penal Code 1001.36 Mental Health Diversion (PC 1001.36 PC) states that the court may grant pretrial diversion, for a period no longer that 2 years, to a defendant if they meet the following criteria:

1. The individual being charged suffers from a mental health disorder.

2. The mental health disorder must have played a significant role in the crime for which the individual is charged with.

3. A qualified mental health professional must evaluate and conclude that the individual being charged will benefit from seeking mental health treatment.

4. The individual must agree to participate in the mental health diversion program and waive their right to a speedy trial. During the mental health diversion program, the trial process is put on hold until the individual completes the mental health treatment program (attorney discusses this with their client).

5. The individual being charged agrees to comply with all requirements of the mental health treatment program.

6. The court determines that the individual will not pose “an unreasonable risk” to public safety. This will be determined by the judge after reviewing opinions of medical experts, mental health professionals, attorneys involved with the case, medical records and other factors.

Dr. Kafka touches on the following: 

- A review of the report format for Franklin Hearing Evaluations

- How early life vulnerabilities and experiences shape their trajectory

- How she balances life while doing forensic work

- A piece of advice for psychologists looking to get into doing forensic evaluation work

In this episode, Dr. Kafka touches on the following: 

- The explanation of the Franklin case (People v. Tyris Lamar Franklin (2016) 63 Cal. 4th 261.).

- Relevance of Miller factors

- Approach to a Franklin hearing evaluation- a step by step process

The two most common areas that are involved in personal injury litigation are head injuries and PTSD. They come up most often in either car accidents or industrial accidents. The outcome of these cases can help the plaintiffs get compensated and get the treatment they need to get better. A thorough evaluation will help determine the compensation and treatment they need. These evaluations also help identify those that are exaggerating or malingering symptoms for secondary gain.

In this episode, Dr. Gharibian touches on the following:

-The purpose of a personal injury evaluation

-The 5 points in time you are evaluating someone in personal injury evaluation

-The importance of collateral interviews and using multiple data sources

-Establishing causality

-Whether or not it’s important to have a diagnosis.

In this episode, I interview Dr. Sonia Rodriguez on the topic of immigration evaluations. Specifically, we delve into an overview of the hardship waiver process and extreme hardship factors. In addition, Dr. Rodriguez explains her approach to this forensic psychological evaluation and how to gain experience in this specialty area.