Dr. Goodness & Associates
A Clinical & Forensic
Psychology Practice
Criminal Forensic Services
Civil Forensic Services
Litigation / Trial Consultation Services
Lectures, Continuing Education & Seminars
Forensic Psychology Course
Our Forensic Services Division assists defense attorneys, District Attorneys, Courts, insurance agencies and various legal agencies by applying the science of psychology to legal questions through psychological evaluations, forensic case investigation, and/or trial consultation. This focus necessitates frequent interactions with attorneys, court personnel, other experts, civil case plaintiffs, as well as defendants who have been charged with crimes ranging from criminal trespass to capital murder. However, the bulk of our criminal caseload involves murder or heinous offenses.
Our Forensic Services Division provides three main classes of expert services: 1) criminal, 2) civil, and 3) litigation / trial consultation services, which can be provided in either criminal or civil cases. We are also pleased to offer informational and continuing education lectures and workshops on forensic mental health topics to attorney groups, courts, law enforcement agencies and interested groups of all kinds. We invite you to view our other forensic web pages for more information.
In general, forensic evaluations differ from general clinical evaluations because the purpose of the assessment is to answer very specific, and often narrow legal questions, rather than to develop a global picture of an individual’s psychology. Also, in contrast to regular clinical evaluations that are usually aimed at helping the evaluee in some way, forensic evaluations are aimed at objectively informing the legal questions whether or not it ultimately “helps” the evaluee. As such, forensic evaluations are frequently investigative in nature.
The knowledge, skills, and methodology utilized by clinicians in forensic evaluations is often quite different than what is used by clinicians in general evaluations. For example, forensic evaluators frequently conduct interviews with an array of collateral informants rather than relying only on interviews with the evaluee as is typical in a general evaluation. Another example is that forensic clinicians routinely assess for potential malingering, which is the “faking” or exaggerating of symptoms in order to achieve a more positive legal outcome. Malingering is far less of a concern in general evaluations.
While performing diagnostic assessments is frequently a part of our forensic work, our services are not limited to ascertaining an individual’s diagnosis or even limited to assessing individuals. Our forensic services include treatment, consultation, records and case review, and trial preparation.
We do not accept forensic cases directly from parties to a legal matter. All case inquiries must be initiated by an attorney, Court, or other appropriate agency.
