“Forensic” essentially means anything to do with the law or legal matters. It does not refer only to investigations, regardless of what you’ll see on your TV or at the movies. A forensic psychological assessment is very different from a clinical or other psychological assessment. Clinical assessments are undertaken to identify psychological problems and their probable causes, and to plan and monitor progress in therapy. Forensic assessments are undertaken to answer psycholegal questions, to assist courts, other tribunals, or organisations in their decision‐making. These quite different aims are reflected in the use of different assessment methods and procedures.
If your situation involves legal issues, you probably need the services of a forensic psychologist.
Discuss this with your lawyer. Or discuss it with us. Dr Morris is a Fellow of the APS College of Forensic Psychologists and is endorsed by the Psychology Board of Australia to practise Forensic Psychology. She provides a range of services in the field of Forensic Psychology, in accordance with the rules for expert witnesses when appropriate, including:
- Pre-trial assessments and reports, especially in criminal matters.
- Family Court assessments and reports, including our recommendations, when requested.
- Assessment of psychological status or damages, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, usually in cases involving claims of damages
- Assessment of competencies, typically for a particular task, such as understanding the meaning of a document a person has signed
- Assessment of the risk of future offending by an individual alleged or proved to have committed criminal or otherwise unacceptable behaviour
- Assessment of an individual’s suitability for psychological treatment when their alleged or proven misbehaviour is held to have been the result of psychological problems
- Assessment of child witnesses and the reliability of their testimony
- Presentation of reports to courts or to other tribunals as expert witnesses