What can a forensic psychologist do for an attorney client?
Evaluating, Testifying, Consulting, Treating, Expert Witness ~
Psychological Evaluations for Civil, Criminal, Immigration Cases and Defense or Prosecuting Attorneys
Psychological Evaluations for Civil, Criminal, Immigration Cases and Defense or Prosecuting Attorneys
Diagnostic Evaluations ~ Fitness to Serve Assessments
Forensic Education for Psychotherapists Called to Court
Copyright 2011-2014 Baljit Atwal PhD
All Rights Reserved
Forensic Education for Psychotherapists Called to Court
Copyright 2011-2014 Baljit Atwal PhD
All Rights Reserved
Placer Psychology
Providing Psychological Testing, Forensic
and Consultation Services
for Rocklin | Roseville | Loomis | Sacramento
and Consultation Services
for Rocklin | Roseville | Loomis | Sacramento
I speak fluent Punjabi and can interview Indian Punjabi clients in their native tongue
Baljit Atwal, PhD
Clinical & Forensic Psychologist
916 - 672 - 2201
Clinical & Forensic Psychologist
916 - 672 - 2201
As an Evaluating / Testifying Expert
As a forensic evaluator I provide a clear, objective, assessment of your client's psychological functioning and implications for their legal situation. I will evaluate your client and provide a verbal report of my findings to your office. After the verbal report, I will complete a written psychological report if desired. I will also complete a comprehensive review of the facts, history, and interview of the client, and compared these to victim and witness statements.
I can assess your clients:
As a forensic evaluator I provide a clear, objective, assessment of your client's psychological functioning and implications for their legal situation. I will evaluate your client and provide a verbal report of my findings to your office. After the verbal report, I will complete a written psychological report if desired. I will also complete a comprehensive review of the facts, history, and interview of the client, and compared these to victim and witness statements.
I can assess your clients:
- mental capacity to reason and deliberate
- general psychological and intellectual functioning
- psychological diagnosis and treatment needs
- ability to appreciate their circumstances
- level of comprehension
- ability to rationally communicate their choices
- ability to form specific intent
- level of psychological disability or impairment
As a Treating Expert
I can enter into a therapeutic relationship with your client, and conduct psychological treatment. If necessary, I can provide expert testimony to the court regarding your client’s treatment progress and future treatment needs. Since I have extensive testifying experience, I will be able to effectively communicate my treatment findings to the court.
The standard of care in clinical practice includes gathering a thorough history, reviewing documents, obtaining collateral information, maintaining treatment records, and augmenting these with an extensive battery of psychological tests. With forensic cases, I am always aware of the psycho-legal aspects and sensitive to the implications for trial. With proper client releases of information, I will keep you (attorney) apprised of treatment progress on a timely basis.
Psychological testimony from me as your clients' treating expert provides an evaluation of their:
I can enter into a therapeutic relationship with your client, and conduct psychological treatment. If necessary, I can provide expert testimony to the court regarding your client’s treatment progress and future treatment needs. Since I have extensive testifying experience, I will be able to effectively communicate my treatment findings to the court.
The standard of care in clinical practice includes gathering a thorough history, reviewing documents, obtaining collateral information, maintaining treatment records, and augmenting these with an extensive battery of psychological tests. With forensic cases, I am always aware of the psycho-legal aspects and sensitive to the implications for trial. With proper client releases of information, I will keep you (attorney) apprised of treatment progress on a timely basis.
Psychological testimony from me as your clients' treating expert provides an evaluation of their:
- mental health status
- substance abuse problems at the time of legal infraction
- need for continued psychiatric or therapeutic treatment
- risk factors to the community
- future treatment needs
- intellectual or psychological impairments
- disability
As A Consulting Expert Psychologist
As a consulting forensic expert, I join your legal team. My job is to help you build the strongest case for your client.
As a consultant, I can:
• advise about relevant psychological research
• summarize research on false allegations, memory, child sexual
abuse accommodation syndrome, false confessions, inaccuracies of eye witness testimony
• provide guidance regarding standards of care
• develop questions for opposing experts
• recommend specific treating / evaluating experts to hire
• consult on effective direct /cross examination on mental health
issues
• help you understand psychological tests and the findings
• review reports prepared by other mental health professionals
In this capacity, I will NOT function as a testifying expert. I will become an advocate for your client and thus unable to provide court testimony.
As a consulting forensic expert, I join your legal team. My job is to help you build the strongest case for your client.
As a consultant, I can:
• advise about relevant psychological research
• summarize research on false allegations, memory, child sexual
abuse accommodation syndrome, false confessions, inaccuracies of eye witness testimony
• provide guidance regarding standards of care
• develop questions for opposing experts
• recommend specific treating / evaluating experts to hire
• consult on effective direct /cross examination on mental health
issues
• help you understand psychological tests and the findings
• review reports prepared by other mental health professionals
In this capacity, I will NOT function as a testifying expert. I will become an advocate for your client and thus unable to provide court testimony.
Need more information? Want more detail about your specific consultation needs? Want an introduction to forensic psychology training for your firm? I can be contacted by email.
I value your privacy -- your email will never be rented, sold, shared or bartered
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Help for your own stress & burn-out
Sometimes Lawyers Need Psychotherapy Too
The legal field is a high stress profession. You've got constant demands on your time and patience. Living and functioning in an adversarial, combative legal context on a day to day basis is hard. It may be difficult to switch from an adversarial approach to a cooperative approach with your friends and families.
Do friends or lovers ever say, Don’t interrogate me? I’m not your
client. If so, then your work style may be interfering with your ability to have a satisfying, non-adversarial relationship with loved ones. I can help.
Every day at work, you're navigating complex issues, difficult personalities, combative clients who don't understand the nuances of your legal approach, adversarial opposing attorneys, overwhelming case-loads, intense pressure to prevail and help your client, over-worked judges, unpredictable delays, and other challenges. It takes a toll on your relationships. Your mental and physical health suffers. Your thinking becomes cloudy. You can’t sleep
and enjoy life.
As a clinical psychologist, I can help you understand, overcome, or heal from:
The legal field is a high stress profession. You've got constant demands on your time and patience. Living and functioning in an adversarial, combative legal context on a day to day basis is hard. It may be difficult to switch from an adversarial approach to a cooperative approach with your friends and families.
Do friends or lovers ever say, Don’t interrogate me? I’m not your
client. If so, then your work style may be interfering with your ability to have a satisfying, non-adversarial relationship with loved ones. I can help.
Every day at work, you're navigating complex issues, difficult personalities, combative clients who don't understand the nuances of your legal approach, adversarial opposing attorneys, overwhelming case-loads, intense pressure to prevail and help your client, over-worked judges, unpredictable delays, and other challenges. It takes a toll on your relationships. Your mental and physical health suffers. Your thinking becomes cloudy. You can’t sleep
and enjoy life.
As a clinical psychologist, I can help you understand, overcome, or heal from:
- professional burnout
- generalized anxiety and insomnia
- periodic bouts of depression or grief
- relationship conflicts
- stress-related disorders
- mind-body management of chronic health problems
Discreet, confidential
short term,
highly effective
psychotherapy is available
especially for attorneys
when your thoughts
are muddled
or your emotions
are making it hard
to provide
optimal legal counsel
short term,
highly effective
psychotherapy is available
especially for attorneys
when your thoughts
are muddled
or your emotions
are making it hard
to provide
optimal legal counsel
Call Baljit Atwal, PhD now
916 - 672 - 2201
I have a unique understanding of
the pressures you're under
916 - 672 - 2201
I have a unique understanding of
the pressures you're under
Forensic vs Clinical Psychology
In my role as a forensic psychologist, I can function as an objective forensic evaluator, treating expert, or consulting psychological expert. I can help you and/or your clients in cases litigated in following courts:
In my role as a clinical psychologist, I can provide treatment and coaching to help your clients, colleagues, friends, family or yourself navigate emotionally distressing and mentally challenging times.
In my role as a forensic psychologist, I can function as an objective forensic evaluator, treating expert, or consulting psychological expert. I can help you and/or your clients in cases litigated in following courts:
- Civil
- Criminal
- Immigration
- Administrative
- Family
In my role as a clinical psychologist, I can provide treatment and coaching to help your clients, colleagues, friends, family or yourself navigate emotionally distressing and mentally challenging times.
As a fluent Punjabi speaker, I can also provide forensic and clinical services to Indian Punjabi clients in their native tongue.
Further details about my clinical services for YOU below, and read more here.
Further details about my clinical services for YOU below, and read more here.
