Forensic Evaluations

Forensic Evaluations

Dr. Simon is also a Forensic psychologist. In this role he often will perform testing assessments for litigants in the court system. He provides therapy to high conflict divorce cases and offers reunification therapy.

Forensic Testing

is the application of psychological and/or neuropsychological testing towards providing information about a person that often is related or connected to some type of legal issue, work related problem, disability dispute, etc. Typically, a third party such as an attorney, judge/court, or employer is requesting the evaluation. Examples of the application of this can be found in the following:

1

Workers' Compensation:

When a worker is injured on the job, the employer is required to pay for the worker’s treatment and provide compensation for any permanent injury. Psychological assessment can be used to make determinations about emotional, mental, and psychiatric injury.
2

Disability:

Insurance companies and Social Security provide payments to people who are too disabled to work. Psychological testing can provide an objective index of the presence and degree of psychological disability. It can also be used to prove the legitimacy of a claim, or to demonstrate that the claimant is malingering.

3

Personal Injury:

When an injury occurs outside of the workplace, such as injury due to a defective product or an auto accident, a legal action may be filed to determine liability for the injury and to collect damages. A psychologist may provide assessment of emotional damage. Brain damage may also be assessed through the use of neuropsychological tests.
4

Criminal Law:

Psychologists are used to evaluate criminal defendants in order to determine their competency to stand trial and to determine sanity as it relates to criminal responsibility.

5

Child Custody:

When a married couple with children divorces, custody arrangements and determinations must be made. Often the couple is able to work out an agreement themselves. Sometimes they are able to do so with the additional help of mediation. However, when the couple is unable to agree, an expert, usually a psychologist is called in to thoroughly evaluate the situation and to make recommendations to the court about custody. This evaluation looks at the capabilities of the parents and the needs of the children, and an arrangement is recommended which, ideally, makes the best use of each parent’s strengths and is guided by the best interests of the child/children.
6

Independent Medical Examinations:

IME’s are utilized by entities such as insurance companies when questions arise about a client’s psychiatric symptoms. These evaluations serve to provide an objective third-party neutral opinion of a person’s emotional and psychiatric symptoms or diagnosis.
7

Social Investigations:

These evaluations often involve extensive testing, interviewing, and speaking to collateral sources. They are almost always court ordered and are commonly ordered when parties in a legal dispute, such as divorce, cannot agree or come to terms about various facets of their situation. Dr. Simon performs these comprehensive investigations in coordination with the current court standard of the “best interest of the child(ren)” in an ethical and objective manner.

8

Substance Abuse Evaluations

A substance abuse evaluation is a method that is used to identify the extent of someone’s use, misuse, and abuse of drugs or alcohol. It can also help in determining how best to treat the individual for his or her substance abuse or addiction. Assessments are often used by employers, attorneys, families, and trusts when substance abuse is suspected. Sometimes, an assessment is needed as the result of legal issues (like a drug or alcohol related arrest or conviction), while other times, it may be used because concerned family and friends want their loved one to seek help for substance abuse problems. Whichever it is, a drug or alcohol assessment can be a vital first step toward recovery.

Neuropsychological tests

Neuropsychological tests attempt to measure deficits in cognitive functioning (i.e., your ability to think, speak, reason, etc.) that may result from some sort of brain damage, such as a stroke. Psychological TestingNeuropsychological tests are used to examine brain function and impairment. The Luria-Nebraska and Halstead-Reitan test batteries are amongst the best known and more commonly used neuropsychological measures. Psychological testsBy using such measures, neuropsychologists can detect and localize organic brain impairment and develop rehabilitation programs for cognitively impaired individuals. A neuropsychologic evaluation is more sensitive to the functional manifestations of brain impairment than neurological tests such as an MRI or CAT scan.

Career/Occupational Tests

Career testsCareer/ Occupational tests attempt to match your interests with the interests of persons in known careers. The logic here is that if the things that interest you in life match up with, for example, the things that interest most school teachers, then you might make a good school

Other Reasons For Testing:

In order to determine what types of tests will be administered as a part of your battery, a comprehensive interview must take place first. Clients will meet directly with Dr. Simon to discuss the specific tests that will used in a given battery.