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:
Workers' Compensation:
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.
Personal Injury:
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.
Child Custody:
Independent Medical Examinations:
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.
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. Neuropsychological 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.
By 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/ 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:
- Career/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
- Intelligence testing for admission to gifted programs in school.
- Intelligence testing for personal interest or admission to high IQ societies, such as MENSA.
- Vocational assessment, to fit your abilities, personality, and interests with an appropriate career path.
- Testing to diagnose mental retardation or delayed development.
- Testing to help with disability determination.
- Testing for learning disability and recommendation for appropriate accommodations in work, testing (including ETS, GED, or professional licensing examinations), or school situations.
- Pre-surgical assessment including assessing candidacy for bariatric and cosmetic procedures.
- Increase a couple's understanding of each other and communication styles.
- Self-insight into one’s emotions and personality