Forensic Psychologist-PTSD, Correctional Standards

Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness

Additional Information

I am a forensic psychologist licensed in the states of California and Oregon. I provides forensic consultation, case review, evaluation, and expert witness testimony (defense, prosecution, plaintiff, and court appointed) related to a range of psycholegal issues, including adjudicative competence, criminal responsibility, emotional injury, and correctional healthcare. I am also routinely called upon to provide testimony on the neurobiology of threat, trauma, and psychosis. My work has spanned state and federal jurisdictions in California, Oregon, Colorado, Florida, and Illinois. Before entering independent practice, I provided English- and Spanish-language clinical services in a variety of correctional and forensic settings, where I gained foundational experience in the evaluation of correctional suicide risk; psychopathy; malingering; trial competency; and the complex interplay of co-occurring disorders such as brain injury, psychosis, and PTSD. I am currently an associate professor of psychology at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, California where I teach doctoral-level courses in psychological assessment, psychopathology and diagnosis, forensic psychology, and biological bases of behavior. In addition to teaching and clinical practice, I serve as an expert reviewer for the California Board of Psychology's Enforcement Program, where I assist the California Attorney General's Office and the Board by reviewing case materials and providing expert opinions on psychologist standard of care issues. I also conduct psychosexual and violence risk evaluations for the Oregon Board of Parole to inform their release decisions for designated “dangerous offenders.”