Publications

• UNDERSTANDING CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE ACCOMMODATION SYNDROME: THE VIEWS OF DR. CHARLES HELLER, A REBUTTAL WITNESS IN EXPLAINING CONTROVERSIES OF CSAAS AND EDUCATING A JURY.
• Unveiling the Vital Role of Psychologist Expert Witnesses in Battered Women Cases by Dr. Charles H. Heller

PSYCHOLOGIST EXPERT IN BATTERED WOMAN SYNDROME

Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness

Additional Information

I am a licensed Psychologist in both New Jersey and New York, providing clinical and forensic consultation services onsite or on internet platform as a member of Psypact in 42 other jurisdictions nationwide. I can also consult in California and Massachusetts per statute. My Ph.D in Psychology is from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, earned in 1979. My doctoral research entitled Criminal Behavior and Arousal, focused on the causes of criminal behavior, laying the foundation for a career devoted to the clinical and forensic understanding of violence. I have been a treating clinical psychologist, forensic psychologist, and expert witness for over 40 years. My specialties include Battered woman Syndrome, Battered Women Syndrome defense for battered women who have murdered or assaulted the perpetrator of domestic violence. I have also worked with prosecutors in cases related to domestic violence and battered person syndrome, I have assisted in cases of Intimate Partner Violence, Intimate Person Violence and the assessment of emotional damages of intimate partner violence including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), counter-intuitive victim behavior and the effects of gas-lighting and coercion in relationships and false allegations. Over the past four decades, I have conducted thousands of forensic and clinical interviews with men and women involved in violent crimes, analyzing the psychological, social, and situational factors that contributed to their actions. My work bridges rigorous scientific inquiry with clinical application, guided by the Scientist-Practitioner model, to assist courts in understanding the psychological dimensions of criminal behavior. From 2011 to 2021, I served as a staff forensic psychologist at Rutgers University’s Department of Biomedical and Health Services. In this role, I was based at East Jersey State Prison (EJSP) in Rahway, New Jersey, where I provided psychological services to inmates with complex emotional and mental health needs. I am widely recognized as an expert in criminal behavior, domestic and intimate partner violence, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and counterintuitive victim behavior. I have provided expert witness testimony and psychological consultation in civil, criminal, and family courts across multiple jurisdictions. I have worked with hundreds of individuals impacted by intimate partner violence—as well as perpetrators—and have conducted extensive forensic evaluations in correctional, inpatient, and outpatient settings. In addition to serving as a treating clinician for more than 40 years, I have been qualified as an expert witness in numerous courtrooms, including in a Hague Litigation matter in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. I have testified as a forensic psychologist in cases involving intimate partner violence, homicide, attempted homicide, and related crimes across New York and other states. I have provided continuing legal education for attorneys in battered woman syndrome for Legal Aid Attorneys in Brooklyn, NY. My work has also included direct service and leadership roles in community-based domestic violence programs, including as a clinical supervisor for counselors at Volunteer Counseling Services in New City, New York. I also served as court ordered forensic psychologist in the Rockland County family and criminal courts for over twelve years. Director of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (1983-1988). I have offices in New York and New Jersey and can consult nationally on cases. As a clinical forensic psychologist, I'm available on-site or via telehealth for all 42 PSYPACT-approved states or US territories: AL, AZ, AR, CO, CNMI, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, ME, MD, MI, MN, MS, MO, NE, ND, NV, NH, NJ, NC, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY. Member of National Register of the Council of Health Service Providers in Psychology;