TBI Social Consequences Expert – Ph.D., LCSW

Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness

Additional Information

Dr. Stephanie Chassman is a Ph.D.-level Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and one of the few expert witnesses whose published research specifically focuses on the social consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury — including its effects on employment, housing stability, intimate relationships, social identity, and community functioning. With over 12 years of clinical and research experience and a three-manuscript doctoral dissertation on TBI and homelessness, Dr. Chassman bridges the gap that neurologists and neuropsychologists cannot fill: she explains not just what happened to a person's brain, but what happened to their life. Her peer-reviewed publications document how TBI disrupts social integration, substance use patterns, housing, and access to resources — exactly the downstream harms that drive damages in personal injury, workers' compensation, criminal defense, and employment matters. Dr. Chassman holds a Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Denver and an MSW from the University of Southern California. She has authored or co-authored 14 peer-reviewed publications and presented her TBI research at the 14th World Congress on Brain Injury in Dublin, Ireland. She currently provides clinical supervision, individual therapy, and adjunct university instruction, maintaining active clinical grounding that directly informs her expert opinions. Dr. Chassman is available for record review, written expert reports, consultation, deposition, and trial testimony. She accepts both plaintiff and defense matters and is available for engagements throughout California. Areas of expert opinion: Social and psychosocial consequences of TBI · Employment and occupational impact · Relationship and family functioning after brain injury · Housing instability and homelessness · Substance use and co-occurring conditions · Standard of care in behavioral health · Risk assessment and clinical decision-making · Emotional distress and psychological damages · Causation and prognosis