Forensic Psychology Services
Expert Testimony
Expert Testimony
Expert testimony is available on a number of mental health conditions including but not limited to: PTSD; psychotic disorders; violence risk; sexual violence risk.
Crisis Intervention Trainer (CIT) for Law Enforcement
Crisis Intervention Trainer (CIT) for Law Enforcement
Crisis Intervention Team trainer for law enforcement that aims to help guide interactions between persons with mental illness and police officers.
Specialized Assessments
EMDR
EDMR
EMDR is a structured therapy that encourages the patient to focus briefly on the trauma memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the trauma memories. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and PTSD symptoms. It can also be used to treat depression, anxiety, abuse and grief and loss.
Pre-Trial/Pre-Sentencing Evaluations
Pre-Trial/Pre-Sentencing:
Psychological evaluations performed in the pre-trial and pre-sentencing phase can provide opinions as to risk level, provide information on mitigating or aggravating factors, provide treatment recommendations and include forensic evaluations such as competency evaluations and sanity.
Competency To Stand Trial (Fitness evaluations)
Competency To Stand Trial (Fitness evaluations)
Fitness to Stand Trial evaluations assesses a defendant’s current ability to adequately understand the nature and purpose of the legal proceedings against them, their capacity to take on the role of the defendant, as well as their ability to assist their attorney in preparing a defense. It is an assessment of current mental state.
Other competency evaluations can include: Fitness to Proceed Pro Se; Fitness to Plea; Fitness to be Sentenced.
Sexually Violent Predator
Sexually Violent Predator
Evaluations on sexually violent predators are provided on individuals convicted of a sexually violent offense and who may or may not be civilly committed after completion of their sentence due to continued risk to the community because of their mental impairment or high risk level. The opinion offered is whether continued confinement is recommended.
Sexual Offender Assessment
Sex Offender Assessment
Sex Offender Assessments in Illinois require that the evaluator have a Sex Offender Evaluator license. These evaluations opine as to risk of sexual recidivism and identify these risk factors as well as provide treatment recommendations to reduce the risk of reoffending. A thorough test of psychological functioning, psychosexual history and identifying any sexually deviant behaviors are provided. Actuarial measures are used to identify both risk and protective factors.
Violence Risk Assessment
Violence Risk Assessment
Violence risk assessments are evidence-based procedures that identify historical and current risk factors as well as protective factors. Opinions as to risk can include risk for impulsive and situational violence as well as planned and predatory violence. Violence risk assessments are used in a variety of situations in criminal cases including pre-trial proceedings, mitigation, sentencing, and determining suitability for parole and probation and can be performed on individuals charged with domestic violence, battery and assaults as well as violations of Orders of Protection.
School Violence Threat Assessments
School Violence Threat Assessments
There is no one profile of a “school shooter.” Instead, every act or threat of mass violence needs to be evaluated individually as to motive, level of threat and factors to mitigate the threat. This evaluation is a specialized assessment focused on determining the level of threat using factors that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Behavioral Analysis Unit-National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime has identified as most salient to determine risk. This assessment identifies both risk factors and protective factors by evaluating the individual’s psychological factors, family dynamics, school dynamics and social factors. An opinion regarding threat level and threat intervention strategies are provided.
Risk of General Criminal Recidivism
Risk of General Criminal Recidivism
Domestic Violence Offender Assessments
Domestic Violence
A specialized evaluation assessing for risk of future violence and identifying treatment that can potentially reduce risk.
Law Enforcement Fitness for Duty Evaluations
Law Enforcement Fitness for Duty Evaluations
A psychological Fitness for Duty Evaluation (FFDE) is a specialized assessment in response to complaints of an officer’s reported inability to perform official duties safely because of impaired behavior. The evaluation will determine whether there is a mental condition impairing the officer, such as alcoholism, drug abuse, behavior control problems, or mental illness and will incorporate the following: psychiatric diagnosis, if any; performance limitations in areas essential to the job of public safety officer; expected change; necessary interventions; and conclusion as to the police officer's fitness to perform assigned duties.
Juvenile Transfer to Adult Court Assessments
Juvenile Transfers to Adult Court
Pursuant to 750ILCS 405/5-805 a State’s Attorney can submit a motion to the Court petitioning that the minor be tried as an adult and transferred out of juvenile court. This assessment offers an opinion whether the juvenile can be rehabilitated with the resources available to juvenile court or whether they would need detention or supervision beyond their minority.
Law Enforcement Pre-employment Screenings
Pre-employment Screenings for law enforcement
Prospective police officers typically need to undergo a psychological pre-employment evaluation to determine whether they have any emotional or mental conditions that might adversely affect the performance of safety-based duties and responsibilities and whether they can withstand the psychological demands inherent in the position. Personality traits, cognitive ability, and specific traits such as propensity for excessive use of force, judgment, stress resiliency, and impulse control is included.
Miranda Warning Assessments
Miranda Warning Assessments
A Miranda Warning is the statement of rights a law enforcement officer reads to the individual at the time of arrest. This assessment assesses a defendant’s vocabulary, comprehension, reasoning skills, knowledge and beliefs about their understanding to waive their Miranda rights. This assessment is often used when the defendant’s intellectual abilities are limited and there is a question whether they had a capacity to understand and waive these rights at the time of the arrest.
FOID Re-instatement Evaluations
FOID Reinstatement
If your application for a Firearm Owner's Identification Card (FOID) has been denied, or if your FOID Card has been revoked, you may appeal the denial or revocation and request a reinstatement of your FOID Card.
Sanity Assessment
Sanity Assessment
Sanity evaluations assess for criminal responsibility related to a defendant’s mental state at the time of the alleged offense. An Insanity Defense is an affirmative defense whereby the defendant acknowledges having engaged in the offense but argues lack of responsibility due to mental disease or defect.