Forensic Mental Health Evaluators' Unprocessed Emotions as an Often-Overlooked Form of Bias.

There has been robust interest in the influence of cognitive and implicit biases that can hamper a forensic mental health evaluator's ability to provide objective opinion evidence. By contrast, literature exploring the biasing effects of the examiner's unacknowledged and unprocessed emotions has been scanty. Borrowing from concepts originating from psychodynamic treatment literature, this article explores how a forensic mental health evaluator's emotional and transferential reactions can affect the assessment process and formulation of findings.

Collateral Consequences for Third-Party Interviewees in Forensic Contexts.

Collateral interviews can be an integral source of third-party information used in a range of forensic mental health assessments. Although family members and spouses often have the most knowledge about the evaluee, research suggests that they may also experience distress related to the legal proceedings. This article discusses the nature and purpose of collateral interviewing with close collateral contacts, comparing collateral interviews with direct interviews with evaluees.

Trauma-Focused Mitigation Testimony in Capital Sentencing Hearings.

When capital trials of convicted defendants reach the sentencing phase, forensic mental health experts often testify as part of mitigation evidence. Three aspects of such testimony hold particular promise. First, developmental traumas in the lives of the defendants are especially well conceptualized in terms of complex posttraumatic stress disorder, as described in the ICD-11.

Remote Forensic Psychological Assessment in Civil Cases: Considerations for Experts Assessing Harms from Early Life Abuse.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore the question of whether psycho-legal assessments can be executed remotely in a manner that adheres to the rigorous standards applied during in-person assessments. General guidelines have evolved, but to date, there are no explicit directives about whether and how to proceed. This paper reviews professional, ethical, and legal challenges that experts should consider before conducting such an evaluation remotely.

The Relationship Between ACEs, Trauma-Related Psychopathology and Resilience in Vulnerable Youth: Implications for Screening and Treatment.

This study examined the impact of ACEs in vulnerable adolescents and assessed whether resilience would have a moderating impact on psychological functioning. Participants included 40 youth, aged 12-17 identified as having experienced family violence and who were referred for treatment at the San Diego Center for Counseling (SD-CC). The relationship between ACEs, trauma-related symptomology, and psychological functioning was examined using results from the Child Posttraumatic Stress Scale (CPSS) and the Personality Assessment Inventory for Adolescents (PAI-A).

Female domestic violence offenders: their attachment security, trauma symptoms, and personality organization.

Unlike male domestic violence offenders, female domestic violence offenders have traditionally been overlooked in research and theory, despite the fact that females also have high rates of domestic violence perpetration. Towards the aim of extending extant research on male and female pepetrators of domestic violence, we examined attachment style, trauma symptoms, and personality organization in 33 female offenders receiving mandated treatment for domestic violence. These offenders were compared to 32 nonoffending women receiving psychological treatment.