Typically, the court or the attorney is considered the “client” in such evaluations. Establishing who the client is offers certain protections in a forensic assessment.

Although background records are important in clinical evaluations, they can be crucial in a forensic context.

The end result of a forensic evaluation can be quite different than a clinical one. The results might or might not be intended to directly benefit the person being evaluated. There are specific questions being asked by the court or the attorney that can be very different from the questions being asked in a clinical context.

An evaluation becomes forensic when legal proceedings are

involved. Although the framework for a forensic evaluation is similar to the clinical evaluation, there are many important differences.

It is important to note that clinical and forensic evaluations are separate entities. One cannot simply switch a clinical evaluation over to a forensic one. This is why it is important to establish the nature of each evaluation up front.

typically scheduled by a third party, such as an insurance company or their intermediary. These evaluations are designed to assess reported psychological and neuropsychological symptoms and how those symptoms impact functioning, typically in a work setting.

These are different than clinical evaluations in that the results of the evaluation are provided to the referral source and the

Forensic evaluations and IMEs are not covered by insurance. Payment is typically arranged through the client, usually in the form of a retainer.

Please contact the office for further details.

evaluating psychologist cannot offer clinical services, such as feedback or therapy.  Other independent evaluations include pre-employment screenings and fitness for duty evaluations.

An IME is an independent evaluation