Gender Identity Expert Witnesses

Brooklyn, New York

Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry - LGBTQ, Transgender, Addiction, Gay, Gender Identity, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Dissociative Identity, Gender Dysphoria, Anxiety, Substance, Burnout, Work Stress, LGBT, Trans

I am a board-certified psychiatrist in both Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine, and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. I currently serve as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at New York University, and I have held numerous leadership positions in organized psychiatry, including serving as President of the Association of LGBTQ+ Psychiatrists (AGLP) as well as Vice President, Secretary, and Newsletter Editor over more than a decade of involvement. My academic work includes authoring and co-authoring chapters in Tasman’s Psychiatry, the APA Textbook of Psychiatry, and several volumes with American Psychiatric Publishing, including Understanding LGBTQ Mental Health and Transgender Mental Health as a solo author. I lecture frequently at national and international conferences, including the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting, the World Psychiatric Association, and Grand Rounds at institutions such as NYU, Rutgers, SUNY Downstate, and Ne...

Vancouver, Washington

Psychology, Mental Health - Gender identity, Nonbinary, Gender transition, Civil rights, Gender affirming care, Gender dysphoria, Expert witness, Medical necessity, Custody evaluation, Transgender healthcare, Transgender assessment, Psychological evaluation, Discrimination, Court-appointed, Forensic psychology, DSM-5 diagnosis, Title IX, Competency evaluation

Dr. Natalia Zhikhareva (Dr. Z) is a licensed clinical psychologist with 20 years of exclusive specialization in gender dysphoria assessment and treatment for transgender and nonbinary adults. With over 7,200 completed evaluations, Dr. Z has developed specialized expertise across every type of gender presentation — from straightforward cases to highly complex, atypical situations involving trauma, neurodivergence, and co-occurring mental health conditions. Dr. Z holds a Doctor of Clinical Psychology (PhD) and is licensed in California (PSY28888), Texas (#39338), New York (#024701), and Florida (out-of-state telehealth #197). She is court-appointed as an expert witness in California — one of a small number of psychologists recognized by the courts as an authority on gender identity matters — and has provided expert testimony in cases including criminal matters involving life sentences. Her forensic work encompasses gender dysphoria diagnosis, medical necessity evaluations, assessm...