Paraphilias Expert Witnesses

Sterling Heights, Michigan

Behavioral and Social Sciences, Sexual Health - Sexual Assault, Sexual Trauma, Trauma, Intimate Partner Violence, Domestic Violence, Sexual Violence, Sexually Violent Predator, BDSM, Kink, Paraphilias, Fetishes, Sex Crimes, Sexual Trauma, Trauma-Informed Care, Sexual Deviance, Sexual Disorders, Sadomasochism, Bondage, Sadism

Stefani Goerlich is a Clinical and Forensic Social Worker, Board Certified Clinical/Forensic Sexologist and Certified Sex Therapist and an internationally recognized expert on erotic minorities. A multi-award-winning author of five books on BDSM/Kink and mental health, she literally “wrote the book” on working with clients with both clinical and sub-clinical paraphilias. Her work includes: The Leather Couch: Clinical Practice with Kinky Clients Kink-Affirming Practice: Culturally Competent Therapy from The Leather Chair BDSM & Kink: The Basics With Sprinkles On Top: Everything Vanilla People and Their Kinky Partners Need to Know to Communicate, Explore, and Connect. Securing Sexuality: Emerging Issues at the Intersection of Intimacy and Technology as well as several peer-reviewed academic journal publications on the topic of clinical practice related to sexual trauma, BDSM/kink and paraphilias. Stefani lectures at the Universities of Michigan and Minnesota on gender, sexualit...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry - Psychological Injury, Post-traumatic Stress (PTSD), Dissociative Identity, Borderline Personality, Factitious, Adult Victims Childhood Sexual Abuse, Sexually Violent Offenders, Paraphilias, Sexual Assault and Harassment, Functional Neuro Symptom (Conversion), Trial Competence, Insanity, Malingering

I am a board-certified psychiatrist, a member of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL), and a court-appointed forensic psychiatrist for Pennsylvania’s Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS). I have submitted expert opinions in over 275+ cases and have testified as a qualified expert in both state and federal courts. My independent medical/psychiatric evaluations (IMEs) incorporate structured diagnostic tools to support clear, evidence-based forensic opinions. My practice has a specialized focus on forensic evaluations involving complex trauma, dissociation, and contested mental states. I routinely assess individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to childhood physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, including presentations in vulnerable populations such as individuals with autism, intellectual disability, or dementia. I have particular expertise in dissociative phenomena—including dissociative subtypes of PTSD, functional neur...