Substance Use Expert Witnesses

San Francisco, California

Eating Disorders - Self Harm, Postpartum, Borderline Personality Disorder, Perinatal, Trauma, Athletes, Substance Use, Women's Health

Jessica C. Lief, MSW, LCSW, MLS Speciality: Eating Disorders, Body Image, Borderline Personality Disorder, Self-Harm, Substance Use, Women's Issues LCSW and Psychotherapist Jessica C. Lief, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist who specializes in the treatment of eating disorders, body image, Borderline Personality Disorder, self-harm, and substance use. Jessica completed psychoanalytic training through the William Alanson White Institute of Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis, and Psychology in the Eating Disorders, Compulsions, and Addictions (EDCAS) Program. She also completed the advanced clinical supervision training program through Smith College School for Social Work. Her approach is primarily psychodynamic but combines aspects of self-psychology, feminist/womanist theories, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Seeking Safety, mindful self-compassion, and mindfulness. She is particularly interested in the treatment of eating disorders as a social justice issue...

Newport Beach, California

Mental Health, Substance Abuse - eating disorder, trauma, PTSD, anorexia, bulimia, obsessive compulsive disorder, OCD, substance abuse, substance use, overdose, treatment, social work, cognitive behavioral therapy, family based treatment, addiction, anxiety, depression, suicide, EMDR, psychology

Sarah Burney, LCSW, CEDS-S, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist & Supervisor with over a decade of clinical and leadership experience. She provides expert witness services in cases involving eating disorders, psychiatric standard of care, trauma, and complex mental health conditions. Her areas of expertise include: Eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, ARFID) Psychiatric standard of care and negligence Acute and complex trauma (including PTSD) Substance use disorders Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) Depressive and anxiety disorders Level of care determinations (inpatient, residential, PHP, IOP, outpatient) Risk assessment and clinical decision-making Ms. Burney has extensive experience treating patients across the full continuum of care, including inpatient and outpatient treatment settings for eating disorders, mental health, and substance use disorders. She previously served as a Director at one of ...

Santa Monica, California

Social Work, Behavioral and Social Sciences - Social Work, Mental Health, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Social Consequences of TBI, Psychosocial Damages, Personal Injury, Workers' Compensation, Employment & ADA, Criminal Defense, Standard of Care, Behavioral Health, Homelessness, Substance Use, Emotional Distress, Causation, Damages

Dr. Stephanie Chassman is a Ph.D.-level Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and one of the few expert witnesses whose published research specifically focuses on the social consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury — including its effects on employment, housing stability, intimate relationships, social identity, and community functioning. With over 12 years of clinical and research experience and a three-manuscript doctoral dissertation on TBI and homelessness, Dr. Chassman bridges the gap that neurologists and neuropsychologists cannot fill: she explains not just what happened to a person's brain, but what happened to their life. Her peer-reviewed publications document how TBI disrupts social integration, substance use patterns, housing, and access to resources — exactly the downstream harms that drive damages in personal injury, workers' compensation, criminal defense, and employment matters. Dr. Chassman holds a Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Denver and an MSW from ...

Tavares, Florida

Addiction Medicine, Correctional Healthcare - Substance use, Cocaine, Buprenorphine, Detox, Suboxone, Withdrawal, Fentanyl, Intoxication, Overdose, Cannabis, Methadone, Opioid, Addiction, Drug rehab, Toxicology, Methamphetamine, NCCHC, In-custody death, Jail, Prison

Sylvie Stacy, MD, MPH brings over 14 years of experience as a physician, including both direct patient care and administrative oversight focused on treating the incarcerated population and patients with addictions. She is board certified in Addiction Medicine and in Preventive Medicine & Public Health, both through the American Board of Preventive Medicine. She is licensed to practice medicine in 41 US states. With over 10 years in correctional medicine, she has served as a corporate-level medical director for two leading providers of correctional healthcare services, offering comprehensive care within prison and jail settings. Beyond correctional settings, she has provided addiction medicine services in various community treatment settings, including SAMHSA-certified opioid treatment programs (OTPs, aka “methadone clinics”), office-based opioid treatment centers, residential treatment facilities, inpatient detox centers, intensive outpatient treatment programs, and via telemedicin...

Maryland

Social Work, Psychology - Mental Health, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault, PTSD, Suicide, Depression, Behavioral Health, Substance Use, Trauma, Crime Victim, Forensic Psychology, Addiction, Emotional Distress, Psychological Evaluation, Sexual Harassment, Anxiety, IME, Child Abuse, Psychological Damages, Disability & Injury

Amanda M. Stylianou, Ph.D., LCSW is a nationally recognized psychology and mental health expert with more than 19 years of clinical, leadership, and research experience working with survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and individuals impacted by severe mental illness, self-harm, and suicide. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of HEAL Trafficking, a national survivor-centered organization dedicated to advancing public health responses to human trafficking through training, policy, research, and survivor leadership. She brings a rare combination of front-line clinical practice, executive leadership, and federally funded research to her expert witness work. Dr. Stylianou previously served as Associate Vice President at Safe Horizon, the nation’s largest victim services organization, where she oversaw and supported services for survivors of crime, violence, and sexual assault across all five boroughs of New York City. Her work has required deep expertise in trauma...

Bethesda, Maryland

Mental Health, Substance Abuse - Substance Use, Addiction Social Worker, LiCSW, Opioid Addiction, Behavioral Health Social Worker, Therapist, MAT, SBIRT, Alcohol Addiction, Cocaine Addiction, Benzodiazepines Addiction, Trauma, Social Worker Malpractice, Opioid Use Disorder, Substance Use Screening, Stimulant Use Disorder

Thought leading licensed independent social worker. Active clinical practice. Subject matter expert in behavioral health, severe mental illness, addiction treatment, and integrated care. Extensive teaching experience. Provides expert analysis on adherence to standards of care, suicide risk assessment, and contributing factors in behavioral health-related deaths. Deep expertise in clinical pathways, provider decision-making, and behavioral health integration. Over 25 years of experience providing direct therapy services specializing in addiction treatment, trauma-informed care, and behavioral health integration. Focused on delivering person-centered, evidence-based care to help clients achieve sustainable recovery through individualized treatment plans. Licensed in Washington, DC; Virginia; and Maryland

Auburndale, Massachusetts

Psychiatry - psychiatric emergencies, risk assessments, suicide, violence, substance use, standard of care, involuntary commitment, chart documentation, medical clearance, supervision of trainees and non-physician staff, restraints, crisis intervention, anxiety and depression, psychosis, involuntary holds, wrongful admission/discharge

Dr. Suzanne A. Bird is a board-certified psychiatrist with over 25 years of clinical, teaching and leadership experience in emergency psychiatry. She served as director of Psychiatric Emergency Services at Cambridge Hospital (a Harvard-affiliated community teaching hospital in Cambridge MA) for 16 years and ran the Acute Psychiatry Service in the Emergency Department at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston for nearly 12 years. In addition to her clinical leadership roles, she is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, with extensive experience as an educator; training and supervising psychiatric residents, nurse practitioners and social workers, as well as medical students and junior faculty members. She has managed and overseen the management of thousands of patients in acute crisis and is recognized for her expertise in suicide and violence risk assessment, medical clearance of patients with acute psychiatric presentations, decisions around involuntary commitment, ...

Lambertville, New Jersey

Social Work, Psychology - Mental Health, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault, PTSD, Suicide, Depression, Behavioral Health, Substance Use, Trauma, Crime Victim, Forensic Psychology, Addiction, Emotional Distress, Psychological Evaluation, Sexual Harassment, Anxiety, IME, Child Abuse, Psychological Damages, Disability & Injury

Amanda M. Stylianou, Ph.D., LCSW is a nationally recognized psychology and mental health expert with more than 19 years of clinical, leadership, and research experience working with survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and individuals impacted by severe mental illness, self-harm, and suicide. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of HEAL Trafficking, a national survivor-centered organization dedicated to advancing public health responses to human trafficking through training, policy, research, and survivor leadership. She brings a rare combination of front-line clinical practice, executive leadership, and federally funded research to her expert witness work. Dr. Stylianou previously served as Associate Vice President at Safe Horizon, the nation’s largest victim services organization, where she oversaw and supported services for survivors of crime, violence, and sexual assault across all five boroughs of New York City. Her work has required deep expertise in trauma...

Medford, Oregon

Physician Assistant, Psychiatry - Inpatient psychiatry, Consult Liason, Suicide risk, Crisis care, Psychosis, Mood disorders, Substance use, Patient safety, Involuntary hold, Discharge planning, Medication management, Malpractice, Standard of care, Behavioral Health, Acute psychiatry, Psychiatric hold, Assessment, Telemedicine, Documentation, Hospital Safety

Levi D. Vance, PA-C – Psychiatric Expert Witness I am a board-certified Physician Assistant with over six years of experience in inpatient psychiatry at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center’s Behavioral Health Unit. My practice involves daily evaluation and management of patients with acute psychiatric conditions including psychosis, severe mood disorders, substance use disorders, and suicidal ideation requiring crisis stabilization. Courtroom Experience I regularly provide testimony in civil commitment hearings, which has familiarized me with legal proceedings, communicating psychiatric concepts to legal audiences, and responding to examination. Clinical Background My clinical work encompasses suicide risk assessment, psychiatric medication management, involuntary hold determinations, discharge planning for high-acuity patients, and crisis intervention. I treat patients across the full spectrum of acute psychiatric presentations and work within multidisciplinary teams to addr...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Emergency Medicine - Emergency, Trauma, Toxicology, Respiratory distress, Cardiac, Standard of care, Stroke, Procedural education, Airway management, Wound management, Sepsis, Critical care, Social Media, Education, Procedures, Central venous access, Traumatic injury, Substance use, Drug use, Mental health

I am a board-certified emergency Medicine physician with over 15 years of clinical experience at a high acuity academic Level 1 trauma center as well as multiple community emergency departments in the Philadelphia region. I graduated from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University and went on to complete an Emergency Medicine residency at Temple Hospital. I then worked as faculty at Temple Hospital with a focus on resident education, airway and procedural management, and medical simulation. I currently continue to work there as an adjunct professor while also working at several Philadelphia-area community hospitals. I have extensive experience with pediatric, adult, and geriatric patients, am published in several Emergency Medicine textbooks and journals, and routinely speak at national medical conferences.