Specialties & Experience of this Expert Witness

Additional Information

I began my forensic career during my general psychiatry residency, where I had various opportunities to gain experience. For example, I rotated through the competency assessment unit at the local jail, served on the forensic risk assessment consultation team, and acted as an expert witness in National Institute for Trial Advocacy mock trials. Additionally, I joined the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (APPL) and attended their annual conferences, where I completed the review course directed by Dr. Philip Resnick and presented posters on forensic-related topics. After becoming board certified in psychiatry and completing Dr. Resnick's insanity defense evaluation course, I started providing consultation to Pennsylvania's Department of Human Services Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. My role has been to provide opinions related to trial competency and sanity, and I have participated in about 90 cases to date. In some cases, I also provided courtroom testimony. In my clinical work, I focus on providing long-term, comprehensive treatment for trauma, which includes medication, psychotherapy, case management, and clinical hypnosis. I have received advanced training on the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale from the Veteran's Affairs and completed AAPL's course on forensic evaluations of PTSD. As an expert witness, I provide evidence-based independent medical-psychiatric examinations, opinions, and testimony on a range of trauma-related issues such as rape, sexual assault, molestation, incest, adult sequelae of childhood sexual abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dissociative disorders (e.g., dissociative identity, amnesia, neurological symptom, depersonalization, derealization), and personality disorders (e.g., borderline). My evaluations also use standardized measures to assess the conscious and unconscious factors that may affect the validity of a client's claims.