The Forensic Psychologist’s Reporting Writing Guide is the first book to provide both student trainees and practitioners with best practice guidance for one of the core skills of their role. Written and edited by an international range of experts from the UK, North America and Australasia, it provides clear advice on a range of assessments, from psychometric tests to personality functioning, and includes real-life examples to illustrate key points. Uniquely, the book also offers guidance on the range of different client groups that forensic psychologists work with across both civil and legal contexts, including juveniles, female clients, couples and those with cognitive impairments. From core principles to writing style to key issues, each chapter also includes a checklist of advice and further reading. Comprehensive and practical, The Forensic Psychologist’s Reporting Writing Guide is a user-friendly companion to this critical and often overlooked skill, and will be essential reading for both neophyte and experienced forensic psychologists alike.

Forensic Reports & Testimony: A Guide to Effective Communication for Psychologists and Psychiatrists provides a roadmap for the mental health professional who wants to provide consistently accurate, defensible, and useful reports and testimony to the legal system. Authors Randy K. Otto, Richart L. DeMier, and Marcus Boccaccini, recognized experts in the field, cover all aspects of the process, including preparing affidavits and reports, preparing for depositions, and testifying. Every written or spoken communication for the courts must be clear and precise, and distinguish between facts, inferences, and opinions. This book uniquely: •Shows the critical differences between forensic psychological reports and the clinical reports psychologists and psychiatrists are accustomed to writing •Includes and explains important maxims of forensic report writing, including separating facts from inferences, focusing on offering expert opinions, explaining why you think what you think, and connecting the dots between facts and conclusions •Provides numerous examples of experts’ testimony, affidavits, reports-with commentary and critiques Expert forensic work deserves to be presented in a clear, precise, and understandable way so that it is useful to attorneys, judges, and juries. Forensic Reports & Testimony provides the guidelines and models forensic psychologists and forensic psychiatrists need to make that happen.

"In teaching forensic report writing to graduate students, we have been impressed with the available guides to writing specific kinds of reports. There are also some good summary articles on report writing and check-lists regarding what reports ought to cover. What we wanted, though, was a single volume that looked at report writing and reading as behaviors, informed by what we know about behavior, and that looked in-depth at the topic of applying general knowledge to particular situations. As is true for so many authors, this is the book we wish we'd read in graduate school. We offer these principles of forensic report writing as preparation for trainees, particularly those in Stages 1-3 of the developmental scheme described here, and also as reminders for professionals who have already written many reports"--Preface. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).

"The credibility of a psychologist called upon to prepare a report for court as an expert witness will be questioned if the document presented is viewed as poor. The court will place little weight on the report and the psychologist's professional reputation will be placed at risk. Complaints against psychologists to registration boards, ethics committees and litigation proceedings are frequently the consequence of poor psychological reports." "This text examines relevant mental health state legislation relating to criminal, civil and family courts and then sets out a logical structure for writing reports for such matters. The use of psychological tests and their utility in providing useful objective data for courts is also examined. Three chapters are devoted to questions central to an expert offering an 'opinion' in court." "Featuring numerous case studies to illustrate the applicability of the information provided, this book serves as an excellent text for all psychologists considering a career in forensic work as well as any working psychologist who may find themselves in a court setting."--BOOK JACKET.

Despite the extensive technical literature on forensic mental health, there is a lack of practical guidebooks dedicated to generating clear and persuasive forensic mental health reports. Greenfield and Gottschalk present this practical handbook to address this critical need. This comprehensive guide outlines the proper format for forensic reports, contains multiple examples of full and partial reports, and is organized in a user-friendly, "how-to" style to accomplish its goal. The case overviews of full criminal reports, full civil reports, and civil summaries cover important topics such as domestic violence, malpractice, personal injury, malingering, and more. Key features: Full-length report samples with step-by-step guidelines explaining how each section of the report is done Designed to assist the novice, trainee, and seasoned forensic mental health practitioner Extensive commentaries and discussions following each case overview to convey how the report served to help resolve its case Extensive reference lists and appendices containing key terms, additional journals and periodicals, Internet resources, and assessment tools

This new second edition brings the same refreshing matter-of-fact guidance that made the first edition so popular with both students and professionals. Although the suggested format for psychological evaluations remains essentially the same, the authors have updated and expanded several sections within that format to enhance the quality of the evaluation report. A new section, Notification of Purpose and Limits of Confidentiality, has been added and new material on background information and the use of collateral information has been included. New examples have been added to supplement and clarify the text and a new example of a full report is presented. The Recommendations section has also been modified to incorporate specific strengths and problem areas. This book offers a wealth of descriptive information, organizing questions, guidelines, and other strategic information to make your written report as clear, comprehensive, and error free as possible.

All the tips and tools you need to start, grow, and sustain a successful forensic psychology practice Getting Started in Forensic Psychology Practice is the first book of its kind aimed at those mental health professionals and recent graduates interested in entering the growing and lucrative field of forensic psychology. User-friendly and full of helpful tips, this handy guide provides you with tools and techniques for starting a thriving forensic psychology practice, or incorporating a forensic specialty into your current practice. This comprehensive resource includes information on: * The difference between clinical and forensic practice * Advantages and disadvantages of forensic practice * Preparing for forensic psychological practice * Planning a forensic psychology business * How to market your practice * What lawyers look for in forensic psychologists as expert witnesses> * Ethics, professional competence, and risk management issues * Performing evaluations * Testifying in court and depositions In addition, Getting Started in Forensic Psychology Practice also features several helpful appendices that include sample evaluations and reports, as well as detailed discussions of child custody evaluation and assessment. Covering everything from advice on how to dress for court to major concerns such as the problems of insanity defenses, Getting Started in Forensic Psychology Practice puts the best solutions and information at your fingertips. Whether you're a recent graduate or a seasoned practitioner, this invaluable resource will help you minimize the uncertainty of establishing your forensic practice while maximizing the rewards.