South Bend Clinical and Forensic Psychology Services

Based In Louisville, Kentucky But Able To Travel For Service

South Bend Forensic Psychology is a subspecialty of Psychology that focuses on South Bend legal issues wherein mental health is a potential contributing factor.

Dr. Kaplan has experience in South Bend sex offender evaluations, violent risk assessment, competency to stand trial, capacity, mitigation of sentence, juvenile bindover, and more. Dr. Kaplan provides South Bend forensic evaluation in guardianship cases, accident/injury cases, and other situations where there is a question about an individual's mental health, emotional harm, or ability to care for oneself. She also offers a variety of parenting evaluations.  Dr. Kaplan uses evidence-based assessment methods and South Bend psychological tests to provide a wide variety of psychological evaluation services in 46614, 46544, 46545, 46556, 46601, 46613, 46615, 46616, 46617, 46619, 46628, 46635, 46637

South Bend Criminal Forensic Evaluations

South Bend General Psychological: An attorney or judge may request a general psychological evaluation in a case in which a person’s mental health is in question. The resulting report includes the individual’s current mental status, diagnosis, and recommendations.

South Bend Competency Test: An evaluation to determine if a defendant is competent to stand trial in South Bend, waive Miranda, plead guilty, confess or function adequately in the legal system. A forensic evaluation can determine if the defendant is able to cooperate with counsel, assist in his own defense, as well as make informed decisions about legal choices.

South Bend Criminal Responsibility: Sophisticated South Bend psychological testing is used to evaluate the presence of any psychological disorder, psychopathy, or personality characteristics that may have mediated rational decision making or interfered with judgment or perception.A comprehensive evaluation of the defendant’s mental state at the time of the offense can inform trial strategy and provide the judge or jury with critical information regarding legal responsibility.

South Bend Mitigation of Sentencing: In the South Bend sentencing phase of a trial, an attorney or judge may wish to know psychological information for the court to consider in sentencing, and in recommending probation or parole. Specifically, a comprehensive forensic report can affect sentencing to the extent that it addresses all relevant mitigating and aggravating circumstances. This can also include sentencing determinations in South Bend Death Penalty Cases.

South Bend Juvenile Bindover: In certain cases whereby an adolescent is accused of a crime(s), he or she may be tried in either a South Bend juvenile court or in an South Bend adult court. In such cases, the court can benefit from a forensic evaluation addressing the issue of amenability to the South Bend juvenile justice system. The evaluation focuses on how likely the juvenile is to benefit from the added-services afforded by the juvenile system—aimed at rehabilitation and restoration—compared to the adult system, which overall is more punitively-oriented.

South Bend Violence Risk Assessment: Aims to determine whether an individual has a mental disorder in South Bend and the level of dangerousness, but not to determine whether an individual committed a specific offense.

South Bend Psychosexual Testing: This is a complete psychological evaluation with an additional heavy emphasis on sexual development, values, thoughts, interests, and behaviors.

South Bend Psychosexual with Risk Assessment: This examination is the same as a psychosexual evaluation in South Bend with the addition of an assessment of the risk of committing a future sexual offense through the use of evidence-based actuarial risk assessment instruments.

South Bend Civil Forensic Evaluations

South Bend Parenting Evaluation: Due to a variety of circumstances, sometimes the court or a governmental organization (e.g., Children Services Agency) might question the type or amount of contact that a particular parent may have with his/her children. In those cases, a South Bend forensic psychologist’s services may be secured in order to help answer specific referral questions related to parenting issues.

South Bend Adoption Evaluation: Individuals or couples who are adopting in South Bend need to have a psychological valuation to assess their emotional stability, and readiness to adopt and parent a child. Every South Bend adoption agency has its own specific procedures surrounding the evaluation.  The psychological evaluation focuses on potential underlying psychopathology that might exist in either of the future parents (or the couple as a family system). Additionally, the quality of the marital relationship, intended child rearing practices, and motivations for adoption are explored.  This evaluation differs from a home study, which is typically conducted by a South Bend social worker.

South Bend Personal Injury: A psychologist’s expertise often is utilized by the South Bend court in order to help determine whether mental injury exists and, if so, to what degree. An example includes Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (South Bend PTSD), as a result of experiencing significant trauma. A personal injury evaluation may involve a clinical interview, record review, psychological testing, and contacting collateral sources in the case.

South Bend Clinical Assessment

South Bend ADHD Evaluation: These South Bend evaluations typically include the following:

• South Bend IQ and/or achievement testing to rule out a learning disorder and to assess cognitive strengths and weaknesses.
• South Bend Tests of attention and other aspects of executive functioning. 
• South Bend Psychological tests to examine for other South Bend mental health problems that may be causing or contributing to the symptoms.

South Bend Diagnostic Evaluation: Evaluations pertaining to many diagnoses, such as South Bend Bipolar Disorder, South Bend Autism (as well as the former Asperger's Disorder), Major Depressive Disorder, PTSD, South Bend Anxiety Disorders, Personality Disorders, and South Bend Schizophrenia.

South Bend Learning Disorders, IQ, and Achievement Testing:  Typically referred to as South Bend psychoeducational evaluations. Used to evaluate the presence of a South Bend learning disorder or an intellectual disability. Achievement testing can help identify academic achievement level in various subjects and any necessary academic accommodations.

South Bend Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Evaluation: The South Bend autism assessment and diagnostic process for South Bend Autism involves a thorough clinical interview in South Bend, review of outside medical and/or academic records, and a testing battery that may include parental interviews and forms (if applicable), intellectual, and personality assessments.

Additional Service Testing in South Bend

South Bend Psychological Consultant: Psychologists may be hired by South Bend attorneys to consult on a case “behind the scenes”. Examples include educating the attorney about a client’s mental illness, assisting in South Bend jury selection or South Bend cross-examination, or critiquing another psychologist’s evaluation report.

South Bend Expert Witness: A South Bend psychologist may be asked to testify in court in South Bend as an expert. The evaluation report may be read out loud in open court, and the expert must answer questions about the report and what transpired during conversations with the respondent and any other involved individual. The South Bend court expert may be asked to discuss their knowledge regarding the research in a specific area of psychology as it relates to the respondent. Psychological experts may also be asked to educate the court on a specific mental health-related topic.