Specialities

Criminal Forensic Evaluations

General Psychological/Diagnostic: 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 treatment recommendations.

Competency: An evaluation to determine if a defendant is competent to stand trial, 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 their own defense, as well as make informed decisions about legal choices.

Criminal Responsibility/Insanity Defense: Sophisticated 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.

Mitigation of Sentencing/Federal Presentencing: In the sentencing phase of a trial, an attorney or judge may wish to know psychological information for the court to consider, such as the appropriateness of recommending probation.  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 Death Penalty Cases.

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

Violence Risk Assessment: Aims to determine whether an individual has a mental disorder and their anticipated level of future dangerousness, but not to determine whether an individual committed a specific offense.

Psychosexual: A psychological evaluation with an additional emphasis on sexual development, values, thoughts, interests, and behaviors.

Psychosexual with Risk Assessment: This evaluation includes the examination of an evaluee's sexual development, but also assesses their risk of committing future sexual offenses through the use of evidence-based actuarial and structured professional judgement risk assessment instruments.

Civil Forensic Evaluations

Parental Capacity 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 a particular parent should have with their child(ren).  In those cases, the services of a forensic psychologist may be secured in order to help answer specific referral questions related to parenting issues or to address general parental capacity.

Adoption Evaluation: Individuals or couples who are adopting often need to have a psychological a valuation to assess their emotional stability, and readiness to adopt and parent a child.  Every adoption agency has its own specific procedures surrounding the evaluation.  An adoption psychological evaluation focuses on potential underlying psychopathology that might exist in one or both of the adoptive parents (or the 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 social worker.

Independent Medical Examination (IME): A forensic IME is often sought by a legal team in order to quantify the presence or extent of cognitive and/or emotional change following actual or suspected injury or illness.  An IME can also be performed for legal purposes to obtain a second opinion about diagnosis or treatment, to determine suitability for specific types of employment, or evaluate possible impairments with specific tasks.  Dr. Kaplan is available to conduct IMEs, review records, and provide consultation to the courts and attorneys.

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

Clinical Assessment

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Evaluation: These evaluations typically include the following:

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

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

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

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Evaluation: The assessment and diagnostic process for Autism involves a thorough clinical interview, 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.

*KFPS provides this service for adults, adolescents, and children aged 8 to 12 years old.

Additional Services

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

Expert Witness: A psychologist may be asked to testify in court 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 defendant and any other involved individual.  The expert may be asked to discuss their knowledge regarding the research in a specific area of psychology as it relates to the issue at hand.  Psychological experts may also be asked to educate the court on a specific mental health-related topic.

Work Product Review: This service may be requested by an attorney with concerns about deficiencies of a work product.  The reviewing forensic psychologist is usually in a hybrid role of providing consultation to the retaining attorney and expert testimony for the court.  Reviewers provide a monitoring function for the court, and a function of forensic control so the court will not be misled by expert testimony of evaluators based on flawed data collection or analysis.