Cheri Smith

In custody evaluations, psychological testing of the parents and child(ren) and evaluative testing in child custody areas provide empirical evidence supporting the evaluator's recommendations, minimizing evaluator bias and errors while ensuring that recommendations are verifiable by external data sources. A family court may order a child custody evaluation if both parents are

Forensic psychology is the intersection of psychology and the law. Forensic psychologists are skilled in discerning a variety of behaviors and assessing criminality for the criminal justice system. Forensic Psychologists follow Ethical Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists and are specially trained in legal assessments. Within the standards of the Ethical Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists, Forensic Psychologists must ensure to obtain informed consent and a release of information. In conjunction with informed consent and a release of information, a proper explanation of what the limit of confidentiality entails and the forensic psychologists' role should be disclosed to all involved parties, answering relevant questions as they may arise. Neutrality is of utmost importance to eliminate bias and impartiality. Forensic evaluation is not directly beneficial to the evaluatee. The evaluatee, within reasonable means, should be informed that the forensic psychologist is a neutral party hired to evaluate the parents, child(ren), and internal/external influences related to the child(ren). Barring medical or mental health issues, all evaluated parties need to be informed and understand that the final submitted report is in the 'best interest of the child.' Finally, the purpose of a parental fitness evaluation is to compile and relate applicable information to the court or requesting party in an impartial and fair manner, excluding extenuating circumstances.

A Forensic Psychologist may be called upon to provide competency assessments, sanity/insanity assessments, an independent medical evaluation (IME) regarding psychological damages, or a juvenile court evaluation. Each forensic evaluation has a methodology that is followed so that an honest, objective, and accurate testimony can be given to the court or other requesting authority. When a defendant waives Miranda rights, a competency to confess must occur to ensure that the alleged perpetrator has the capacity to intelligently and voluntarily waive such warnings prior to police questioning (Frumkin, 2008). Sanity at the time of the offense, aka insanity defense, seeks to establish that due to mental illness the defendant is not criminally responsible for his or her actions at the time of the offense (Psycholegal Assessments, Inc., 2021). An independent medical evaluation (IME) for psychological damages is a medicolegal examination that verifies reported injuries, medical findings, opinions, and the physical, emotional, and mental damage caused (The Bruning Law Firm, 2018). When a juvenile is charged with an adult criminal act amenability to treatment assessment is done to determine if that juvenile can be treated within the juvenile justice system or face a transfer to the adult criminal justice system (Loving & Patapis, 2007). Due to the depth of each of the aforementioned forensic evaluations, multiple methodologies may be utilized to constitute available information. This paper will assess the four forensic evaluations named above with a more in-depth review of waiving Miranda rights, in essence, competency to confess.

In recent decades, here have been sexual predator cases that have garnered the United States Supreme Court attention. Individuals that at are at risk of being repeat sex offenders may face civil confinement once their criminal sentence has been served. It is incumbent upon the State to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the sexual offender is incapable of controlling his or her behavior, therefore, a threat to society (Case Briefs, 2020). Often the State will decide, through the employment of a Forensic Psychologist, the probability that the sexual offender will repeat offend, increase the thirst for sexual violence, or is “cured.” Deviant in nature, sexual offenders are prone to recidivism, especially when their behavior can be labeled nonvolitional. Over the years, there have been several cases that address sexually violent predators being civilly committed as a result of a significant mental health problem coupled with a danger to oneself or other’s (Hudson, 2001). Civil confinement after criminal incarceration is necessary, as supported by the United States Supreme Court, to protect the general population from deviant sex offenders. This paper is about how the United States Supreme Court views violence risk assessment and civil-confinement amongst the States.

Bill is a married man with two grown children. He laments the loss of his parents, especially his father. Bill's father, who passed in his late 40s early 50s from a fatal illness, had a drinking problem; Bill has a propensity for the same. Bill's mother was critical and judgmental lending to Bill and his siblings having a discordant relationship.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory is the most frequently utilized and protected psychometric test to assess psychopathology, personality traits, and deviations. There have been over 20,000 articles published regarding the different true or false self-report versions of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory is the golden standard for such tests because of proven built-in reliability and validity standards. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory can be employed in many different settings to include clinical, professional, legal, forensic, and child custody settings, amongst other viable locations. Additionally, every adaptation of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory following the initial version strives, meets, and exceeds The Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education (Joint Committee on Testing Practices, 2004). Finally, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory is a multiculturally sound appraisal grounded by a diverse norm sample that provides impeccable reliability and validity within many settings.

Factors that cause Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder are unknown. However, genetics and temperament play a part in Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder in children and adolescents. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, the American Psychiatric Association (2013) explains that the main "feature of disruptive mood dysregulation disorder is chronic, severe persistent irritability." Severe irritability consists of two major clinical manifestations. Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder can be empathetically addressed in children and adolescents by using an integrative approach to psychotherapy. Integrating positive psychotherapy with existentialism and music therapy may be one option for treatment. Positive psychotherapy focuses on positive events, influences, and conditions like love, hope, gratitude, optimism, confidence, and inspiration. Integrative psychotherapy is a meshing of different therapeutic approaches like positive psychotherapy with existentialism. Integrative therapists consider a child or adolescent's characteristics, personality, physical abilities, spiritual beliefs, motivation, and primary caregiver input to decide on the best approach for the situation at hand. For positive psychotherapy and integrative therapy to work well, existentialism theory must be in play. The basic philosophy of existentialism is that individuals are free to make their own choices and, therefore, actions. Music therapy may be used therapeutically to address the child or adolescent's physical, cognitive, or emotional needs.

Within this paper, the author will provide a biased assessment of attained basic counseling skills. Basic counseling proficiency incorporates rapport, empathy, paraphrasing, reflective listening, and summarizing to create a congruent client-therapist relationship. The mock therapy session will reflect attained skills the therapist finds helpful to develop a therapeutic relationship through relation-building, goal setting, and treatment planning. The client in the mock therapy session is a fictional individual and by no means should be construed as a current client or patient.

Within this paper, the author will provide a biased assessment of attained basic counseling skills. Basic counseling proficiency incorporates rapport, empathy, paraphrasing, reflective listening, and summarizing to create a congruent client-therapist relationship. The mock therapy session will reflect attained skills the therapist finds helpful to develop a therapeutic relationship through relation-building, goal setting, and treatment planning. The client in the mock therapy session is a fictional individual and by no means should be construed as a current client or patient.

This forensic evaluation sample will cover the competency to confess and waive Miranda rights. The Fifth Amendment guards against self-incrimination. In order to confess, one must waive Miranda rights. However, Miranda rights must be knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily waived without law enforcement coercion. The individual must be of sound cognitive function, free of mental disorders, absent of abnormal mental states, and delinquent from deviant personality traits. An example of impaired mental processing would be someone that suffers from ADHD. According to Gaskell (2021), ADHD critically diminishes the capacity to register and process new information. Because confessions and self-incriminating statements are leveraged against the suspect during the trial, a guilty verdict is 26% more likely than suspects that do not provide self-incriminating statements (Psycholegal Assessments, Inc., 2021). Therefore, an Independent Medical Exam (IME) will be conducted to evaluate the suspect's competency to waive his or her Miranda rights and competence to stand trial. The use of forensic assessment tools facilitates opinions formed by the Forensic Psychologist. Competency evaluations have the potentiality of profoundly influencing court decisions, thereby affecting defendant consequences. Ultimately, the IME Forensic Psychologist will provide a Forensic Mental Health Assessment to the courts and all involved legal personnel as needed.