I want to show you parents something about professional practice – related to reading a forensic psychologist vita.
When you review a forensic custody evaluator’s vita, it will often list them as solo and independent private practice.
Let me give you an example of a group practice that is typical in clinical psychology. This group practice allows inter-professional second-opinion informal consultation (it arises from a desire to share office expenses and inter-professional referrals within the practice).
Solo-independent practice does not provide any opportunity to ‘check-in’ with a colleague about a clinical situation for an ‘informal consult.’
This list of people is from the letterhead of a group practice with names removed because the names aren’t relevant to the point.
Name 1• Name 2 – Name 3 & Associates
Bob Name 1, Ph.D.
Harold Name 2, Ph.D.
Mary Name 3, Psy.D.
John Name 4, LCSW
Elizabeth Name 5, MFT
Ben Name 6, LCSW,
Sally Name 7, LPC
Notice the range – three Ph.D.s run the practice, and they have two LCSWs, one MFT, and one LPC associated with their practice.
That’s a fair amount of professional humans to interact with at the office. If there’s a clinical question, it’s relatively easy for one professional to check in with another – or two – for a second opinion on an issue.
That’s not possible in an isolated solo independent practice. In clinical psychology, we tend to group. In forensic psychology , they don’t. Sometimes they do in forensic psychology, but most often not.
It’s typically a very isolated custody evaluation practice.
As you review forensic custody evaluators vitae, look for who they’ve interacted with. Are they isolated to doing just their one thing – forensic custody evaluations? Do they have no other clinical experiences, and they work in an isolated practice without professional feedback?
Craig Childress, Psy.D.
Clinical Psychologist, CA PSY 18857
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