Student at the elbow: Graduate student observation of forensic assessments.

Abstract

Psychologists conducting forensic assessments often flnd themselves faced with observation requests from third parties. Although the field of neuropsychology has an official position statement and body of literature regarding the presence of third-party observers during evaluations, the psychology-law literature is largely silent on this issue. Graduate students as third-party observers have garnered even less attention from the field of psychology-law, providing little guidance to practitioners considering this practice. Potential effects of graduate student third-party presence on examinee performance, validity of conclusions, and ethical implications for practitioners are examined. In addition, current practices used by psychologists regarding third-party observation by graduate students are explored. Finally, we offer suggestions to psychologists who permit the presence of graduate students during forensic assessments and for graduate students seeking to observe forensic evaluations. This advice is aimed at maintaining ethical practice and minimizing potential impact on the forensic evaluation in the presence of graduate student observers, and at the same time, promoting graduate student learning experiences.

A historical review and resource guide to the scholarship of teaching and training in psychology and law and forensic psychology.

“…Some articles discussed training broadly, others addressed the need for focus on forensic issues (e.g., Rosen, 1983), and some described practicum and predoctoral internships (Heilbrun & Annis, 1988; Morgan et al, 2007). More than half of doctoral programs with no formal forensic training provide it through practicum (often focused on forensic assessment and evaluations) in criminal justice settings such as prisons, jails, juvenile detention centers, and forensic mental health units (Fernandez, Davis, Conroy, & Boccaccini, 2009; Hedge & Brodsky, 2013; Heilbrun, Kelley, Koller, Giallella, & Peterson, 2013; Magaletta et al, 2013). Some authors assessed the availability and benefit of predoctoral internships with clinical rotations focused on forensic or correctional issues (see the Association for Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers for an online database).…”

Psychiatric hospitals.

“…The shift toward forensic services in most state hospitals creates opportunities for clinical psychologists to function as forensic examiners. More and more graduate programs, internships, and postdoctoral training experiences are emphasizing forensic training (Hedge & Brodsky, 2013;Malesky & Croysdale, 2009), and there is considerable demand for psychologists possessing these skills. Additionally, many states have passed legislation in recent years allowing persistent sex offenders to be civilly committed beyond their prison sentences for ongoing sex offender treatment.…”