Article archive / February 2020
Originally published: . Volume 11, No. 2. Source pages: 1, 9.
Dr. Beth Arredondo, ABPP-CN, Continuing Education Chair for the American Psychology–Law Society, helped design the upcoming training for the Society's conference, to be held from March 5 to March 7 at the Sheraton in New Orleans.
The Society, Division 41 of the American Psychological Association, promotes the contributions of psychology to the understanding of law and legal institutions, the education of psychologists in legal matters and law personnel in psychological matters, and the application of psychology in the legal system.
"I’ve been involved in APLS for years," said Dr. Arredondo, "starting as a graduate student. I began chairing the CE committee in 2019, and I was a member for several years before chairing. I enjoy it because I get to guide educational opportunities for our members and meet experts in the field. I also help to coordinate outreach to community high schools to allow experts across the country to introduce psych and law to local students."
For the Society's March event, Dr. Gina Mire, local Louisiana forensic psychologist, and board certified by ABPP/ABFP, will present "Ethics in the Courtroom: Psychological and Legal Perspectives," along with Katherine Mattes and David Pipes, two local attorneys who specialize in criminal law. Also presenting with Dr. Mire is Dr. John Thompson, a local forensic psychiatrist. They are joined by Dr. Joel Dvoskin, a nationally renowned expert in forensic psychology.
According to workshop materials, "Psychologists who are called upon to evaluate individuals involved in criminal or civil court proceedings work with legal professionals regularly. In fact, for many forensic psychologists, attorneys are their most frequent clients. In this workshop, we will explore the differing paradigms and the intersection of psychology and law from the perspectives of practicing attorneys and forensic mental health professionals. Learning objectives will be accomplished through the use of instruction, panel discussion, case examples, 'hot topics,' and audience participation. Issues pertaining to competency to stand trial evaluations, sanity at the time of offense evaluations, case formulation, and the role of psychological factors in other legal evaluations will be explored from ethical, legal, and psychological perspectives."
Also included in the pre-conference workshops will be a session on "Constitutional Mental Health Law: An Overview," presented by Christopher Slobogin, JD. Slobogin will address the constitutional rules governing forensic mental health evaluations and expert witness testimony. Cases will include Dusky, Moran, Edwards, Sell, Riggins, Clark, Kahler, Buck, Atkins, Ake and Estelle, and several other Supreme Court and lower court cases.
For "Cultural Competence in Forensic Assessment," Dr. Barry Rosenfeld, PhD, will cover a range of issues related to forensic assessment of individuals from diverse ethnic and linguistic backgrounds. He will review “cultural competence” and the requisite self-assessment and pre-evaluation cultural research that is often necessary. In addition, topics such as modifications to the typical evaluation process, decision-making regarding testing and interpretation of test results, the impact of language and culture on the therapeutic alliance, and the use of interpreters will be included.
In "Forensic Evaluations in the Age of Social Media," Drs. Michael Vittaco and Ashley Batastini will explain that the use of social networking sites is on the rise and this information is seen in discovery material being sent to forensic evaluators in a variety of psycholegal issues. Presenters will address the implications of using these sites in forensic evaluations, use and misuse of social networking data, current guidelines and relevant ethical principles.
Dr. Beth Arredondo is board certified in Clinical Neuropsychology. She directed the Division of Behavioral Medicine at Western State Hospital in Staunton, VA, and co- directed the clinical neuropsychology residency with faculty at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. She also maintained part-time positions at the Forensic Clinic of the Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy and Valley MedPsych.
Dr. Arredondo joined the Ochsner team in 2017 and engages in clinical, forensic, and research activities. She works with individuals with a wide range of neurological and psychiatric concerns and her forensic work spans criminal and civil forensic settings. Her research interests involve the use and utility of neuropsychology in various settings, with particular emphasis on psychiatric inpatient, criminal forensics, and general neurology.
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