Compare and Contrast Clinical and Forensic Roles
There may be several times in a psychologist’s career in which they are presented cases that involve the need for clinical assessments for their patients or conduct forensic assessments for court proceedings for criminal or civil cases. It should be noted there are some similarities and significant differences that can be identified between the different roles psychologists will need to adhere to and the assessments that may be used to meet the ethical and legal standards of each position. The role of psychologists in clinical settings are to assist the client with the empirically based assessments used to identify the mental health problems the individual is experiencing and to explore the …show more content…
There are also substantial differences, including in a clinical setting the psychologist is usually found to be empathic for the client obtaining a more trusting relationship, but a forensic examiner should maintain neutral presence between the parties involved to attain the forensic evidence needed for the presented case (Greenberg, 2007) . Psychological assessments are used to provide a foundation of information to which the psychologists can use to have more stable and valid sources that can be used for the basis of their testimony. Clinical assessments are defined as being a process of testing that uses a combination of techniques to arrive at hypotheses about a person and their behavior, personality, and capabilities (Framingham, 2015). Forensic assessments are used to answer a specific legal question in which would determine the use of a clinical interview, collateral interviews, review of records, administering psychological tests, and to form an opinion to answer the legal question (Cantley, 2016). Another similarity concerns the psychologist’s competent understanding of the potential problems in how the information is construed based on the assessments used. Clinical therapists must be competent in clinical assessment and treatment of the …show more content…
Some of these conflicts may involve the appropriate assessment that may be used to identify malingering behaviors, competency to waive Miranda rights or stand trial, risk for violence or sexual violence, and mental status at the time of an offense is considered (Lally, 2003). In this, it should be noted there are differences that can be identified in the application and how to present the findings of these assessments based on how the information is obtained. The clinical assessments considered, regardless of the context, the MMPI-2 and the WAIS III are recommended or acceptable (Lally, 2003). However, the MMPI-2 is considered by clinical and forensic experts for use in the mental state of the defendant at the time of the offense evaluations but does not consist of a scale or index to measure for past mental states (Lally, 2003). This test can provide current response style and psychopathology that may be relevant to informing the psychologist’s opinion about the presenting legal issue (Lally, 2003). FAI’s are used to assess behaviors directly relevant to the legal issue, but the MMPI-2 is found to pose a considerable risk in a forensic setting that may deem the test as being unacceptable and
There may be several times in a psychologist’s career in which they are presented cases that involve the need for clinical assessments for their patients or conduct forensic assessments for court proceedings for criminal or civil cases. It should be noted there are some similarities and significant differences that can be identified between the different roles psychologists will need to adhere to and the assessments that may be used to meet the ethical and legal standards of each position. The role of psychologists in clinical settings are to assist the client with the empirically based assessments used to identify the mental health problems the individual is experiencing and to explore the …show more content…
There are also substantial differences, including in a clinical setting the psychologist is usually found to be empathic for the client obtaining a more trusting relationship, but a forensic examiner should maintain neutral presence between the parties involved to attain the forensic evidence needed for the presented case (Greenberg, 2007) . Psychological assessments are used to provide a foundation of information to which the psychologists can use to have more stable and valid sources that can be used for the basis of their testimony. Clinical assessments are defined as being a process of testing that uses a combination of techniques to arrive at hypotheses about a person and their behavior, personality, and capabilities (Framingham, 2015). Forensic assessments are used to answer a specific legal question in which would determine the use of a clinical interview, collateral interviews, review of records, administering psychological tests, and to form an opinion to answer the legal question (Cantley, 2016). Another similarity concerns the psychologist’s competent understanding of the potential problems in how the information is construed based on the assessments used. Clinical therapists must be competent in clinical assessment and treatment of the …show more content…
Some of these conflicts may involve the appropriate assessment that may be used to identify malingering behaviors, competency to waive Miranda rights or stand trial, risk for violence or sexual violence, and mental status at the time of an offense is considered (Lally, 2003). In this, it should be noted there are differences that can be identified in the application and how to present the findings of these assessments based on how the information is obtained. The clinical assessments considered, regardless of the context, the MMPI-2 and the WAIS III are recommended or acceptable (Lally, 2003). However, the MMPI-2 is considered by clinical and forensic experts for use in the mental state of the defendant at the time of the offense evaluations but does not consist of a scale or index to measure for past mental states (Lally, 2003). This test can provide current response style and psychopathology that may be relevant to informing the psychologist’s opinion about the presenting legal issue (Lally, 2003). FAI’s are used to assess behaviors directly relevant to the legal issue, but the MMPI-2 is found to pose a considerable risk in a forensic setting that may deem the test as being unacceptable and