solved Practice Areas, Case Law, and Legal Definitions Offering counseling services

Practice Areas, Case Law, and Legal Definitions

Offering counseling services to victims of sexual harassment; evaluating the personal injury effects on individuals following automobile accidents; determining whether it is right to take someone’s liberty away (involuntary civil commitment) in an attempt to prevent them from killing themselves and to provide them with needed psychological treatment — these are some of the roles of the forensic psychology professional in the civil court system. In this Discussion you review an area that falls under the civil court system, one in which forensic psychology could impact the outcome. You examine the case law/statutes and legal definitions related to the area you chose and consider what a forensic psychology professional would need to evaluate in this area and why.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Review pages 495-509 in Introduction to Forensic Psychology. Think about the role of the forensic psychology professional in the civil court system.
Review pages 507-530 in Introduction to Forensic Psychology. Focus on the different practice areas for the forensic psychology professional within the civil court system (sexual harassment, employment compensation, involuntary civil commitment, etc.), and the case law/statues or legal definitions that relate to these areas.
Review the Web site, “Psychology Information Online: Forensic Psychology – Civil Court” and the Web links listed on the Web site. Think about the types of cases that a forensic psychology professional would deal with in the areas of personal injury, trauma, harassment, discrimination, workers’ compensation, independent medical exams, competency evaluations — wills and guardianships, autopsy, and clinical.
Select one of these civil case areas that most interests you.
Reflect upon the case law/statutes and legal definitions related to this civil case area.
Consider what a forensic psychology professional might do related to this area and why.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post by Day 4 a description of the civil case area you selected. Describe the case law/statutes and legal definitions related to this area. Finally, explain what a forensic psychology professional might do related to this area.

Learning Resources

Readings

Course Text: Bartol, C. R., & Bartol, A. M. (2019). Introduction to forensic psychology: Research and application (5th ed.). Sage.
Chapter 13, “Juvenile Justice and Corrections” (pp. 495-509, 507-530)

Web Sites

APA Online: Guidelines for Child Custody Evaluations in Divorce Proceedings
http://www.apa.org/practice/guidelines/child-custody.aspx
Psychology Information Online: Forensic Psychology – Civil Court
http://psychologyinfo.com/forensic/civil_court.html

Optional Resources

Note: Because of the ever-changing nature of Web sites such as those listed below, there is no guarantee that clips or Web sites will always be available. Hence, the following links are listed as Optional Resources only. However, it is highly recommended that you view them as they will assist you in completing one or more of your assignments.
Article: Ramsland, K., Psychological autopsy for death investigation. Retrieved from http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/forensics/psych_autopsy/index.html
Article: Webb, D.A., (2006, May 22) Understanding the psychological autopsy. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Understanding-The-Psychological-Autopsy&id=202888
Text: Lenhart, S. A. (2004). Clinical aspects of sexual harassment and gender discrimination: Psychological consequences and treatment interventions. Florence, Kentucky: Routledge..