Forensic Briefs
Discover a convenient and engaging way to stay current in forensic psychology. Listen to Drs. Michelle Guyton and Alexander Millkey interview top researchers, clinicians, and thinkers in this field.
Mental health professionals can also receive continuing education by subscribing at forensicbriefs.com.
Episodes
25 episodes
Terry Kukor - Aspirational Forensic Practice and Consulting Work
In this episode, Terry Kukor explores aspirational forensic practice and the role of consultation in strengthening forensic mental health work. He discusses what it means to “strive” under the Specialty Guidelines, emphasizing humility, curiosi...
Rick Frederick and James Mikesell - Test Data and Transparency
James W. Mikesell, PhD, ABPP, is a board-certified clinical and forensic psychologist with over two decades of experience conducting specialized forensic evaluations and consultations in civil, criminal, juvenile, and family law cases. He is bo...
Rick Frederick and James Mikesell - Test Security and Due Process
In the first of a two-part conversation, Drs. Rick Frederick and James Mikesell explore foundational issues surrounding psychologists as expert witnesses. The discussion addresses ethics, the specialty guidelines, discovery obligations, impeach...
Dave DeMatteo - Sequential Intercept Model
Dr. David DeMatteo returns to Forensic Briefs to examine the Sequential Intercept Model and the evolution of problem-solving courts. Our conversation explores diversion points across the justice system, the rise and impact of drug and mental he...
Reid Meloy - Threat Assessment Pathways
In this episode of Forensic Briefs, Dr. Reid Meloy returns to examine threat assessment and management through the development and application of the TRAP-18. He discusses proximal warning behaviors, distal risk factors, time-sequencing of viol...
Reid Meloy - Predatory vs. Affective Violence
In this episode of Forensic Briefs, Dr. Reid Meloy examines the psychology of extreme violence through the lens of affective and predatory aggression. Drawing from decades of clinical, forensic, and psychoanalytic work, he discusses pathways to...
Emily Salisbury - Gender Responsive Strategies in Risk Assessment
In this episode of Forensic Briefs, Dr. Emily Salisbury explores gender-responsive strategies within the criminal legal system. She discusses how trauma, relationships, economic marginalization, and gender norms shape women’s pathways into just...
Terry Kukor - Relevancy Focused Report Writing
Dr. Terry Kukor explains how relevancy-focused reports shift forensic writing from procedure-based sections to findings-based answers. Learn practical filters for what belongs in a report, how to reduce cognitive strain, and why addressing disc...
Sharon Kelley - Misdemeanors and the Competency Crisis
This episode examines the national competency crisis, focusing on misdemeanor defendants, rising incompetence findings, statutory responses across states, and the ethical, clinical, and systemic consequences for courts, evaluators, and defendan...
Andi Brierley - Peer Mentorship in the Legal System
Andi Brierley joins Forensic Briefs to discuss his journey from incarceration to academia, exploring how lived experience informs desistance, peer mentorship, and rehabilitation. He highlights the power of credibility, connection, and rethinkin...
Raquel Aldana - Immigration Evaluations
Professor Raquel Aldana joins Forensic Briefs to discuss the role of trauma, truth, and narrative in immigration law. She examines how forensic evaluations and storytelling shape asylum outcomes and why culturally sensitive, trauma-informed pra...
Raquel Aldana - Trauma as inclusion in the immigration context
Professor Raquel Aldana explores how trauma and law intersect in the immigration system, examining how legal processes can both harm and heal—and how forensic mental health evaluations are reshaping justice for displaced and marginalized commun...
Mike Chavetz - Recommendations for Forensic Record Reviews
Dr. Michael Chafetz is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist in private practice in New Orleans. He specializes in the validity of Social Security disability exams, especially in low-functioning claimants, and frequently serves as a cour...
Lisa Drago - Use of Social Media in Evaluations
Dr. Lisa Drago explores the growing role of social media in forensic mental health evaluations. She discusses ethical considerations, challenges in interpretation, and the impact of online behavior on credibility, diagnosis, and risk assessment...
Andrew Smith – Experts’ Inconclusive Reports Conceal Exculpatory Evidence in Forensic Cartridge Case Comparisons
Andrew M. Smith is an Associate Professor of Cognitive Psychology at Iowa State University, where he investigates memory, judgment, and decision-making, particularly within legal contexts such as eyewitness identification and deception detectio...
Elizabeth Foster and Sharon Kelley - Feedback in Forensic Mental Health Assessments Short
Dr. Lizzy Foster and Dr. Sharon Kelley discuss the ethical and legal challenges of providing feedback in forensic mental health assessments, offering a practical framework to help evaluators balance transparency, respect, and professional respo...
Julie Goldenson - Trauma-Informed Forensic Mental Health Assessments
Dr. Julie Goldenson joins us to explore how trauma-informed principles can enhance forensic mental health assessments. Drawing from her 2022 article, she discusses the ethical tensions evaluators face, how complex trauma shapes behavior, and wh...
Dave DeMatteo - Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology
Dr. Dave DeMatteo joins Forensic Briefs to discuss the history, revisions, and unexpected legal power of the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology. From their origins to future updates, he unpacks the ethical and legal stakes fa...
Maaike Helmus - Risk Assessment with Child Sexual Exploitation Material Offenders
Dr. Maaike Helmus discusses risk assessment in child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) cases, highlighting research challenges, tool validation issues, and recent debates around the CPORT. She explains how practitioners can responsibly naviga...
Shelby Hunter - Neuropsychological Deficits Associated with Medical Conditions
Dr. Shelby Hunter returns to discuss how common medical conditions like HIV, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease can impact cognitive functioning in forensic populations. She highlights practical strategies for clinicians and attorneys, drawin...
Aliza Kaplan - Implicit Bias in the Forensic Sciences
Professor Aliza Kaplan joins the podcast to explore how implicit bias in forensic science contributes to wrongful convictions. Drawing from decades of experience in criminal justice reform, Kaplan discusses the systemic challenges, forensic sci...
Elizabeth Jeglic - Sexual Grooming Behaviors
In this episode of Forensic Briefs, Dr. Elizabeth Jeglic, a leading expert on sexual violence prevention, breaks down the complex process of sexual grooming. She discusses her research on identifying red flags, the five stages of groom...