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- The Mental Status Examination is Not a Scientific Psychological Measure
- Sex Offender or Delerious Drug Addict
- Insane, innocent, or merely dishonest?
- The California Board of Behavioral Sciences Seeks Biased Opinions from its Retained Experts
- Psychological Testimony and Daubert: Pro-Science and Pro-Corporations
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Author Archives: Martin H. Williams, Ph.D.
The Mental Status Examination is Not a Scientific Psychological Measure
As an expert witness, I often testify at trials and hearings. Part of my testimony often includes reports of scientifically-based, objective psychological tests I have administered. An objective psychological test is scored with no input from the evaluator, rendering the … Continue reading
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Sex Offender or Delerious Drug Addict
I recently assisted in obtaining a not-guilty verdict for a defendant who had actually engaged in sex crimes. He had exposed himself, had masturbated and had walked into a hotel lobby and had inappropriately touched the woman working at the … Continue reading
Insane, innocent, or merely dishonest?
I have now worked on my third court ordered criminal evaluation in which I could not decide whether the defendant was mentally ill, simply dishonest or wrongly accused. A variety of psychological conditions could cause a criminal defendant to incorrectly … Continue reading
The California Board of Behavioral Sciences Seeks Biased Opinions from its Retained Experts
I recently testified on behalf of the respondent in a Board of Behavioral Science (BBS) case. The BBS regulates California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists and Licensed Clinical Social workers. At the administrative hearing, I discovered something shocking about the … Continue reading
Psychological Testimony and Daubert: Pro-Science and Pro-Corporations
During the mid-1980s, I treated a patient in her first trimester of pregnancy who was suffering from severe morning sickness. At the time, I was working at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Santa Clara, California. Although I saw no … Continue reading
Therapist-Patient Sex Twenty Years Later: A View From The Courtroom
Twenty or so years have passed since therapist-patient sex came squarely to the attention of the psychotherapy professions. In 1986, Kenneth Pope and Jacqueline Bouhoutsos published their book, “Sexual Intimacy Between Therapists and Patients” (Praeger). The publication of this book … Continue reading
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: The Experience of Trauma (Criterion A) is Not Subjective
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a psychiatric diagnosis that is overused in civil litigation. Plaintiffs inappropriately claim to suffer from PTSD despite the fact they they did not experience a life-threatening, horrific circumstance. The role of subjectivity in … Continue reading
Is PTSD the New Whiplash?
Years ago, the claim of “whiplash” was identified as an often bogus addition to a personal injury claim resulting from an auto accident. Whiplash was a neck injury, presumably caused by head movement at the moment of impact. In the … Continue reading
The Borderline Plaintiff
The Borderline Plaintiff is a problem for attorneys who may lack the clinical skills to recognize that some of their clients have serious, but often undetectable, emotional issues. Psychologists often take many years learning to deal with individuals with Borderline … Continue reading
Martin H. Williams, Ph.D. On Forensic Psychology 