Practical Approaches to Forensic Mental Health Testimony

by Gutheil, Thomas G.; Dattilio, Frank D.

• ISBN13: 9780781772136
• ISBN10: 0781772133
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-10-02
• Publisher: LWW
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

A practical hands-on guide to testifying in court on mental health issues, this text offers a vital tool for the novice as well as the most seasoned practitioner. Prepared by two of the field's leading scholars and practitioners, this original work cuts through dense forensic mental health theory and addresses the actual, concrete approaches to ethical and effective testimony that experts need in court. Rich in multiple examples of courtroom dialogue, direct and cross examination, collaboration with attorneys, and the craft of effective testimony, this text describes the common pitfalls and various traps that experts so frequently encounter and tells you how to avoid them. Strategies and techniques are clearly illustrated and arm readers with exactly what they need to be successful in their testimony. This book is a must-read for anyone serious about excelling in court.

Table of Contents

About the Authors	p. vii
Preface	p. xi
Introduction	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xvii
Core Issues Regarding the Function of the Expert Witness	p. 1
Presentation of Psychiatric/Psychological Expert Witness Testimony	p. 3
Preparation for Direct Examination	p. 4
Actual Presentation of Testimony	p. 10
Problems in Presenting Testimony	p. 20
Other Problems with Testimony	p. 30
Summing Up	p. 31
The Question of Bias for Expert Witnesses	p. 33
Nature of Bias	p. 34
Summing Up	p. 49
Cross Examination and Other Perils	p. 51
Preparation	p. 52
Responding Actively to Cross Examination	p. 61
Trick Questions	p. 75
Some Attorneys Weigh In	p. 78
Summing Up	p. 80
Limits on Expert Function	p. 83
Limits on Testimony	p. 85
External Limits on Testimony	p. 86
Internal Limits on Testimony	p. 87
Summing Up	p. 91
Practical Representations	p. 91
Narcissistic Obstacles to Objective Testimony	p. 95
"Normal" Confidence	p. 96
Perspective-Taking	p. 97
Flattery	p. 97
The Will to Win	p. 98
Exhibitionism	p. 98
Mirror Transference and the Attorney	p. 99
Narcissistic Excitement	p. 99
Narcissistic Rage	p. 100
Narcissistic Injury	p. 100
Postdramatic Stress Disorder	p. 101
Recommendations	p. 101
The Problem of Late Withdrawal	p. 103
Factors Influencing Late Withdrawal	p. 105
Alternatives to Simple Withdrawal	p. 108
Legal Questions	p. 109
Summing Up	p. 111
Paraforensic Issues	p. 113
Feast or Famine	p. 114
Cash Flow	p. 115
Attorney Problems	p. 115
Travel Problems	p. 116
Mental Tasks and "Forensic Repression"	p. 116
Summing Up	p. 117
Relationships with Attorneys	p. 119
The Attorney-Expert Relationship	p. 121
Avoiding Lawyer-Expert Misalliance Pitfalls	p. 122
Summing Up	p. 124
The Problem of Attorney Coaching	p. 125
Explicit Coaching	p. 126
Ambiguous Coaching	p. 130
Summing Up	p. 131
Empirical Studies of the Attorney-Expert Relationship	p. 133
Empirical Studies of the Attorney-Expert Relationship	p. 134
Summing Up	p. 135
Special Problems for Experts	p. 137
Special Problems for Experts	p. 139
Fouling One's Own Nest: Perjorative Testimony about Colleagues	p. 140
The Insider Position	p. 142
Harassment of Forensic Mental Health Experts	p. 145
Boundary Issues in Forensic Practice	p. 147
Countertransference	p. 150
Traveling and Billing	p. 151
Summing Up	p. 151
Index	p. 153
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