 |
 |
 |
 |
||
Personal injury evaluations require an understanding of the fact that proximate cause is the primary issue at hand. Forensic psychologists perform tests and evaluations in order to ascertain not only the presence or absence of psychological trauma, but also the degree to which the alleged injury was the proximate cause of the psychological trauma. It is not enough to merely state that the client suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, or cognitive injury. It is important to evaluate to what degree the alleged injury played a role in the development of the symptoms.
Because of this, it is important that information is gathered regarding the client's emotional and/or intellectual functioning prior to the alleged injury or incident as well as evaluating the client's current emotional and/or intellectual functioning. This can be accomplished only by utilizing appropriate psychological tests, conducting in-depth clinical interviews, and, most importantly, reviewing appropriate third party information regarding the client's functioning. As a result, Dr. Kitchen utilizes at least some, if not all of the following procedures.
- Clinical interviews
- Psychological testing
- Review of records
- Educational records (if available)
- Medical records (if available)
- Mental health records (if available)
- Interviews with third parties
