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Practical Approaches to Forensic Mental Health Testimony

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This remarkable book shines a light on the hidden snares that trip and trap us all, newcomers and old pros alike. Two of the field's most respected leaders give us invaluable practical guidance in how to be successful expert witnesses without losing our perspective, integrity, or sense of humor. Don't wait to borrow the well-thumbed personal copy of one of the attorneys who deposes and cross-examines you -- read this treasure now.

--Ken Pope, Ph.D., ABPP

Experts in the field of emergency mental health may occasionally be called upon to testify in court about their evaluation and/or treatment of a particular patient. Other mental health practitioners spend a good part of their professional careers as expert witnesses in legal cases. Although volumes on forensic psychology and expert testimony abound, there has long been a need for a concise but comprehensive, informative but practical handbook for clinicians who find themselves on the front lines of courtroom cross-examination. Practical Approaches to Forensic Mental Health Testimony by psychiatrist Thomas Gutheil and psychologist Frank Dattilio is the book you want to read before your next trial.

This deceptively thin volume manages to combine authoritative scholarship with nuts-and-bolts practical tips for defining and delineating the expert's role; preparing for and delivering compelling expert testimony; overcoming personal and professional biases; handling cross-examination; negotiating internal and external roadblocks to effective testimony; establishing productive working relationships with - and avoiding inappropriate influence by - attorneys and other third parties; handling fees, billing, and scheduling issues; and a host of other details essential to maintaining a forensic psychology practice. In each chapter, the topics are illustrated with numerous case examples and testimony transcripts that flesh out the narrative and give the reader a three-dimensional grasp of how these issues play out in real-life courtrooms. The result is one of those rare books that you put down feeling that you actually learned how to do something.

Overall, Practical Approaches to Forensic Mental Health Testimony is informed by a hard-nosed, unsentimental, yet realistically positive view of the field of expert mental health testimony as a productive blend of clinical scholarship, persuasive teaching, and professional ethics, presented by two seasoned authorities who continue to work in the trenches, and are glad to impart their clinical and forensic wisdom to their colleagues in the courtroom.

- Laurence Miller, PhD, International Journal of Emergency Mental Health

This is a succinct but truly excellent guide for mental health professionals offering expert testimony. It lays out the conceptual basis for such testimony, including ethical, professional and intrapsychic aspects in an incisive manner. This slim volume then offers excellent practical advice for dealing with a variety of issues including dealing with cross examination, pressures from retaining attorneys and a variety of special problems that can arise for experts. The book uses numerous case examples to great advantage. This book has no fluff or padding and packs a master class for expert testimony into 150 pages. This is destined to become one of the classics in the field.