FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT
Forensic psychological assessment focuses on understanding offending behaviour and risk in a way that is directly useful to the court and other decision-makers. Assessments consider developmental history, mental health, personality style, substance use, contextual factors around the alleged offences and patterns of behaviour over time. Structured professional judgement approaches to risk are used alongside detailed psychological formulation. The emphasis is on prevention rather than prediction alone: opinions go beyond simple labels such as “high risk” and “low risk” and instead explain why risk exists, how it is maintained and what conditions, supports and interventions are most likely to reduce the likelihood of further harm in both custodial and community settings.
MAJOR MENTAL ILLNESS AND COMPLEX COMORBIDITY
Clinical psychological assessment covers the full range of adult mental health conditions. This includes anxiety and depressive disorders, but also severe and complex difficulties such as schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, bipolar and other major mood disorders, trauma-related conditions, personality disorder, impulse-control difficulties, eating disorders, substance use and paraphilic interests. Information from clinical interview, collateral sources, psychometric measures and behavioural observation is brought together into a formulation that explains the person’s difficulties in the context of their life story, vulnerabilities, strengths and current circumstances. This formulation then informs opinions about culpability and mitigation, treatment needs, programme suitability, capacity to benefit from rehabilitation and likely response to supervision and support.
NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND NEURODEVELOPMENTAL CONDITIONS
Neuropsychological assessment examines how intellectual disability, ADHD and other attention and impulse-control difficulties, autism spectrum presentations, specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, acquired brain injury and neurocognitive disorders affect thinking, emotion and behaviour. Assessments clarify diagnosis and functional impact and provide practical guidance for communication, management, supervision and treatment planning. Neuropsychological and neurodevelopmental factors are considered in relation to both vulnerability and risk, including the ways in which such conditions may influence a person’s capacity to understand and participate in legal processes, to engage with programmes and to manage transitions between custodial and community settings.
MEDICO-LEGAL REPORTS AND STATUTORY WORK
Medico-legal reports are prepared in serious and complex criminal and related legal matters where specialist psychological opinion is required. These reports commonly address questions of diagnosis; the contribution of mental disorder, neurodevelopmental conditions and brain injury to offending; risk of general, violent or sexual recidivism; management and treatment planning; psychosexual functioning; and pre-sentence or pre-release considerations.
Reports are frequently prepared under, or in relation to, key New Zealand legislation, including for example:
Forensic Psychology Ltd provides assessment and opinion only and does not offer ongoing treatment to individual clients.