Juvenile Forensic Psychology

Juvenile forensic psychological evaluations pose unique challenges to mental health professionals. Juvenile forensic examiners must possess a unique blend of expertise, including special training, knowledge, skill, and experience. It can be difficult to find professionals who possess the competencies to conduct high quality juvenile forensic mental health evaluations. 

When mental health professionals practice in juvenile forensic contexts without adequate expertise in these areas, they risk making basic mistakes in their practice and offering erroneous information to the courts.

Juvenile forensic mental health examiners must possess expertise in the following areas:

​Forensic Assessment

Forensic evaluations are conducted specifically for use in court contexts and must reflect an understanding of relevant legal standards. They require unique perspective, practice standards, assessment methods, and communication skills when compared to mainstream clinical evaluations

Child Development & Mental Health

Child clinical mental health is an established specialty area that requires knowledge about the processes of child development, the unique complexities of how mental health problems present in youth, and unique assessment strategies and tools.

Justice
Systems

Justice systems are often foreign terrain to mental health professionals. To assist courts, juvenile forensic psychologists must understand the procedures and practices within the court and correctional/detention systems in which they work, as well as the services available to juveniles within the justice, mental health, and other related systems

Justice-Involved Youth

Youth who become involved in justice settings often have experienced uniquely complex life circumstances and show unique patterns of development and mental health problems that must be well understood.