Okay, so here’s the deal. Lately, I’ve been diving into a pretty interesting area: what an attorney actually asks for when they need psychological services. It’s not as straightforward as you might think. Let me walk you through what I’ve been doing and learning.
First things first, I started by just googling it. I mean, that’s where everyone starts, right? I typed in “what does an attorney request for psychological services” and sifted through a bunch of articles and forum posts. A lot of it was pretty general, stuff like “competency evaluations” or “expert witness testimony,” but I wanted more specifics.
Then, I figured I’d try to find some real-life examples. I went digging through publicly available court documents online. This took a while, and honestly, it was kinda tedious. But I eventually found some motions and orders where attorneys were requesting psychological evaluations or expert opinions. I started paying close attention to the actual language they used.
Here’s what I noticed kept popping up:
- Specific Questions: Attorneys almost always have really specific questions they want answered. It’s not just “is this person crazy?” It’s more like, “Does this person have the cognitive capacity to understand the terms of this contract?” or “Is this person likely to re-offend?” They’re looking for targeted answers, not general impressions.
- Record Review: They want the psychologist to review records – lots of them. Medical records, police reports, school records, witness statements, you name it. Basically, they want the psychologist to get the full picture before even meeting the person.
- Specific Tests: Sometimes they’ll request specific psychological tests. Like, “Administer the MMPI-2” or “Conduct a WAIS-IV.” Other times, they’ll leave it up to the psychologist to decide what tests are appropriate.
- Forensic Report: The end goal is usually a written report that can be submitted to the court. Attorneys want the report to be clear, concise, and easy to understand (even for non-psychologists). They also need it to be admissible as evidence.
To get a better handle on this, I even reached out to a couple of attorneys I know. I just asked them flat-out, “What do you look for when you hire a psychologist for a case?” One of them said, “I need someone who can explain complex psychological concepts in a way that a jury can understand.” The other emphasized the importance of credibility and experience. They need to know the psychologist has a solid reputation and can hold up under cross-examination.
After all that research, I decided to try drafting a sample request for psychological services myself. I pretended I was an attorney working on a hypothetical case (a custody dispute, in this instance). I tried to incorporate everything I’d learned: specific questions, a request for record review, some suggested tests, and clear instructions for the report. It was actually pretty challenging! I realized how much detail and precision goes into these requests.
Here’s the gist of my practice request:
I outlined a hypothetical situation with parents involved in a bitter custody dispute, and explicitly mentioned the need to assess the mental and emotional state of both parents and the impact on the child.
- Requested a detailed review of previous court documents, child protective services records, and any medical or psychological records pertaining to the family.
- Suggested the administration of parenting capacity assessments, personality assessments, and child-focused assessments to evaluate the parent-child relationship.
- Provided a list of key questions I needed answered:
- Is either parent experiencing a mental health condition that could impair their ability to provide appropriate care for the child?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of each parent regarding their parenting abilities?
- How does each parent’s behavior impact the child’s emotional and psychological well-being?
- What recommendations can be made to promote the child’s best interests regarding custody and visitation?
It was a decent exercise in understanding attorney needs and expectations from psychological professionals.
So, what did I learn from all this? Basically, attorneys need psychologists to be thorough, specific, and credible. They need answers to targeted questions, based on a comprehensive review of the available information. And they need those answers presented in a way that’s clear, concise, and legally defensible. It’s a pretty demanding job, but it’s also incredibly important.
I’m still learning, of course. But this has been a really eye-opening experience. I’m definitely going to keep digging deeper into this area. Who knows, maybe I’ll even specialize in forensic psychology someday!
