Forensic Counseling or

Therapy: Treatment of
Psychological Trauma

Prof. Dr. Farah Malik

 Psychological trauma can result from almost any
physical injury, especially if the injury occurs
within a life-threatening event. …. Physical abuse,
sexual abuse, rape, delinquency, ……

 Injuries that are physically disfiguring or those

which disable primary adaptive functions are more
likely to result in psychological trauma.

 Additionally, psychological trauma can occur in the

absence of any significant physical injury,
 either as the result of witnessing trauma in others,
 or following personal escape from serious injury

following a traumatic event.

 Psychological trauma may result in a post
traumatic stress response (the most
commonly expected diagnosis) : PTSD,

 but it can also cause depression, specific

phobias, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety, or
dissociation and Severe disorder (psychosis).
 The treatment of psychological trauma
depends partially on the type of emotional
problem being presented, but in most of the
cases cognitive and behavioral treatment
approaches (CBT) work very well.

 Cognitive treatment involves identifying the

emotional meaning of the trauma, or how the
trauma is linked to fear, anxiety and
depression or PTSD ….

 Changing the emotional meaning of the event

is essential for the treatment to be effective.
Evaluations and Recommendation
 Once an allegation of Child abuse or Rape or DV has
been made, it must be investigated to determine
whether there is a basis for the allegation.

 Forensic Psychologists are frequently asked to

evaluate children and adults

 to assess whether a pattern of abuse is evident,

 to identify personal, family and outside stressors
that are contributing to the abuse pattern, or
 creating a high risk situation for abuse to occur, and
 to develop treatment recommendations to eliminate
the abuse that is identified.
Recommendations may include
 removing a child from parental care,
 removing a parent or other adult from the

household,
 supervised visitation,
 discontinuation of visitation,
 changing parental custody,
 treatment for the child or the abuser or both,

and
 a plan for family reunification.
 Forensic Psychologists may complete child abuse
investigations
 for state agencies,
 for private agencies or
 as a private practitioner contracted by the state,
 for a parent making allegations against another
adult or parent,
 especially for a parent being accused of child abuse,
 for the court as part of a custody or
 visitation risk assessment, or
 as part of treatment of a child or adult.

 However, psychologists cannot determine if a person

is lying (neither can anyone else), and evidence of
possible abuse does not mean there is abuse.
 Divorced or separated parents may make
false accusations,

 and problematic children also may make an

accusation and later retract it.

 Forensic Psychologists are obligated to clarify

the limits of prediction based on clinical
judgment and psychological testing, and
should not present their opinion as fact.
 Child abuse investigations usually involve

 Informal Evaluation: clinical interviews with all

involved parties, and collecting information from all
appropriate sources.

 Formal Evaluation: Psychological tests may be

employed to
 assess mental functioning,
 identify possible psychological disorders or
problems, or
 identify abuse risk factors.

 Frequently, the findings are presented in court, and

the court determines whether there is sufficient data
to determine if abuse took place, and who did it.