Forensic mental health evaluations use psychological science to address specific legal questions. These assessments go beyond typical clinical analysis by focusing on issues central to the justice system, offering objective, evidence-based insights tailored to the courtroom's standards.
What truly sets Atlas Psychological Services apart is our rare combination of psychological training and legal knowledge. This positions our team to understand not just the clinical aspects of psychological evaluation but also the specific legal standards, procedural requirements, and evidentiary rules that govern how psychological evidence is presented in court. This dual perspective ensures that our forensic psychological evaluations for attorneys and court proceedings are both scientifically sound and legally strategic.
Dr. Sanjay Shah and Dr. Jonathan Hill offer professional excellence and real-world applications to every evaluation. They hold academic affiliations at leading Atlanta universities and maintain memberships in professional psychological organizations. They remain at the forefront of research, training, and best practices in assessment. Their combined experience ensures each evaluation is thorough, objective, and grounded in the highest professional standards.
Forensic Psychological Evaluations We Provide for Legal Professionals
The evaluation process at our Atlanta practice goes beyond simple testing. Our multi-dimensional approach reveals patterns and insights that less thorough evaluations often miss, providing you with the substantive psychological evidence necessary to support your legal strategy. Here's what you can expect.
Criminal Forensic Evaluations
These are the foundation of our practice. Assessments for criminal proceedings help determine competency to stand trial, evaluate criminal responsibility/mental state at the time of offense, examine psychosexual risk, and provide mitigation evidence for sentencing. Each evaluation follows established legal standards and produces clear, well-supported opinions to help ensure reports and testimony are thorough and defensible.
Employment-Related Evaluations
Atlas Psychological Services partners with both private employers and public agencies facing difficult personnel decisions. We conduct fitness-for-duty assessments, pre-employment psychological screenings, and independent psychological examinations that help organizations make informed decisions while protecting their legal interests. Our long-term relationships with major employers demonstrate our ability to handle large-scale contracts and consistently meet organizational needs.
Civil Litigation Support
Our team also conducts psychological evaluations in civil matters, such as family law matters and assessments of testamentary capacity, where mental health factors may influence legal outcomes. We provide objective evaluations to help attorneys understand how psychological conditions and life circumstances may affect their clients’ functioning and decision-making.
Benefits of Working With Atlas Psychological Services
Dr. Shah’s dual background as a licensed psychologist with legal training provides meaningful value in forensic and legal matters. He understands how judges and juries receive evidence, what types of findings carry the most weight in different legal contexts, and how to structure evaluations that support specific legal arguments.
This legal insight, combined with his and Dr. Hill’s academic backgrounds with real-world expertise, ensures that our forensic psychological evaluations for attorneys and court proceedings meet the highest standards of both professions.
Our Multi-Method Approach to Forensic Assessment
At Atlas Psychological Services, we understand that legal decisions require rock-solid psychological evidence. Our forensic psychologists adhere to a rigorous methodology that has earned the trust of attorneys and courts throughout Atlanta and Georgia. Each component serves a specific purpose in building the comprehensive psychological picture that can help inform your case. While these components are considered foundational to high-quality forensic evaluations, many assessments rely primarily on testing or interviews alone. Our approach is distinguished by the consistent and comprehensive integration of all four elements in every evaluation, regardless of case complexity.
Clinical Interviews
Clinical interviews are the backbone of our forensic evaluation process, providing an in-depth understanding of each individual’s psychological history, current mental health status, and circumstances relevant to the legal questions at hand. While interviews are a core component of any forensic psychological assessment, our Atlanta-based team emphasizes tailoring this approach to the unique context of every case. This careful, nuanced interviewing yields insights that standardized testing alone cannot capture.
Standardized Psychological Testing
Objective measurement is essential for any credible forensic mental health evaluation. Our forensic psychologists in Georgia select standardized psychological tests specifically validated for legal and forensic use, ensuring that all findings meet the scientific and legal standards required in court. Our testing protocols are designed not only to assess cognitive and emotional functioning but also to detect malingering or symptom exaggeration when relevant. Integrating these results with collateral and interview data supports clear, defensible opinions that stand up to scrutiny.
Collateral Information Gathering
Collateral interviews are often undervalued or inconsistently applied in forensic psychology. Our team systematically incorporates this step, gathering information from family members, treatment providers, employers, and other relevant parties who can provide essential context about long-term psychological functioning. These perspectives frequently reveal patterns or corroborate details that enhance the reliability of a forensic mental health assessment.
Record Review
Ethical guidelines require that psychologists base their opinions when performing psychological assessments on information sufficient to substantiate their conclusions. Our practice conducts comprehensive record reviews—including medical records, employment files, academic transcripts, and any other documentation relevant to the psychological questions in your case. This thorough examination helps build a complete understanding of the individual’s mental health history and supports well-reasoned conclusions aligned with legal standards.
Timely, Defensible Results When You Need Them Most
Legal proceedings operate on strict timelines, and delayed forensic psychological evaluations might hinder your case strategy. While each case varies, at Atlas Psychological Services, our standard turnaround time is six to eight weeks. We offer expedited evaluations when circumstances require faster results. These forensic valuations can be completed within 30 days or less when our schedule permits, ensuring that court deadlines don't compromise the quality of psychological assessment your case requires.
Our reports are written specifically for legal audiences, avoiding psychological jargon in favor of clear, accessible language that attorneys, judges, and juries can easily understand. While adding to credibility, Dr. Shah’s legal training also supports evaluations that address the specific legal standards and evidentiary requirements relevant to your case.
When testimony is required, our psychologists are prepared to explain their findings in court, defend their methodologies under cross-examination, and help legal professionals understand the psychological factors relevant to their cases.
Choose Our Trusted Psychological Expertise for Forensic Needs
When psychological factors may play a role in your case, our Atlanta-based team provides forensic psychological evaluations tailored individuals cases, legal issues, and proceedings. Contact Atlas Psychological Services to discuss your evaluation needs and explore how our psychologists’ forensic expertise can inform your legal strategy. Call or text (404) 500-9681 to schedule a consultation and learn more about how we can support your most critical forensic evaluation needs.
