Discussion – Week 5

Evaluation Planning As a forensic psychology professional, you will most likely work within civil courts at some point; therefore, you must understand how to plan a priori (or, prior to) when conducting a forensic psychology evaluation. There are many methods for planning and conducting forensic psychology evaluations. However, certain steps are imperative and must be included in an evaluation to ensure that it is adequate. In this Discussion, you review forensic psychology evaluations applicable to the civil courts and learn how to plan for them. The “Keys to Evaluation Planning” document located in this week’s Learning Resources provides information that is important to this and similar future assignments related to evaluation planning in criminal and juvenile courts. To prepare for this Discussion:

· Review the assigned chapters in your course text Psychological Evaluations for the Courts. Pay particular attention to the different psychological evaluations that are applicable in civil courts.

· Review the handout “Keys to Evaluation Planning,” focusing on the steps for devising a plan for a forensic psychology evaluation. Think about the most important aspects of evaluation planning.

· Read the two vignettes located in the “ Vignettes: Week 5” handout in this week’s Learning Resources.

· Select one of the vignettes that is of particular interest to you, and think about how you would plan for evaluating the person in the vignette you selected, as well as what the most important parts of this planning might be.

With these thoughts in mind: Post by Day 4 an explanation of how you would plan for evaluation of the individual in the vignette you selected based on the information provided. Be very specific. Then explain what you think would be the most important aspects of that planning. Finally, explain what insights you have gained about evaluation planning. Justify your response by using the Learning resources. Note: Include the vignette you selected in the first line of your post. You will be asked to respond to a colleague who discussed the other vignette that you did not.