Med-Legal Assessment: Capacity, Psych & Neuropsych Testing
Dr. Reger conducts medico-legal psychological evaluations for a variety of reasons. As a neutral psychological evaluator, she can provide an expert psychological opinion in a legal case. She does this based on the results of neuropsychological, psychological, or capacity testing.
Personal Injury
In the case of a personal injury, Dr. Reger will offer appropriate testing to evaluate psychological or neuropsychological function. For example, Dr. Reger can offer an expert witness opinion on whether an injury resulted in a psychological diagnosis or traumatic brain injury. Which may help attorneys, judges, or jurors better understand the impact of the injury in a legal case.
Fit-for-duty
For this Dr. Reger will offer psychological testing to determine whether a job candidate is psychologically suited for a particular job. This is often required for certain professions such as law enforcement. It is used to help ensure that someone is psychologically healthy enough to fulfill the necessary work-related responsibilities.
Capacity Evaluation
As an expert witness psychologist with specialized geropsychology training, Dr. Reger also has expertise in capacity evaluation. This is an often highly complex and nuanced type of psych testing. Capacity evaluation is a responsibility Dr. Reger takes seriously. That is because it often has a major impact on a person’s ability to live and make decisions independently. She focuses on balancing the desire to maintain personal autonomy and independence with the need for protection. It is used in cases where an adult may have dementia, an intellectual disability, or another medical condition that impacts their ability to make decisions. There are several types of capacity assessment.
Decision-Making
Dr. Reger is qualified to assess capacity for medical decision-making. This may be necessary when someone needs a medical treatment that they cannot fully understand or make an informed decision about. In most cases, their family or the medical team wants to know whether the person can consent to treatment or not.
Financial Capacity
Additionally, Dr. Reger can assess financial capacity. This is necessary when family, medical providers, or others have concerns about an adult’s ability to manage and make decisions about their own finances. For example, older adults who have cognitive decline might find themselves repeatedly falling victim to financial scams. Or they spend money in ways that are detrimental to their own well-being because of diminished capacity.
adult guardianship and guardian ad litem
Dr. Reger also conducts capacity assessments in adult guardianship and adult guardian ad litem cases. In these cases, there is a question of whether an adult is able to make their own decisions in general about all aspects of life (medical, finances, living situation). Or where there is a need for an adult to have a temporary guardian to represent their interests in a specific legal case (guardian ad litem). For example, a person with an intellectual disability who is involved in a personal injury suit may not have the ability to assist their counsel in representing them, so a family member may be appointed to assist them just for that case.
The Importance of Med-Legal Psych & Neuropsych Testing
Medico-legal psychological assessments and neuro psych testing can have an impact on many different areas of a person’s life. Such as:
employment
legal settlements
finances
medical procedures
decision-making rights
Because of this, it is imperative to hire a psychologist to conduct the evaluation who has expertise in psych testing, neuro psych testing, or capacity testing, appropriate to the situation.
Dr. Reger’s Approach to Psychological Assessments & Neuropsych Testing
In medical-legal psych assessment cases, Dr. Reger will conduct a thorough interview with the patient, as well as family members and caregivers when needed. She may also request a release of information to speak with a person’s medical providers or financial advisors in capacity cases.
Additionally, Dr. Reger will administer a personalized battery of tests that examine the psychological and neuropsychological abilities in question. All of these things allow her to provide the most accurate report possible. Thus allowing the best possible decision to be reached by the requesting party. Which is usually an employer, agency, judge, attorney, or concerned family member.
Get MED-LEGAL Psych Or Neuropsych Testing in Los Angeles, CA
Whether you need testing for fitness-for-duty, personal injury, or capacity evaluation, Dr. Reger can help. As an expert witness psychologist, she will look at all of the information available to create the most accurate report possible. Just follow these simple steps to set up psychological testing or neuro psych testing:
Schedule the testing with Dr. Reger
Get the answers you need to make your med-legal decisions
Other Therapy & Assessment Services in Los Angles, CA
Dr. Reger offers individual therapy and counseling for older adults. As well as other types of psychological and neuropsychological assessments in Redondo Beach, CA and in many locations around Southern California. The assessments she offers include evaluation for workers' compensation, dementia testing, and preoperative psychological assessments.