FAMILY FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY
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     Dr. K. Jeffrey Schlichter is both a forensic and licensed clinical psychologist.  In addition, he is a family mediator, certified by the Supreme Court of Virginia to conduct family mediation for those people involved in Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts and/or Circuit Courts.  He also provides family mediation services for those seeking these services privately.

     In his role as a clinical psychologist he provides diagnostic and treatment services to people who are experiencing emotional, cognitive, and/or behavioral difficulties which are causing them personal distress or resulting in disruption of their relationships with others.  In his role as a forensic psychologist he uses his understanding of psychological principles to work with people involved in some way in the legal system. His primary focus is on the practice of Family Forensic Psychology. The following definitions are useful in understanding Family Forensic Psychology:

● Forensic psychology focuses on the use of psychological principles in legal and judicial processes and procedures.

● Family law focuses on the area of law related to families (e.g., adoption, alimony and spousal support, child support, alternative dispute resolution, child custody and visitation, relocation, domestic violence, elder law, marital property, paternity, reproductive and genetic technologies).

● Family psychology involves understanding individuals, couples, and families in relation to each other and in relation to larger communities.

● Family forensic psychology is an area of psychology formed by the overlap between forensic psychology, family psychology, and the law.

     Psychology and law emerge from different academic cultures and have different definitions of “the truth” and approaches to determining “the truth.” Lawyers tend to be trained to seek “objective truth” using evidence, while psychologists are trained to assess how a particular situation came to be and what interventions would resolve a conflict or solve a problem. In practicing family forensic psychology, a psychologist attempts to integrate these approaches in working with attorneys, courts, individuals, couples, and families who are or may become involved with the legal system in some way.

In his role as a family forensic psychologist Dr. Schlichter:

• Performs court-ordered child custody evaluations

• Conducts parenting evaluations requested by individuals, attorneys, or courts

• Works with divorcing parents to help them develop effective co-parenting procedures in the context of a collaborative divorce

• Evaluates prospective parents seeking to adopt a child

• Consults with attorneys in developing strategies for family law cases

• Serves as a court-ordered parenting coordinator or “gatekeeper” to help those involved in “high-conflict” divorces to manage their parenting responsibilities and communication more effectively

• Provides divorce mediation and post-divorce mediation

• Provides child abuse and domestic violence evaluations

• Provides supervised visitation for children with separated or divorced parents

• Provides opportunities for therapeutic reunification between children and parents who have not had contact with each other subsequent to highly conflicted parental separation and/or divorce

• Provides expert testimony in courts of law

In his role as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Schlichter also provides therapeutic services to those who may or may not be involved in the legal system, including:

• Premarital therapy

• Marital therapy

• Divorce therapy

• Post-divorce therapy

• Psychotherapy to children and adolescents whose parents are contemplating divorce, going through a divorce, or functioning as single parents following a separation or divorce.

     While these clinical services may be related to forensic issues, in providing these services Dr. Schlichter does not serve as an expert witness (i.e., does not testify in court) but functions only as a clinician whose role is to help those individuals, couples, and/or children resolve problems, not to provide evidence in any court proceeding.

     It is vital that mental health professionals maintain strict boundaries between their roles as clinicians and forensic consultants, and it is important that potential patients or clients understand the distinctions between these roles at the time they are seeking the services of a mental health professional. Maintenance of these boundaries and ensuring that clients understand these different roles are consistent with ethical guidelines of the American Psychological Association (APA).  Dr. Schlichter does his utmost to ensure that his clients understand the distinctions and to avoid performing dual roles.