|
| |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Dr. Weiss has a unique specialization in the area of trauma,
and she regularly applies this expertise to forensic cases. She routinely
conducts evaluations with battered women, adult survivors of severe
childhood physical and sexual abuse, as well as with children and
adolescents who have been victimized that are also involved in criminal and
civil litigation. Dr. Weiss provides forensic evaluations as well as consultation
to attorneys throughout the country in criminal, civil, and family cases
where domestic violence and other forms of abuse are a factor. She has
worked extensively with abused children and adults in rape crisis centers,
outpatient trauma programs in community mental health centers, in a medical
school clinic, and as the assessment supervisor of a state-funded program
that provided mental health services to abused and neglected foster
children. She has presented her work and authored publications in the area
of childhood sexual abuse. |
|
|
|
Dr. Weiss regularly works with attorneys to help determine
whether traumatized individuals have developed Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder, which is a diagnosable and quantifiable mental disorder
characterized by clear biological changes and psychological symptoms.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is a cluster of symptoms that can develop in
individuals who have either experienced, witnessed, or been confronted with
a traumatic event. The three primary symptom clusters of Posttraumatic
Stress Disorder are re-experiencing the traumatic incident(s) in the form
of nightmares and/or flashbacks, avoidance of reminders to the
trauma and numbing of responsiveness, as well as
increased physiological arousal such as sleep disturbances,
irritability, and/or concentration problems. |
|
|
|
Individuals who have survived severe childhood sexual and
physical abuse, torture, cult abuse, and/or satanic ritual abuse can develop
Dissociative Disorders. Dissociation is a mechanism that traumatized
individuals use to mentally escape from or block out these overwhelmingly
painful traumatic experiences. Dissociative experiences range from mild to
severe. For example, a mild form of dissociation could be having difficulty
maintaining focus in the present. On the other hand, severe forms of
dissociation can include extensive forgetting or substantial gaps in memory,
not being able to account for significant periods of time, engaging in
activities for which a person has no recollection, feeling detached from
oneself or one’s environment, confusion about one’s personal identity,
assumption of a new identity, and/or the presence of two or more distinct
personality states. |
| |
|
Dr. Weiss uses state-of-the-art psychological testing to help
diagnose and quantify the psychological effects of trauma in a way that is
understandable to courts. She has conducted forensic evaluations, consulted
with attorneys, and provided expert witness testimony in the following types
of cases: |
|
|
| Criminal Law |
|
|
 |
Battered Women who Kill their Abusive Partners |
|
Children and Adolescents who Kill their Abusive
Parent(s)/Caretaker(s) |
|
Role of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and/or Dissociative
Disorders in the Commission of a
Crime |
|
Malingered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder |
|
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder as a Mitigating Factor in
Sentencing |
|
|
|
| Civil Law |
|
|
|
Psychological Impact of Clergy and/or Teacher Abuse |
|
Sexual Harassment, Workplace Discrimination, and/or Hostile
Work Environments |
|
Rape Victims on Cruise Ships |
|
Mentally Retarded and/or Chronically Mentally Ill Sexual
Assault Victims |
|
Sexual Assault Victims in Apartment Complexes, Parking
Lots, and/or in Other Public Settings |
|
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and/or Dissociative Disorders
following Severe Childhood Abuse |
|
Consequences of Single Event Trauma (Car Accident,
Witness to Murder, and/or Natural Disaster) |
|
|
|
| Family Law |
| |
|
Battered Person Syndrome Duress in Marital Relationships |
|
Removal of Children due to Physical and/or Sexual Abuse |
|
Child Dependency/Neglect |
|
| |
|
