Medico-Legal Services: FCC Psych-Experts


With the increasing demands to arrive at equitable outcome in the legal professional, the need to solicit the aids of experts in field of psychology are also increasing. Within the community, people require medico-legal reports and psychological assessments for different reasons. They may be affected by an accident, or workplace negligence, or traumatic experience and they are aware that it is effort to simply appear in court and state that they have been suffering since the event. In such situation, they  may require a professional in the field (an expert witness) to testify that the symptoms they are experiencing, and the impact on their lives are as a result of the event.


The ability to present very complex issues in a simplified, and easy to understand format often involves

  • a range of highly specialised skills
  • quality time
  • attention to detail
  • a range of professional tools, and
  • a distinct balance between empathy and objectivity.

FCC Psych-Experts have years of experience in psychological assessment, expert witness, and medico-legal report writing.  We uphold outstanding work-ethics and are recognised as among the best in their areas of specialism. FCC Psych-Experts aim to provide excellent, efficient, and quick turn-round mental health assessments and medico-legal reports to our instructing parties.

FCC Psych-Experts accept instructions from:

  1. Individuals (clients)
  2. Third-parties:
  3. Insurance companies,
  4. Solicitors/legal representatives,
  5. Healthcare Professionals,
  6. Family,
  7. Schools, and University etc

We work with:

  1. Children (5 - 12 years)
  2. Adolescents (13 - 17 years)
  3. Adults (18 years and above).


SPECIALISM

Our areas of specialism for medico-legal assessment and report:

  1. Mental Health Assessments: Depression, Anxiety, OCD, Bipolar, Personality Disorders, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) etc.
  2. Personal Injury: psychological trauma following accident (Road Traffic, Work-related or Public place)
  3. Family Law: Domestic Violence, Negligence, Abuse, etc
  4. Complex Trauma: Historical abuse cases, Domestic Violence, etc
  5. Adjustment Disorders for Veterans:  (Combat Stress, PTSD, Anxiety, Depression)
  6. Attachment Disorders: Reactive Attachment disorders (RAD), Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSED)

FCC Psych-Experts Cases


A) PERSONAL INJURY

The problems we cover under personal injury include: 

  1. Psychological Trauma after a road traffic, workplace or public place accident.
  2. Anxiety Disorders / Depression in adults, adolescents,  and children.
  3. Fitness to work / return to work recommendations.
  4. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
  5. Sexual dysfunction following trauma.
  6. Historic Child Abuse Assessments.
  7. Treatment recommendations.
  8. Victims of crime and/or abuse.
  9. Work related stress.
  10. Military claims
  11. Bullying
  12. Trauma Sequelae



B) PUBLIC AND PRIVATE FAMILY LAW


The problems we cover under the Public and Private Family law include:

  1. Substance misuse and addiction - drugs, alcohol, gambling etc.
  2. Personality Disorders, Bipolar
  3. Mental Health assessments.
  4. Mental Capacity Assessment
  5. Emotional and Sexual abuse
  6. Parenting Assessment
  7. Trauma and/or PTSD.
  8. Adult ADHD
  9. Domestic Violence.
  10. Risk Assessments.
  11. Attachment.
  12. Child Development Issues
  13. Neglect.
  14. Abuse.


C) IMMIGRATION/ASYLUM CASES

  • Victims of Torture and Abuse
  • Trafficked Victims : Sexual Abuse
  • Mental Capacity
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorders
  • Deportation and its impact on families
  • Risk Assessments
  • Mental Health problems


Road Traffic Accident (RTA) Psychological Assessments

FCC Psych-Experts uses RTA psychological assessments to evaluate the severity and validity of several psychological or psychiatric illnesses that may arise after RTA. These include:

  • Anxiety;
  • Depression;
  • Phobias;
  • Sleep disturbance;
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder;
  • Personality disorder; and
  • Psychosis.

Our Experts provide reports for the court and solicitors representing claimants and defendants. FCC Psych-Experts provide Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and other RTA therapeutic techniques. Our Experts deliver both face-to-face RTA psychological tests and RTA assessments online of the emotional shock after a car accident. 


Levels of Mental Trauma after RTA

  1. Psychological Trauma: This is psychological trauma, which can be described as having no long-term adverse effect on the individual's life. 
  2. Psychological Trauma: This is a psychological trauma  following a car accident where the prognosis is reasonably favourable, and the effect of the RTA on the individual's life can be described as moderate.
  3. Psychological Trauma : The victim of the RTA has suffered mental injuries that will result in enduring mental dysfunction to the person's personality and/or life ― these psychiatric injuries are likely to be classified as moderately severe psychological trauma. It is important to note that this trauma may be treatable, but may still leave long-term psychiatric injury.
  4. Psychological Trauma: The level of psychiatric injury  is deemed to have an impact on the client's  private and work life. The mental trauma is considered to be impossible or extremely difficult to eliminate even with extensive long-term psychological therapy.
  5. Psychological Trauma:  This is where the emotional shock after the car accident is diagnosed as PTSD.

Parenting Assessments

Our Parenting Assessments include the following areas:

  1. Assessments of ability parenting capacity including assessment of intellectual functioning and the impact of this on caring
  2. Ability of a partner to protect children from a violent, sexually abusive or emotionally abusive person
  3. Whole family assessments in order to establish the dynamics of a family, for example, in the context of disputes or where a child is demonstrating behavioural difficulties
  4. Family risk assessment of physical and emotional abuse, domestic violence and partners' ability to protect
  5. Substance abuse and dependence in a family context
  6. Effect of substance misuse and dependence upon parenting abilities
  7. Psychological effects of matrimonial /relationship breakdown and abusive relationships
  8. Risk Assessments with respect to physical or emotional abuse
  9. Therapeutic needs of parents, timescales and prospect of change
  10. Attachment relationships of children to their parents or carers
  11. Assessment of harm or likelihood of harm suffered by children with respect to known or suspected neglect and/or physical,  & emotional abuse
  12. Therapeutic needs of children following a care order
  13. Impact of abuse
  14. Assessment of drugs and alcohol on ability to parent
  15. Assessments of the ability to protect children from unsuitable partners and grandparents
  16. Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) or brainwashing of a child by one parent to denigrate the other parent
  17. Learning disability and its impact on parenting