Psycho-Legal Assessment
Psycho-legal assessment refers to the process where psychological knowledge is applied within a legal context. This process may also be called forensic psychology. We are a medico-legal evaluation and assessment company where each report is considered individually and allocated to a psychologist with specific areas of interest and skills relevant to the legal question posed.
Within the South African context forensic psychology, or psycho-legal assessments, may be conducted by psychologists registered with the HPCSA. In addition, the psychologist is required to have proven high levels of competence with regard to the application of psychological principles within the context of the legal system. In this regard, they distinguish themselves as experts with regards to this specific area and may then be accepted by the court as an expert witness.
Examples of psycho-legal assessment include:
- personal injury claims
- medical negligence claims
- third-party claims such as claims from the Road Accident Fund.
Typically, the assessment entails an information-gathering phase consisting of various types of interviews, assessment and reviewing of available reports regarding an individual’s functioning. This information will then be integrated in accordance with psychological principles and presented in the format of a report.
This report contains the psychologist’s findings and their expert opinion. The aim of this process is to assist the legal representative in obtaining a holistic picture of their client. This process provides recommendations on further areas that require exploration, treatment options and prognostic factors.
When requesting a psycho-legal evaluation, it is of utmost importance that the legal representative rather than the client makes contact with the clinician regarding the request, booking, and receipt of the report.