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Clinical-Forensic Psychologist
Mark D Worthen PsyD
Updated February 28, 2024
I am a clinical-forensic psychologist in private practice in Charlotte, North Carolina.
On this page:
- Consultation to Veterans Law Attorneys
- Consultation to Attorneys - Insurance, Disability, Personal Injury
- Consultation to Other Psychologists (C&P Exams)
- Independent Psychological Exams Directly for Veterans
- Clinical-Forensic Psychologist?
- Education and Training
- Work Experience as a Forensic Psychologist
- Professional Service in Forensic Psychology
- Writing Related to Forensic Psychology
- Psychology License
Consultation to Veterans Law Attorneys
I specialize in consultation and evaluation services in veterans law cases, i.e., consultation to veterans' legal representatives (veterans law attorneys and VA-accredited claims agents).
I also conduct Independent Psychological Exams (IPE) with veterans appealing an unfavorable VA disability claim referred by their attorney or claims agent, provided the veteran lives in a PSYPACT state.
You might like my newsletter, Psychological Insights for Veterans Law Attorneys.
If you choose to subscribe to the newsletter, I will send you a specially-prepared article for veterans law attorneys and VA-accredited claims agents as a "thank you" for subscribing. That article is: How to Challenge the Presumption of Competency for VA Mental Health Examiners.
Consultation to Attorneys - Insurance, Disability, Personal Injury
I offer psychological consultation and evaluation services to attorneys in insurance, disability, and personal injury cases in North Carolina, and in some cases, for attorneys who practice in a PSYPACT state.
Consultation to Other Psychologists (C&P Exams)
I provide consultation to other psychologists with regard to evidence-based psychological evaluations of veterans who have filed a disability claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs (C&P exams).
The psychologist must work or live in a PSYPACT state or in a jurisdiction that allows temporary practice by out-of-state psychologists.
Independent Psychological Exams Directly for Veterans
In select cases, I will conduct an Independent Psychological Exam (IPE) directly for a veteran.
These independent evaluations are known as "nexus letters" in the veteran community, although they involve a lot more than a letter.
I have several requirements and provisos for such IPEs, and I emphasize that most veterans do not need a nexus letter since they will receive a free evaluation (C&P exam) from VA.
Go to this web page for more information: Nexus Letters for VA Claims.
Clinical-Forensic Psychologist?
My Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) degree is in clinical psychology.
Calling myself a "clinical-forensic psychologist" means that I apply clinical psychology knowledge and methods to help answer legal questions. Psychologists who provide healthcare services must be licensed, but there is not a separate license for forensic psychology.
There are important distinctions between clinical and forensic psychological assessment, which you can review in this chart: Clinical vs. Forensic Psychology.
By the way, other psychologists conduct research and provide expert witness testimony to help answer legal questions, i.e., it is not just clinical psychologists. For example, social psychologists have conducted ground-breaking research in forensic psychology, e.g., on the fallibility of eyewitness testimony.
Education & Training
* Graduated from the University of Maryland's Psychology Honors Program.
* Member, Phi Beta Kappa
* Commencement Speaker at his college's graduation ceremony.
* Earned a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) degree from Baylor University in Texas.
* Clinical Fellow in Psychology at Harvard Medical School.
Work Experience as a Forensic Psychologist
* Over five years as a full-time VA Compensation and Pension examiner, conducting C&P exams for VA compensation PTSD and other mental disorder claims.
* Court Psychologist for a family court in Alexandria, Virginia
* Forensic Psychologist at a community mental health center in Charlotte, North Carolina
* Clinical Consultant to a Drug Treatment Court in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (pro bono).
* Consultant to defense counsel in private disability insurance cases.
* Consultant to companies in workplace violence threat situations.
* Expert witness in several jurisdictions in central and western North Carolina.
Professional Service in Forensic Psychology
Clinical Consultant, Mecklenburg County Drug Treatment Courts, 1997–2002 (pro bono).
Co-Chair, North Carolina Psychological Association (NCPA) Law & Psychology Committee, 1997–2001.
Secretary & Member of the Board of Directors; Association for Scientific Advancement in Psychological Injury and Law (ASAPIL), 2011–2017; Webmaster, 2011–2020.
Action Editor & Peer Reviewer, Psychological Injury and Law, 2018 to present.
Member, American Psychology-Law Society, intermittently since 1997, served on book award & continuing education committees, 2019–2021.
Contributor, Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families, 2020–2021. [Note: contributor, not author or editor; see p. 6 of the Guidelines]
Writing
Harrison, Patricia Ann, Glenace E. Edwall, Norman G. Hoffman, and Mark D. Worthen. "Correlates of Sexual Abuse Among Boys in Treatment for Chemical Dependency." Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse 1, no. 1 (1990): 53–67.
Maisto, Stephen. A., Timothy J. O’Farrell, Mark Worthen, and Kimberly Walitzer. (1993). "Alcohol Abuse and Dependence." In Handbook of Behavior Therapy in the Psychiatric Setting, edited by Alan S. Bellack and Michel Hersen, 293–310. New York: Springer.
Shura, Robert D., Anna S. Ord, and Mark D. Worthen. “Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology: A Psychometric Review.” Psychological Injury and Law 15, no. 1 (March 2022): 64–78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12207-021-09432-y
Worthen, Mark D. "Psych C&P Exams Are Unfair to Veterans" (Wʜɪᴛᴇ Pᴀᴘᴇʀ). Social Science Research Network (SSRN), 2018. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3102447
Worthen, Mark D. and Robert G. Moering. "A Practical Guide to Conducting VA Compensation and Pension Exams for PTSD and other Mental Disorders". Psychological Injury and Law 3, no. 3–4 (2011): 187–216. https://perma.cc/C9QK-MR23
Worthen, Mark D., PTSDexams.net, an educational website about disability evaluations with U.S. military veterans (no ads, no affiliate links), 2014 - present.
Psychology License
Idaho Psychologist # PSY-203469, Initial License: 14 Jun 2021 [verify]
Utah Psychologist # 10951856-2501, Initial License: 4 Sep 2018 [verify].
North Carolina Healthcare Services Provider Psychologist # 1835, Initial License: 1 Nov 1993 [verify].
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I used Solo Build It! to build this website in 2004 and still use it today, especially for the extremely helpful business guidance and the superior search engine optimization.
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Also see PTSDexams.net, for info on veteran disability evaluations (C&P exams).
We are supposed to display our license in our office, but since I work almost exclusively via telehealth, I thought I should display it here.
How did you build this website?
I use the Solo Build It! website creation and business guidance program for solo entrepreneurs. I used SBI! it to build this website in 2004 and still use it today, especially for the superior search engine optimization.
Note: If you click on one of these links and you decide to purchase Solo Build It! I earn a small affiliate commission. Your cost is the same either way. If you do not want me to earn an affiliate commission, just google "solo build it".