Could I be an expert witness while conducting experimental research?

[MissMetal]

Hello! My name is Victoria and I have a question pertaining to my "endgame" degree position. I plan on being trained in both clinical psychology with specialization in forensic psychology as well as neuropsychology. I have always known I want to be an expert witness as a forensic neuropsychologist. However, I also am very interested in conducting a large part of my doctoral research on the up an coming and controversial position of studying the brain while under hallucinogenic influence. While I, myself am not a drug user, I am interested in the studies that attribute lessening depression and PTSD with psylocibin and MDMA, respectively. My question is: would I be able to get a position to be an expert witness regardless of my controversial stance on heretofore "taboo" treatment? Thank you so much for any and all input!!

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[Therapist4Chnge]

The short answer...no. In an already incredibly combative setting, the last thing you want do is give them something to attack.

 

[Ollie123]

Could you? Sure, but as T4C pointed out it could well come back to bite you at some point on the stand. That might or might not impact your likelihood of being asked to be an expert witness again moving forward. An exception might be if you want to testify exclusively regarding the effects of drugs...but that's a wildly different path from the typical forensic one (basically - become a famous researcher first) and likely not sustainable as a primary occupation anyways.

As an aside, have you looked carefully at programs yet? I know of 2-3 people doing the research you are discussing and none of them are in psychology departments with clinical programs (1 neuroscience, 1 public health, 1 psychiatry). I could well be wrong, but I've yet to see someone in a psych department doing that type of work. Given the incredible regulatory burdens and relatively high costs of such research, its very unlikely you'd be able to do any of it as a graduate student unless you join a lab that is already engaged in that type of work....which from what I have seen would pretty much mean you'd need to give up the clinical piece.

 

[PsyDr]

You don't "get a position" as an expert witness. It's not a typical 9-5 job. Attorneys call you up based upon reputation.

If your reputation is "I do weirdo taboo research", then attorneys are going to pass.

 

[Cigolon]

Hello! My name is Victoria and I have a question pertaining to my "endgame" degree position. I plan on being trained in both clinical psychology with specialization in forensic psychology as well as neuropsychology. I have always known I want to be an expert witness as a forensic neuropsychologist. However, I also am very interested in conducting a large part of my doctoral research on the up an coming and controversial position of studying the brain while under hallucinogenic influence. While I, myself am not a drug user, I am interested in the studies that attribute lessening depression and PTSD with psylocibin and MDMA, respectively. My question is: would I be able to get a position to be an expert witness regardless of my controversial stance on heretofore "taboo" treatment? Thank you so much for any and all input!!

Aside from the very valid points above (lawyers avoiding people with taboo research interests, expert testimony not being a full time gig, etc) the chances are that even if these things worked out that the number of cases you would receive for such a narrowly focused area would be so small because it doesn't represent the type of things that forensic psychologists do for most of the time. If you are interested in forensic work, it's better to just tone up your assessment skills for the things that are more common (malingering, injury cases, competency to stand trial, fitness for duty evaluations). And then, if you are very lucky while doing your neuropsych work, you'll never have to end up on a stand.

 

[erg923]

Hello! My name is Victoria and I have a question pertaining to my "endgame" degree position. I plan on being trained in both clinical psychology with specialization in forensic psychology as well as neuropsychology. I have always known I want to be an expert witness as a forensic neuropsychologist. However, I also am very interested in conducting a large part of my doctoral research on the up an coming and controversial position of studying the brain while under hallucinogenic influence. While I, myself am not a drug user, I am interested in the studies that attribute lessening depression and PTSD with psylocibin and MDMA, respectively. My question is: would I be able to get a position to be an expert witness regardless of my controversial stance on heretofore "taboo" treatment? Thank you so much for any and all input!!

How are these two things at all related?

Attorneys hire psychologists who are versed, clinically and academically, in the issues at hand. Which, in forensic neuropsychology, will be symptom validity, competency, and general behavioral neurology and general differential diagnosis. The therapuetic effects of illict drugs on treatment outcomes of individuals with PTSD is not at all relevant to, nor a selling point for, building a rep as an expert witness/forensic psychologist.

 

[PsyDr]

It is completely relevant....

to impeaching an expert witness.

 

[BuckeyeLove]

. My question is: would I be able to get a position to be an expert witness regardless of my controversial stance on heretofore "taboo" treatment?

No. Just no. as intimated above, cross even on voir dire will make you want to run for cover. Then you won't get called back. Then no money. And you'll be left with a rep.