Mental Health Translation and Advisory for Strategic Preparation of Legal Cases.
Psychological Testing
Psychodiagnostic Assessments
Psychodiagnostic assessments include a variety of specialized psychological evaluations that test an individual’s functioning in an area of interest. They are used to plan treatment as well as answer a variety of medical, psychological, and legal questions. Common specialized areas include intellectual ability, personality, social and/or emotional aptitudes, neuropsychological, vocational, achievement, and adaptive skills. The primary purpose of a psychodiagnostic assessment is to holistically understand an individual’s personal strengths and weaknesses, while identifying if any behavioral patterns reflect symptoms of known psychological disorders, to uncover and outline what symptoms or mental conditions may be present. Professional organizations such as the American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, and the American Psychological Association have come to a general agreement, and periodically review, what clusters of symptoms and behaviors constitute a specific mental illness or disorder.
Clients often request a psychodiagnostic evaluation after noticing changes in a person’s functioning across any number of areas. Reasons behind these changes may include exposure to trauma, family history of illnesses, academic difficulties, loss of adaptive skills, neurological injury, difficulties in social skills, difficulty at work, or other forms of psychological injury. The symptoms are believed to have caused a significant disruption in the individual’s daily functioning and could result in a mental or behavioral health diagnosis. Common diagnoses include stress and anxiety-related disorders, mood disorders, developmental disabilities, personality disorders, and neurocognitive disorders. The psychodiagnostic evaluation is specifically tailored to the referral question and the areas being assessed. Thus, it is adapted to an individual’s specific concerns, a comprehensive general evaluation will include a complete discussion of an individual’s history (i.e., clinical interview), measure of intellectual ability, social emotional functioning, and adaptive skills.
Psychodiagnostic tests have been developed for nearly every age group and are continually being updated to reflect the current scientific understanding of human behavior, psychological disorders, and available treatments. The length of the evaluation depends on many factors, including the individual's speed of completing a task, number of areas being evaluated, and context for which the evaluation is being conducted. Generally speaking, one could expect the assessment to take several hours (with breaks) to complete a comprehensive evaluation. Individual differences can lengthen or shorten the time required. While many evaluations occur in one session, individual differences may require the evaluation to be separated across several sessions.
Within a forensic or legal context, a psychodiagnostic assessment takes on a much more critical role. Most clinicians and researchers are focused on relatively broad goals of either providing individual care or designing a helpful treatment strategy. When an individual requires a psychological assessment prior to an adversarial process, such as a pending court case, administrative proceeding, or employment action, this assessment is generally much more thorough. The results of this assessment and diagnosis must necessarily withstand the substantial scrutiny of cross-examination. Contact us for more information.
Neuropsychology Assessments
Neuropsychological evaluation is a specialized and comprehensive evaluation that assesses how one’s brain functions, which, in turn, indirectly yields information about the structural and functional integrity of one’s brain. This evaluation is an assessment of an individual’s behavioral and cognitive functioning relative to neuroanatomical and neurophysiologic function and dysfunction. Dysfunction is often caused by brain damage, brain disease, and/or severe mental illness. Neuropsychological evaluations include the administration and interpretation of standardized measures that assess memory, attention, language, psychomotor skills, intellect, processing speed, reasoning skills, and impulse control. Some neuropsychological evaluations may also include personality, emotional, and adaptive functioning measures, depending on the referral.
The main objectives of a neuropsychological evaluation include the collection of diagnostic information, differential diagnosis, suggestion of treatment, and estimation of functional potential and functional recovery. Neuropsychological evaluations are often requested following a traumatic brain injury, stroke, early onset developmental delays, substance use, noted difficulties with impulse control or reasoning skills, or symptoms associated with atypical declines in cognitive or adaptive skills. Assessments attempt to identify the consequences of brain damage, disease, and severe mental illness on an individual’s functional, cognitive, and adaptive abilities. At the same time, neuropsychological evaluations provide recommendations for specific impairments or diagnoses and may help to identify areas of brain dysfunction based on symptom patterns. Contact us for more information.
Media Advisory
Akey element for effective strategic communications is the need to be informed and prepared in order to communicate with the public at large. This is particularly critical within the TV and filmmaking industry, which often showcases aspects from the medical world. The intricate and, at times, seemingly obscure, world of mental health becomes the main focus portrayed in media, it is crucial to consult with a Senior Media Advisor on mental health in order to establish scientific credibility and portray ideas with accuracy.
Dr. Carolina A. Klein, a distinguished psychiatrist from the Maia Institute, is a leading media advisor who provides first class expert consulting services and training for informed presentations about mental health, for the film industry as well as for general media. Dr. Klein’s years of experience and research-based education in the vast arena of mental health, as well as her clear talent for communicating complex matters clearly and effectively in a direct and easily understood manner, both in writing and verbally, allows her to assist media-facing individuals to gain an understanding. This, in turn, allows them to report simply, accurately, and effectively, without falling into misrepresentations or offer incorrect messages.
Media consultations may encompass a wide range of responsibilities, such as put together a plan to portray mental illnesses and their treatments, as well as identify and draft salient data points, analyses, and other pieces of scientific, research-based evidence that would interest the audience, clarify doubts, and give factual information; develop media plans and policies with executives in the organization; and direct public relations campaigns, amongst others.
Our media advisor also provides effective crisis management based both on the message as well as the speed with which it is delivered. For example, our media advisor can help hospitals formulate messaging surrounding medical errors, develop communications plans to address major workforce reductions or responses to union actions, and develop and implement strategic communication and proactive media relations initiatives to help the clients achieve its goals, which are scientific in nature.
Now, more than ever, the public needs and deserves to hear clear, accurate, focused, and targeted message-oriented communications on the subject of mental health and its many aspects. Media events regarding news about hospitals, healthcare reform and implications for patients, Pharma (new drug applications, approvals, and rejections), healthcare systems, and life sciences communications (epidemics and community health alerts / medical breakthroughs, or active shooter on hospital campus) all too frequently offer cluttered and incorrect messages, adding, at best, to unforeseen consequences and confusion, but, at worst, not contributing to find a solution to the case at hand. Maia Institute has a qualified, articulate subject matter expert, a physician and researcher spokesperson, who can communicate effectively with peers and lay audiences. We serve our international clients. Contact us for more information.
Root Cause Analysis
In the mental health sector, investigations or RCAs are implemented in morbidity, mortality, and medication variance and adverse events reviews, as well as in process reviews for licensing and accreditation of healthcare or correctional institutions. Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is the process used to investigate and identify the what, how, and why of events that occur and have an impact on health, quality, and safety, amongst others. The RCA process includes collecting data and cause charting to determine and understand the specific origins of the event. The analysis needs to establish: 1) whether management had reasonable and foreseeable control and influence over the situation or event, and 2) potential remedies that could lead to the application of specific and effective solutions.
In sum, the purpose of this analysis is to allow investigators to determine underlying reasons that led to an adverse event. Through RCA, they are able to work out corrective measures and offer effective recommendations that directly address the situation and offer solutions to remedy it, based on the results / the underlying root causes of events and imminent problems that are reasonably identifiable. The recommendations offered as a result of the analysis include actionable steps to take, within the control of management, in order to prevent recurrences or repetitions. The ultimate goal is to generate and implement ideas for systematic improvement. Contact us for more information.
Coaching
Education, training and supervision has been a centerpiece of our professional development from the offset. Imparting technical knowledge, teaching others how to develop ever-improving skills, and accompanying colleagues on their roads to ethical and competent practice lies at the core of our values and goals.
Physicians, psychologists, therapists, and other mental health providers are often called upon to provide expert witness testimony on the courtroom stand, a skill that is highly specialized and often quite divergent from skills cultivated in everyday clinical work. Providing expert testimony involves aspects of language, demeanor, emotional regulation, and ethical considerations that are not taught in standard curricula, or practiced frequently enough to become second nature. Similarly, producing comprehensive yet concise and clear reports for agencies (such as Courts, insurance companies, Independent Medical Examinations, and more) entails considerations vastly different from clinical documentation.
We provide mentoring, supervision, editorial review and feedback, and ongoing coaching in the development of these skills, to ensure each professional may present to the requesting agency the best possible work product in representation of their professional self.
Maia’s professionals offer consulting to a number of organizations including hospitals, correctional facilities, outpatient treatment providers, and more.
Evaluation of compliance with standards of care, including:
Consultation to correctional facilities and institutions, to assess for compliance with current guidelines of management of the mentally ill population, and to optimize safety precautions.
Consultation to hospital facilities and other health institutions, to assess for compliance with current guidelines of management of the mentally ill population, to optimize safety precautions, and to identify and correct deviations from the standard of care on behalf of practitioners.
Consultation to schools and other educational institutions, to assess for compliance with current guidelines of identification and management of mental health symptoms in children, to optimize safety precautions, and to identify and correct deviations from the standard of care on behalf of practitioners.
Consultation to academic institutions, to collaborate in the design, development, and implementation of educational and training programs of medical students, psychiatry residents, and subspecialty fellows.
Consultation to political institutions, to collaborate in the design, development, and implementation of policies and programs geared towards optimizing mental wellbeing of the population.
Consultation to Medical Schools
The Maia Institute provides expert consultation to US and Canadian medical schools on issues related to LCME (Liaison Committee on Medical Education) Accreditation. Consultation is available for medical schools preparing for an LCME accreditation survey site visit and for medical schools with preliminary, provisional or probationary status.
The Maia Institute provides consultation on medical school administration and organization, curriculum design and evaluation, continuous quality improvement, faculty affairs, and student affairs. Contact us for more information.
Consultation to Psychiatry Residency Training Programs
The Maia Institute provides expert consultation to Psychiatry Residency Training Programs on issues related to ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) Accreditation. Consultation is available for Psychiatry, Addiction Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Geriatric Psychiatry, and Psychosomatic Psychiatry Training Programs in achieving and maintaining compliance with requirements of the NAS (Next Accreditation System of ACGME) including Milestones and CLER (Clinical Learning Environment Review). Contact us for more information.
Consultation to Federal and State Correctional Facilities and Psychiatric Hospitals
The Maia Institute provides expert consultation to correctional facilities and psychiatric hospitals in achieving compliance with CRIPA (Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act) provisions and standards of safety for both staff and individuals served. Consultation is available for institutions under review by or under settlement agreements with the US DOJ (US Department of Justice). Contact us for more information.
Consultation to government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
The Maia Institute provides expert consultation to government agencies and NGOs on policy, advocacy, best practices and program development regarding mental health, substance abuse, forensics, corrections, violence, and related areas. Contact us for more information.
Mental Health Testimony and Report Rebuttal Consulting (for attorneys)
For attorneys, sometimes the best expert is the one that helps challenge or invalidate the opposing counsel’s expert. The expert may provide consultation or counsel, review an opposing expert’s report and opinion and offer rebuttal points (or a rebuttal report), observe an expert’s deposition or testimony and provide key insights for cross-examination, and so much more. Experts are familiar with scientific, technical, and professional texts or statements, and therefore, can help navigate, interpret, and challenge these at every step of the way. Of course, our consultants may also be retained as the experts to conduct an evaluation, produce a written report or provide expert witness testimony; but often times the advantage of having expert counsel in the attorney’s counsel without having to put them on the stand is invaluable. Contact us for more information.
