The goal of the clinical portion of the fellowship is to develop skills related to
conducting high quality forensic mental health evaluations aimed at assisting the
court in reaching appropriate legal decisions.
The fellowship program is designed to provide forensic fellows with exposure to a
wide variety of clinical-forensic evaluations of varying complexities (e.g., competency
to stand trial, criminal responsibility, violence risk).
Keeping with trends in forensic psychology, there will be an emphasis placed on learning
structured methodologies for evaluating psycho-legal constructs. A prime example are
developments in competency to stand trial evaluations that involve the use of structured
interviews including but not limited to the Evaluation of Competency to Stand-Trial
Revised (ECST-R) and the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool-Criminal Adjudication
(MacCAT-CA). Similar advancements have been made in evaluating violence risk with
actuarial instruments like the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide-Revised (VRAG-R) and
structured professional judgment guides like the Historical, Clinical, Risk 20 (HCR
20 V3). Structured evaluations of malingering are also a key component of the training
experience and the fellowship includes training on the Structured Interview of Reported
Symptoms-2, Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test, and the Inventory of Legal
Knowledge. In addition to structured methodologies, the forensic fellows will use
semi-structured methods to evaluate important psycho-legal questions. The use of semi-structured
methods fosters critical thinking and mirrors what most fellows will do in their post-fellowship
clinical practice.
Inpatient Setting: ECRH is a Joint Commission Accredited intermediate security state-operated psychiatric
hospital serving 48 counties throughout Georgia. There may also be opportunities to
evaluate individuals at Central State Hospital, which is located in Milledgeville,
Georgia. Central State Hospital is Georgia’s only maximum security state-operated
psychiatric hospital.
Each fellow will complete at least one-four month inpatient rotation at ECRH under
the supervision of Dr. Tabernik and Dr. Fritts. At ECRH the fellow will conduct evaluations
of competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, and violence risk.
Each fellow will be a member of several multidisciplinary treatment teams that meets
biweekly to evaluate treatment needs of individuals housed on each of the two forensic
units. Being a part of different multidisciplinary teams gives each fellow an opportunity
to hone their interpersonal skills in order to work effectively with various professionals,
all of whom have different roles on the team.
The inpatient forensic system is designed to provide the individuals we serve with
an opportunity to gradually transition back to the community. Towards that end, ECRH
is made up of the Forensic I Unit, and the Forensic II Unit. The Forensic I Unit houses
approximately 44 male individuals who are received directly from jail and are often
acutely symptomatic/treatment noncompliant. Drs. Tabernik and Groth head the two treatment
teams on the Forensic I Unit. The Forensic II Unit is a co-ed unit, which houses approximately
21 male individuals and 5 female individuals. In order to transition from Forensic
I to Forensic II, the individual must be treatment compliant and free from aggression
for at least six months. Dr. Fritts heads the treatment team on the Forensic II Unit.
Opportunities to complete psychological and neuropsychological testing for diagnostic
clarification and to assist in placement decisions will also be available to fellows
during the inpatient experience.
While the focus of the fellowship year is assessment, fellows who are interested in
conducting group and/or individual treatment will be provided with opportunities to
do so as time allows. Treatment opportunities include competency restoration, DBT
skills training, sex offender treatment, and motivational interviewing.
Outpatient Settings: Defendants are housed in county jails/state prisons throughout our 48 county catchment
area. Other defendants may be on bond and will present to the Outpatient Evaluation
Center, located on the campus of ECRH, for their evaluation.
Each fellow will complete at least one-four month outpatient rotation under the supervision
of Dr. Ross, Dr. Tabernik, and/or Dr. Fritts. The fellow will conduct pretrial evaluations
of competency to stand trial and criminal responsibility with adult and/or juvenile
defendants.
In cases where a defendant is found not competent to proceed to trial and ordered
to complete outpatient competency restoration, the fellow will have the opportunity
to evaluate the same defendant after a period of outpatient competency restoration.
This process allows the fellow an opportunity to observe the same defendant over an
extended period of time, in different environments/contexts.
There are also opportunities to conduct clinical forensic evaluations with adolescents,
some who have been waived into adult court. These evaluations will primarily revolve
around competency to stand trial and include significant psychological testing.
Fellows will be provided with opportunities to conduct annual civil commitment evaluations,
which are used by the Court to determine if an individual who was conditionally released
or outpatient committed can be transitioned to a less restrictive environment and/or
released from their conditions all together.
Faculty in the Department of Psychiatry at Augusta University are often involved in
various civil forensic evaluations. As available, fellows will have the opportunity
to assist in civil litigation pertaining to mental health issues.
Flex Rotation:
Each fellow will complete a flex rotation during which he/she can choose to complete
another Inpatient rotation, another Outpatient rotation, or a combination of the two.
This rotation will be tailored to the future goals of each fellow.
This rotation will be supervised by Dr. Tabernik or Dr. Fritts and is highly flexible.
