"This extremely user-friendly book, written by a lawyer and mediator and a psychologist, takes the readers by the hand and carries them through the legal process, "translating" legalese into clear English and demystifying what otherwise constitutes for many professionals a rather dreaded experience. Highly recommended."--"American Journal of Orthopsychiatry"
"Barsky and Gould's text offers a number of excellent strategies for clinicians who suddenly find themselves having to report for some type of court action, be it a subpoena or deposition, or even a civil action that is brought against the clinician him-or herself. Seasoned mental health professionals, one of whom also has a law degree, these authors get straight to the point with respect to what one needs to know about the entire legal arena....The book does a nice job of summing up the legal processes and the various ways in which clinicians may be called to court. It covers areas such as pretrial processes, which include motion disclosures in many trials, preliminary inquiries, pretrial settlement conferences, and so on. Attention is also given to attorney-led negotiations, mediations, and arbitrations. Throughout, the text provides definitions of relevant terms that belong to the vocabulary of the legal system but are usually not familiar to mental health professionals....This book is written in an easy-to-read style, which is not overwhelmed by hard-to-remember legal terminology, but still manages to impart a huge amount of information in its 256 pages. Well-conceived and executed, Barsky and Gould's contribution is definitely recommended as part of a non-forensic clinician's library."--"The Pennsylvania PsychologistQuarterly"
"An excellent guide for nonforensic clinicians....Reading "Clinicians in Court" is like attending a good workshop. It provides basic training for psychiatrists and other clinicians who likely find themselves pulled into disputes at some point in the course of their careers. Barsky and Gould have written a handy guidebook for navigating the legal system."-"-Psychiatric Services"
"" "The authors...are eminently qualified to author this book....This book should energize and qualify more social scientists and clinicians to get involved in the criminal justice system....Provides useful information for a clinician on such important issues as confidentiality and the legal aspects of disclosure....I found this book very useful to my continuing practice, and I highly recommend it to any clinician who will at some point in his or her professional career become involved in the complexities of the judicial system."--"Criminal Justice Review"
"This is not only a concise and helpful book for practitioners, it is also an excellent text for students in ethics and forensics courses. Written in accessible language, it is a valuable classroom resource."--Beverly Greene, PhD, ABPP, Department of Psychology, St. John's University
"Writing in an informal, accessible style, the authors facilitate understanding of complex and confusing matters of law. Barsky and Gould's purpose is not to provide absolute answers to legal questions--as few exist--but to prepare the reader for the complicated role of being a witness in legal proceedings. To this end, they are marvelously successful. But the book does much more as well, providing meaningful insights into the mysteries and madness of the legal system. This book has become required reading for my graduate level course on social work and the law, and I believe no clinician should step up to the witness stand without having read it."--Kevin J. Corcoran, JD, PhD, Portland State University
"This is a unique and creative guide for the clinician entering the unfamiliar world of the courtroom. Rather than addressing a preconceived series of topics that are deemed relevant to practice, as many texts do, the authors are highly sensitive to the real questions clinicians have when called on to participate in legal proceedings, and organize their chapters accordingly. The book is very user-friendly, clearly written, and broad in scope. It will be useful to readers at many levels, from graduate students to seasoned clinicians."--David L. Shapiro, PhD, Center for Psychological Studies, Nova Southeastern University
"This easy-to-read text offers the non-lawyer a useful guide to preparing for the difficult task of testifying in court. Using readily understandable language and examples, it is a 'must read' for potential witnesses who want to avoid embarrassment or legal problems. The authors have combined their many years of experience to produce a practical resource that will help practitioners present their opinions in a manner that will facilitate the fact-finding process."--Debra H. Lehrmann, Presiding Judge, 360th Judicial District of Texas, Tarrant County, Texas
