Expert Testimony

Dr. Williams offers testimony in three broad areas: psychotherapy malpractice, emotional damages and fitness for duty.

• MALPRACTICE: Regarding malpractice, Dr. Williams has testified and consulted for both plaintiff and defense, and in both civil court and before licensing boards, regarding the standard of care in psychotherapy. Issues have included: predicting suicide or dangerousness, boundary violations, dual or multiple relationships, therapist-patient sex, excessive treatment, patient abandonment, therapist drug use, and violation of confidentiality. Dr. Williams brings his broad experience as a psychotherapist, a health care organization manager and an ethics expert to bear on his testimony.
• EMOTIONAL DAMAGES (IME): Emotional damage cases have included sexual harassment in the workplace, wrongful termination, date rape, motor vehicle and other personal injury matters and medical malpractice. Attorneys seeking an emotional damages evaluation often refer to them as “IME’s” or Independent Medical Evaluations, a term taken from the world of Workers Compensation. The key questions that Dr. Williams has been asked are: “Has the plaintiff been harmed? If so, then what was the cause? If not, why is the plaintiff alleging that harm has occurred?” Three alternatives to the alleged emotional damage claim must always be considered:
  • That the harm is real but was caused by factors extraneous to the litigation,
  • That the harm is real but is the result of chronic emotional problems that predated the events at issue in the litigation,
  • That the harm is being malingered—falsified or exaggerated.

Dr. Williams employs objective psychological testing to augment and verify his clinical observations. Dr. Williams is an expert in the use of the MMPI-2 and MCMI-III, as well as in other forms of psychological testing.

• FITNESS FOR DUTY: Fitness for duty cases have included testimony to the Los Angeles Police Department as well as to various licensing boards in the State of California. The key question Dr. Williams has been asked is whether the individual in question is emotionally competent to carry out the duties of the license or position that he or she holds. To answer this question Dr. Williams uses interview and objective psychological testing.

Dr. Williams is a highly effective communicator and is able to concisely and clearly explain his findings in ordinary language, without resorting to distracting and unhelpful “psychobabble.”

Expert Testimony:

Standard of Care in Psychotherapy and Healthcare Malpractice

Litigation

Sexual Harassment

Sexual Abuse

Ethics

Psychotherapist-patient sexual involvement

Physician-patient sexual involvement

Clergy/Teacher sexual involvement within trust relationships

Inappropriate sexual contact in hospital and clinic settings

Boundary Violations

Abuse of Transference

Sexual Harassment in Employment Settings

Psychological Evaluations for Licensing Board Matters, including:

Psychology, Medical, Counseling, Social Work, Nursing, Chiropractic,

Dentistry, etc.

Evaluation of Claims of Psychological Damages-Written Reports or

Testimony (IME)

Objective Assessment of Malingering

Defense and Plaintiff