With a variety of clinical, forensic, and consulting services, we enable legal professionals to better serve their clients, promote personal growth in individuals seeking therapeutic change, and serve the broader community through education and training.
What is a Forensic Psychological Evaluation?
A forensic evaluation is a specialized psychological assessment conducted to answer legal questions and provide insights into an individual’s mental state, cognitive functioning, and behavioral patterns. These assessments help attorneys and courts make informed decisions about competency, criminal responsibility, parental fitness, mental health conditions, and risk assessment.
Forensic evaluations are often crucial in criminal, family, and civil cases, providing the court with mitigating and explanatory psychological factors that may influence verdicts, sentencing, custody decisions, or treatment recommendations.
Types of Forensic Evaluations Offered:
1) Competency to Stand Trial
Determines whether an individual is mentally capable of understanding legal proceedings and assisting in their own defense. This evaluation assesses cognitive abilities, reasoning skills, and comprehension of legal concepts.
2) Insanity Evaluations
Examines an individual’s mental state at the time of an alleged offense to determine whether they met the legal criteria for criminal responsibility due to a severe mental illness.
3) Violence Risk & Threat Assessment
Evaluates an individual’s potential for future violence based on psychological, historical, and situational factors. This assessment is often used in criminal cases and workplace safety evaluations.
4) Mitigation Evaluations
Explores an individual’s psychological history, trauma, and mental health conditions to provide context for criminal behavior and inform sentencing decisions.
5) Parenting Capacity Evaluations
Assesses cognitive functioning, mental health, and parenting skills to determine whether an individual is capable of safely and effectively parenting their child. This evaluation is often used in dependency and custody cases.
6) Independent Medical Evaluations (IME)
Provides an objective psychological assessment to clarify mental health conditions, diagnoses, and treatment needs in cases involving workers' compensation claims, personal injury lawsuits, or disability disputes.
7) Psycho-Diagnostic Assessments
Used when there is uncertainty about a mental health diagnosis, this evaluation clarifies psychiatric, cognitive, and personality functioning to guide legal, treatment, or disability-related decisions.
Each evaluation includes a comprehensive report that can be used in court, treatment planning, or other professional settings.
Service has always been at the core of my clinical work, and I approach therapy collaboratively from a framework of mutual respect and humble inquisition. I work with individuals across the lifespan, with a specialization in child and adolescent intervention. I am committed to offering personalized, compassionate, and effective support tailored to each client’s needs. I am especially passionate about working with adolescents and transitional-age youth navigating issues unique to their stage of life, including trauma, depression, anxiety, and parent-child relational dynamics. In therapy, I strive to create a safe space where young clients feel understood and supported in building resilience and finding their voice.
Therapeutic Approach
My approach is integrative and draws upon evidence-based treatments that emphasize emotional processing, behavioral change, and resilience-building. These methods include cognitive-behavioral therapy, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and humanistic modalities to empower clients toward meaningful change. I am trained in several trauma-informed, evidence-based practices, including:
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) for children and adolescents recovering from trauma
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help individuals develop mindfulness and coping strategies
Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) to support young children in expressing emotions through play
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) for parents seeking to strengthen attachment and manage behavioral challenges
As a second-generation Egyptian American, I am sensitive to multicultural and diversity issues and have specific experience working with Arabic-speaking clients. It is my goal to honor the aspects of my clients’ identities that are most important to them and support them in finding healing, growth, and balance in their lives.
Dr. Bassili provides expert case consultation services for attorneys, mental health professionals, and agencies seeking psychological insight into forensic and clinical cases.
Consultation for Attorneys & Agencies
Case conceptualization and expert review of mental health records
Guidance on mental health defenses, mitigation strategies, and risk assessment
Assistance in formulating trial strategies related to forensic psychology
Case Consultation for Clinicians
Clinical guidance for professionals working with forensic or high-risk populations
Support in differential diagnosis, treatment planning, and legal-psychological considerations
Dr. Bassili offers professional training and educational lectures for attorneys, agencies, and mental health professionals.
Topics Include:
Mental health disorders, diagnosis, and treatment
Trauma-informed practice in legal and clinical settings
Psychology and the law
Childhood and adolescent mental health
Diversity and cultural considerations in forensic settings
Dr. Bassili’s presentations are tailored to the needs of each audience and can be delivered in conference settings, law firms, mental health agencies, and universities.
Podcast Featured:
Dr. Bassili was a featured guest on the One in Ten Podcast, where she discussed cultural considerations for working with Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) families in the child welfare system.