What does the psychological expert’s report consist of? Interview with Leticia Vázquez

We interviewed Leticia Vázquez Llorente, health psychologist and expert in psychological expertise.

Beyond the psychological intervention in patients, psychologists also have many other areas of work. One of the most important has to do with gathering information and analyzing it so that judicial processes can be carried out with guarantees.

In this area of judicial psychology, what is known as psychological expertise is of great relevance.. Let's see what it consists of the hand of an expert: Leticia Vázquez Llorente.

Interview with Leticia Vázquez: what is psychological expertise?

Leticia Vázquez is a health psychologist and expert in psychological expertise, and practices in the area of Majadahonda and Las Rozas. In this interview, he talks about the functions that someone dedicated to psychological expertise performs.

If you had to summarize in a single sentence what a psychological assessment consists of, how would you do it?

I would say that it is a psychological evaluation of one or several persons that originates a report with the purpose of serving as evidence in a judicial process, in which the expert psychologist puts at the service of the jurists his scientific and technical knowledge on a certain subject in the field of psychology, informing, advising or supporting the Judge in his resolution.

The psychological expertise and the psychological expert report constitute an expert evidence and at the same time a testimony.

In what type of judicial cases is it more frequent that a psychologist intervenes to make an expert opinion?

Given the high rate of divorces and separations, the intervention of an expert psychologist in family law is very frequent, in the evaluation of custody and visitation (in which case the evaluation of all members of the family unit is required), or in the evaluation of parental suitability of one of the parents and the maternal or paternal-filial relationship. I think it is important to emphasize that in the performance of the experts, the welfare of the child is always a priority.

Within the criminal field, the object of an expert report frequently consists of the following methods.

Exploration and diagnosis of the mental state and personality to determine the presence or absence of mental disorder in relation to the commission of a crime.

Imputability of the accused (if he/she suffers from any disorder affecting his/her cognitive and volitional capacities that prevent him/her from being able to judge or control his/her behavior).

Psychological sequelae in crime victims.

Credibility of testimony in cases of sexual abuse of minors.

And within the civil field, testifying capacity and psychological injury in accidents, negligence or natural disasters.

To get an idea, what is a typical day spent working on a case in which such an expert is required?

During a psychological expert's report, the experts are very focused, immersed in the expert's work, dedicating all our resources to the preparation of the report.

We conduct clinical interviews to collect observable information and psychometric tests (psychodiagnostic tests), analyze documentary information related to the case and choose scientific articles and bibliography to illustrate or support the resulting conclusions. An expertise requires a lot of dedication, usually in a short period of time.

How does this concept relate to that of legal psychology and forensic psychology?

They are synonyms, both refer to psychology within the judicial field, that is, to the scientific and technical knowledge at the service of the administration of justice. In general, the term forensic psychologist is applied to professionals assigned to the courts, while expert psychologists are hired by one of the parties or, if we are registered on the expert list of the Official College of Psychologists, we are appointed by inscription or lottery by Courts or Tribunals.

What qualities do you think a psychology professional who devotes a large part of his/her work to expert opinions should have?

An expert psychologist must have the appropriate training, be aware of the latest studies and scientific findings in the field of psychology and the most updated and validated psychometric tests.

I believe that more than qualities, we could speak of the expert having a passion for what he/she does and a curiosity to know, if not the absolute truth, then the depth of the case that originates the expertise. On the other hand, when we experts are called to a trial to ratify our report and answer the questions of the judge and the parties (prosecution and defense), we need communication skills, conviction and poise, qualities that will emerge more easily if our report has been made with conscience and dedication.

Finally... what are the aspects of this field of work that you like the most?

The whole process of an expert's report is exciting, similar to detective work in which all the information is used to shed light on the case and build something like a puzzle. The most gratifying thing is to find the data that help to understand and explain the facts that originated the judicial procedure and, in some cases, to issue recommendations that can help the experts.