Clinical-forensic psychologist Mark D Worthen PsyD conducts Independent Psychological Exams (IPE) at his private practice in Charlotte, North Carolina, and via telehealth, if appropriate, and if the individual evaluated lives in a PSYPACT® state.
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» Veterans Law Attorneys & VA-accredited Claims Agents
» IPE and Consultation for Attorneys in Civil Law Cases
» Consultation to Other Psychologists
» IPE & DBQ Directly for Veterans (Nexus Letters)
Veterans Law Attorneys & VA-accredited Claims Agents
I specialize in independent psychological examinations (IPE) with U.S. military veterans appealing an unfavorable VA disability claim decision. If you are a veterans law attorney or VA-accredited claims agent, you might want to schedule a free 15-minute consultation for suggestions about a case or to see if an IPE might be warranted, or call me.
IPE and Consultation for Attorneys in Civil Law Cases
I offer evaluation, consultation, and expert witness services for attorneys in other legal domains, e.g., employment law (ADA, sexual harassment), insurance disability, civil competencies (guardianship, testamentary capacity), worker's compensation, and psychological injury.
If you are an attorney, paralegal, or legal assistant, you may wish to schedule a free 15-minute consultation for suggestions about a pending case, or to ascertain if an independent psychological exam might prove beneficial to your client, or call me.
Consultation to Other Psychologists
I also offer consultation to other psychologists regarding VA compensation and pension examinations (C&P exams), psychological assessment, and other topics. I offer a free 15-minute consultation for psychologists to discuss if further consultation might be helpful, or call me.
IPE & DBQ Directly for Veterans (Nexus Letters)
In select cases, I will conduct Independent Psychological Exams with Veterans without a referral from a veterans law attorney or VA-accredited claims agent. But I require a careful review to determine if an expensive private exam is truly necessary. For more information, see my page on nexus letters for PTSD and other mental disorders.
If you qualify, you may schedule a complimentary 15-minute consultation call. Complete this form to request the scheduling link. (The form lists the qualification criteria.)
Dr. Worthen provides Independent Psychological Exams & Consultation to Attorneys
► Employment Law (ADA claims, harassment allegations, fitness for duty)
► Civil Competencies (guardianship, testamentary capacity)
► Psychological injury (tort actions, insurance)
► Veterans disability claims (specializing in complex cases)
* Graduated from the University of Maryland's Psychology Honors Program.
* Member, Phi Beta Kappa
* Commencement Speaker at his college's graduation ceremony.
* Earned a Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) degree from Baylor University in Texas.
* Clinical Fellow in Psychology at Harvard Medical School.
This is a brief summary. My curriculum vitae (CV) contains detailed information.
* Over five years as a full-time VA Compensation and Pension examiner, conducting C&P exams for VA compensation PTSD and other mental disorder claims.
* Court Psychologist for a family court in Alexandria, Virginia
* Forensic Psychologist at a community mental health center in Charlotte, North Carolina
* Clinical Consultant to a Drug Treatment Court in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (pro bono).
* Consultant to defense counsel in private disability insurance cases.
* Consultant to companies in workplace violence threat situations.
* Expert witness in several jurisdictions in central and western North Carolina.
Clinical Consultant, Mecklenburg County Drug Treatment Courts, 1997–2002 (pro bono).
Co-Chair, North Carolina Psychological Association (NCPA) Law & Psychology Committee, 1997–2001.
Secretary & Member of the Board of Directors; Association for Scientific Advancement in Psychological Injury and Law (ASAPIL), 2011–2017; Webmaster, 2011–2020.
Action Editor & Peer Reviewer, Psychological Injury and Law, 2018 to present.
Member, American Psychology-Law Society, intermittently since 1997, served on book award & continuing education committees, 2019–2021.
Contributor, Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families, 2020–2021. [Note: contributor, not author or editor; see p. 6 of the Guidelines]
Started a Psych C&P Exam listserv.
Harrison, Patricia Ann, Glenace E. Edwall, Norman G. Hoffman, and Mark D. Worthen. "Correlates of Sexual Abuse Among Boys in Treatment for Chemical Dependency." Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse 1, no. 1 (1990): 53–67.
Maisto, Stephen. A., Timothy J. O’Farrell, Mark Worthen, and Kimberly Walitzer. (1993). "Alcohol Abuse and Dependence." In Handbook of Behavior Therapy in the Psychiatric Setting, edited by Alan S. Bellack and Michel Hersen, 293–310. New York: Springer.
Shura, Robert D., Anna S. Ord, and Mark D. Worthen. “Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology: A Psychometric Review.” Psychological Injury and Law 15, no. 1 (March 2022): 64–78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12207-021-09432-y
Worthen, Mark D. and Robert G. Moering. "A Practical Guide to Conducting VA Compensation and Pension Exams for PTSD and other Mental Disorders". Psychological Injury and Law 3, no. 3–4 (2011): 187–216. https://perma.cc/C9QK-MR23
ICD-11 description for Malingering before 2019
Malingering is the intentional production of false or grossly exaggerated physical or psychological symptoms when this is specifically motivated by external incentives or rewards, such as obtaining financial compensation, obtaining medications or drugs, being released from incarceration, or the avoidance of punishment, work or school, or some type of service such as the military or jury duty.
My proposed change to the ICD-11 description for Malingering
Feigning or significant exaggeration of physical or psychological symptoms, or intentional misattribution of genuine symptoms to an unrelated event or series of events, or a combination thereof, designed to achieve a specific objective such as escaping duty or work; mitigating punishment; or receiving unmerited recompense such as disability compensation or personal injury damages award.
ICD-11 description for QC30 Malingering after revisions (and still current as of May 2024)
Feigning or significantly exaggerating physical or psychological symptoms, or intentionally misattributing genuine symptoms to an unrelated event or series of events, or a combination thereof, designed to achieve a specific objective such as escaping duty or work; mitigating punishment; or receiving unmerited recompense, e.g., disability compensation or personal injury damages award.
Note: My proposal is technically classified as rejected because it was not accepted verbatim. See the ICD-11 Maintenance site for details (you will need to register, create a login, and learn how to display proposals, references, comments, and entity versions).
Footnotes
1. Aggravation definition, 85 Fed. Reg. 56189 (Sep. 11, 2020).
2. Veterans Legal Clinic of Harvard Law School and Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick Ltd., Comment on AQ80-Proposed Rule at 14 (Nov. 10, 2020), https://downloads.regulations.gov/VA-2020-VBA-0021-0032/attachment_1.pdf (PDF).
3. Mark
Worthen, Comment on AQ80-Proposed Rule (Oct. 13, 2020),
https://www.regulations.gov/comment/VA-2020-VBA-0021-0012.
My Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) degree is in clinical psychology.
Calling myself a "clinical-forensic psychologist" means that I apply clinical psychology knowledge and methods to help answer legal questions. Psychologists who provide healthcare services must be licensed, but there is not a separate license for forensic psychology.
There are important distinctions between clinical and forensic psychological assessment, which you can review in this chart: Clinical vs. Forensic Psychology.
By the way, other psychologists conduct research and provide expert witness testimony to help answer legal questions, i.e., it is not just clinical psychologists. For example, social psychologists have conducted ground-breaking research in forensic psychology, e.g., on the fallibility of eyewitness testimony.
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