I have no axe to grind in these journals. It would be out of place. I am more interested in sharing my personal perspective on some of the more fascinating cases on which I have been instructed. I have been challenged, amused, surprised, and sometimes deeply moved by the events described in these narratives.
In protecting the identities of the real people these blogs describe, I have sometimes amalgamated cases, or elided details which are not relevant to the story. But they are all ‘true’ stories, even if they didn’t happen quite as they are described.
In reviewing cases from the past ten years I have gained an insight into my own competencies which has sometimes been gratifying but also a valuable learning curve, as I apply my current understanding and development in a changing professional world to the content of those reports. What comes across strongly for me is that each case was a learning curve of its own.
... well - not an axe, but perhaps a small letter-knife.Having reviewed many past cases for this blog, it has become apparent that there was frequently a common outcome – the case was dropped.
An expert psychologist’s opinion may seem like an expensive addendum in the jurisprudential process, whereas so often it saves the costs of an entire hearing, which might have seen the same salient facts uncovered in cross-examination of witnesses but at far greater cost.
I rest my case…