The Forensic Psychologist Podcast
Education
Resources Mentioned
About Dr. Kafka
Dr. Kafka has nearly 10 years of experience in the field of forensic psychology and has had the privilege to work within an agency, run a thriving private practice, and teach at the university level. Her path to this field differs from many of her colleagues in that her doctorate degree was in forensic – rather than clinical – psychology. All of her graduate training and experience prepared her for a career as a forensic psychologist. After graduate school, Dr. Kafka began working for the statewide Conditional Release Program – or CONREP, as it is known – ultimately rising to the position of Director of Evaluations for Los Angeles and San Diego counties. In her various roles within CONREP she conducted hundreds of violence risk assessments in order to provide opinions to state hospitals and courts considering community release for psychiatrically hospitalized individuals with a history of dangerousness. She also oversaw hundreds more evaluations of other forensic evaluators under her supervision.
In 2017, Dr. Kafka began her private practice and went full-time with this endeavor in 2018. She is on the Expert Panel of Psychiatrists and Psychologists for LA County and has also provided psychological reports to courts in Orange County, San Bernardino County, and Solano County, as well as to private attorneys and courts and administrative bodies in Florida and Minnesota. Although she conducts evaluations addressing all manner of legal questions, including insanity, competency, and risk for sexual violence, she particularly enjoys evaluations that aim to answer the questions: Who is this person? How did they come to be someone who could commit this crime?
Finally, Dr. Kafka loves talking to others about her field, fostering the professional development of budding forensic psychologists, helping attorneys evaluate the quality of experts’ reports, and working with others to elevate the quality of forensic work being done in the field.
She has designed and led several trainings for both attorneys and forensic practitioners. In January, she will return to her position as a lecturer with San Diego State University World Campus to teach forensic assessment, forensic report writing, and expert witness testimony.
Contact Dr. Kafka
https://www.akpsych.com/
annakafkapsyd@gmail.com
About Dr. Vienna
Co-founder and Clinical Director of Vienna Psychological Group, Inc., Dr. Vienna is a licensed psychologist (PSY26945) that specializes in forensic and neuropsychological evaluations. She completed her Doctorate in Clinical Forensic Psychology at Alliant International University- California School of Forensic Studies. She is in her 2nd year of a two year post-doc neuropsychology specialization program. Additionally, she holds two master’s degrees in Forensic Science and Forensic Psychology. She earned her bachelor’s degree at The University of Arizona.
Dr. Vienna began her career working with Tarzana Treatment Center in 2006, prior to obtaining her doctorate degree. During the course of her doctorate training, she completed practicum rotations through College Hospital adult and adolescent inpatient psychiatric units and The Men’s Forensic Outpatient Program at Twin Towers Correctional Facility. Dr. Vienna received her pre-doctoral resident training at the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH) with the Jail Mental Health unit at Twin Towers Correctional Facility (TTCF), Century Regional Detention Facility (CRDF), and The Women’s Community Reintegration Services and Education Center (WCRSEC). She completed her postdoctoral training through the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (DMH), with the Juvenile Justice Program at Challenger Memorial Center – Probation Camp and Barry J. Nirdoff Juvenile Hall.
Dr. Vienna has held additional assignments at Twin Towers Correctional Facility and the Inmate Reception Center (IRC) as a staff clinical psychologist where she performed initial psychiatric evaluations, housing determinations, and suicide risk assessments. Dr. Vienna has also worked on countywide psychiatric mobile response teams (PMRT) and mental evaluation teams (MET) with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department where she was partnered with a law enforcement officer in a police vehicle to provide crisis evaluations to individuals in psychiatric or emotional crisis. Dr. Vienna conducted numerous station briefings and behavioral health trainings to law enforcement personnel.
Dr. Vienna is appointed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court Expert Panel of Psychologists and the Los Angeles County Juvenile Delinquency Panel of Experts. She has expertise is areas of neurodevelopmental disorders (intellectual disabilities, autism, etc.), transfer to adult cases, trauma (PTSD and adverse childhood experiences), and substance abuse. She has also met Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) continued professional experience (CPE) to conduct public safety pre-employment psychological evaluations. She is a member with the American Psychological Law Society (APLS), National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN), and International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF).
Contact Dr. Vienna:
Office: 626-709-3494 | Email: support@vpg-corp.com
www.viennapsychologicalgroup.com
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