Over the course of their careers, many psychotherapists will receive subpoenas directing them to disclose records or provide testimony about a client. Even when there is no subpoena involved, clients and their lawyers may request that the therapist be involved in a court matter. This presentation discusses the ethical challenges and legal issues associated with subpoenas and testimony and provides practical guidance for responding. 

Carol E. Holden, Ph.D., ABPP maintains an independent practice in criminal forensic
psychology and teaches forensic psychology at the University of Michigan. She is a
graduate of Bryn Mawr College and the University of Michigan. For thirty years, she
worked at the State of Michigan’s forensic assessment and treatment facility, the Center
for Forensic Psychiatry, where she ultimately served for seven years as Director. In her
independent forensic psychology practice, she has performed evaluations in juvenile,
criminal, and federal courts. Most recently, she has evaluated over seventy individuals
serving life without parole for crimes committed as juveniles for the purpose of
resentencing pursuant to the United States Supreme Court case Miller v. Alabama
(2012). She has published on supervising forensic assessment, on various aspects of
criminal forensic evaluations and treatment, and on women who kill their children. Her
current professional interests include forensic assessment of juveniles, the influence of
normal adolescent development on delinquent/criminal behavior and on legal decision-
making, juvenile life without parole, the application of psychological research in criminal
proceedings, and the supervision of forensic assessment.