AELE Expert Witness/Litigation Consultant Listing

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Name: Charles Harris Heller Ph.D.

Current employer or professional affiliation:

Heller Consulting Group

Address:  9 Elyise Road Monsey, NY 10952

Tel: (845) 354-0535 Toll-free: 800-624-3310

Fax: (845) 354-1287

Manhattan: 275 Madison Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10016 (212) 880-3789

E-mail: chconsulting@optonline.net

Internet website: www.forensic-psychology-expert.com

[This has been completed by the person listed]

Licensed Psychologist (NY, NJ)
National Register of the Council of Health Service Providers in Psychology
Certificate of Professional Qualification in Psychology (State Reciprocity):
(Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards).
Certificate of Clinical Training in Psychology (NJ)

(1) Relevant prior and part-time employment, with dates:

Independent Clinical Practice - (Commencing in January, 1981)

1988-Present.

I am a practicing licensed Psychologist with Court experience and have been qualified by the N.Y.S. court as a Psychologist expert witness. My practice consists of offering a range of psychological services to a broad spectrum of clients. These clients include individuals with bi-polar and other depressive disorders, personality disorders, anxiety disorders, pain disorders, sexual problems, family, marital and other mental health issues. Services include psychological testing, family and custody evaluations, training for professionals, individual therapy, family therapy, behavior management programs, brief therapies, agency consultation, staff training and clinical supervision of other therapists.

I have trained and served as a consultant to agencies that include: outpatient and inpatient alcoholism and drug abuse treatment centers, schools, as well as a variety of group homes for emotionally handicapped, children with special needs, adolescents, developmentally delayed and dual-diagnosed people. I also provide services to law enforcement personnel regarding treatment for alcohol and emotional problems they experience.

I train colleagues in short-term, intensive therapy modalities (brief therapies) in my role as founder of the Hudson Valley Satir Training Group. I serve as an Independent Medical Examiner to analyze and assess personal injury related to accidents and trauma and provide forensic evaluations and expert testimony in both civil and criminal courts.

I am an examiner for the New York State Department of Disability Determinations and perform evaluations for mental disability, intellectual disability and organic brain disability associated with the full range of disorders including alcohol and substance abuse problems. I am a member of the Rockland County De-briefing team for policemen, firemen and emergency medical technicians who have been involved in traumatic situations. I serve as a clinician for the member assistance program of the New York City Patrolman's Benevolent Association. I also serve as a Volunteer Supervisor of Counselors for the Volunteer Counseling Service in New City, New York.

Director of Mental Health, Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services - (1983-1988. Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Tahlequah, Oklahoma).

In this role I developed and administered an extensive mental health and addiction services program for 80,000 Native Americans in a 9,000 square mile area. Program administration tasks included the provision of psychological services, the supervision of a variety of other mental health professionals, the development of school-based, outpatient and inpatient programs, and the leadership and development of a number of mental health and alcoholism/substance abuse staff training work-shops for service providers and clients.

Staff Psychologist, St. Vincent's School and Clinic, Brooklyn, NY - 1979-1983. I had clinical responsibility for psychological services provided to children and teenagers residing in three group homes and 120 foster homes. In this role I developed staff training programs and policies and procedures for both organizational guidelines and therapeutic outcomes.

Consultant: Hamaspik of Orange County, Inc. 2001-Present. Providing positive behavior management plans and staff training in Group Homes for developmentally delayed people.

Consultant: Edwin Gould Academy, Chestnut Ridge, NY - 1995-1996. I provided psychological evaluations for the Committee for Special Education Team Meetings.

Consulting School Psychologist, New York City Board of Education - 1982-1983.

Private Practice with Children, Adults and Families, Douglaston, NY - 1981-1983.

Clinical Psychology Internship, Ancora Psychiatric Hospital, Hammonton, NJ - 1977. This was inpatient and outpatient treatment and diagnosis of psychiatric patients.

Clinical Psychology Internship, Psychology Department, Johnstone Training and Research Center, Bordentown, NJ - 1976-1977. I was trained in assessment and psychotherapy with patients who had organic brain syndrome, retardation and personality problems.

Agency Experience

Clinical Psychologist (part-time), Rockland County (NY) Highview School - 1991.

Clinical Supervisor, Clinic for the Multi-disabled, Dutchess County Department of Mental Hygiene, Poughkeepsie, NY - 1988-1991. Clinical Director of a mobile team to supervise and provide services for dual-diagnosed patients (MR/EH) and to provide advanced training for professional personnel. Provided assessments of patients (children and adults) with organic brain syndrome, retardation, and psychosis, as well as ongoing direct and supervised treatment.

Clinical Supervisor, Volunteer Counseling Service, Rockland County, NY - 1996-2003.

(2) Degrees and relevant special training:

Education

• Ph.D. 1979, University of Wisconsin-Madison Dissertation: "Criminal Behavior and Arousal: Test of a Theory"
• M.A. 1974, St. John's University, Jamaica, NY (Clinical Psychology)
• B.A. 1971, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY (Psychology)

Post-Graduate Training

• Apprenticeship in Family Therapy and Empowering Leadership with Virginia Satir - 1986
• Residential Training and Performance Development Program, Satir Institute of the Southeast - 1998-1999

Advanced Professional Education

• Survey of Forensic Psychology Practice: Issues and Applications, American Academy of Forensic Psychology, Tampa, FL.
• Satir System Residential Training Program, Chapel Hill, NC.
• Continuing Education Series on Providing Psychotherapy with Batterers, presented by the Volunteer Counseling Service, New City, NY.
• "Police Officers in Psychotherapy," Adelphi University, Garden City, N.Y.
• Conference on Orthodox Judaism and Mental Health, Miami Beach, FL.
• "Suggestibility, Trauma and Memory," Rockland County Family Shelter.
• Update on AIDS/HIV and Chemical Dependency, Recovery Center at Nyack Hospital, Nyack, N.Y.
• "Out of the Darkness: Treatment of Paranoid Schizophrenia," sponsored by the Rockland County Psychological Society, (NY).
• Basic Training in Critical Incident Stress De-briefing, presented by the Rockland County (NY) Stress De-briefing Team.
• "The Family and Beyond," with Virginia Satir, Seattle, WA.
• "Solution-Focused Therapy: A Time Effective Approach," Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
• Self-Esteem and Peak Performance, presented by Dr. Jack Canfield at Berkeley College, White Plains, NY.
• Child abuse mandatory reporter training, Pomona, N.Y.
• Family Therapy and Empowering Leadership, personal apprenticeship to Virginia Satir Crested Butte, CO.
• Participant in Avanta Network Summer Training Institute and Process Community (Module 2), Crested Butte, CO. (Avanta Network is an active educational organization founded by Virginia Satir in 1977, whose members have been trained by Satir in systems analysis, organizational intervention and training to facilitate human growth and community empowerment.)
• Participant in Avanta Network Summer Training Institute and Process Community (Module 1), Crested Butte, CO.
• Training in Life, Death and Transition, The Elizabeth Kubler-Ross Center, Headwaters, VA.
• Training program for alcoholism, compulsive over-eating and other substance abuse rehabilitation, Certificate of Instruction for Visiting Professionals in Residence, United States Naval Hospital, Long Beach, CA.
• On-site training in inpatient Alcohol Rehabilitation. Minnesota Indian Primary Residential Treatment Center, Duluth, Minnesota
• Tiyospaye (A Sioux name for family) Seminars (seminars specifically designed to focus on ethnic and cultural issues, mental health perspectives, and building bridges of understanding between Indian and non-Indian cultures), conducted by Virginia Satir as Residential Training. Rapid City, SD.
• Cross-cultural counseling training conducted by Dr. Paul Pederson, American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Anaheim, CA.
• Workshop on Eating Disorders, Hillcrest Hospital, Tulsa, OK.
• "Two Days with Virginia Satir," sponsored by the Hillcrest Health Care System, Pastoral Care Department, Tulsa, OK (This was training in family systems and health issues).
• Workshop on "Love and Violence: Directive Therapy", presented by Jay Haley and Cloe Madanes, sponsored by the Family Therapy Institute Washington, DC.
• Tiyospaye Network Training in Virginia Satir's Concepts of the Extended Family, Rapid City, SD.

(3) Other professional activities:

Faculty Experience

• Rockland County (NY) Council on Alcoholism, Certified Alcohol Counselor Training Program - 1995-1997. I taught several courses on alcoholism issues related to Native American and Jewish populations as well as on intervention techniques.
• Dutchess Community College, Poughkeepsie, NY - 1988-1992. Professional Development Faculty (Concurrent with Practice).
• Northeastern Oklahoma State University, Tahlequah, OK - 1986-1990. Adjunct Associate Professor. Conducted classes in clinical techniques in the Department of Social Work. I commuted back to Oklahoma several times to teach these week-end mini-courses.

(4) Retainer information:

Appx. number of times retained by claimant's counsel: 3

Appx. number of times retained by defense counsel: 2

(5) Name, address and telephone of attorneys who may be contacted as references:

James J. Herkenham
Attorney at Law
2022 Route 284,
PO Box 430
Slate Hill, NY 10973
T. 845-335-7830
F. 845-355-7831

Kevin M. Kiernan, Esq.
Kiernan & Campbell
Attorneys at Law
206 Claremont Avenue
Montclair, NJ 07042
T. 973-509-8900

Ronald V. Sgambati, Esq.
Giblin & Lynch
Attorneys at Law
10 Garber Square,
Suite 2
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
T. 201-670-3510

(6) Publications that contain your paid advertisements (since 1996):

Trial Magazine

(7) Usual and customary fee:

Record Review/Evaluations: $375 per hour plus expenses

Court Appearances: $425 per hour plus expenses

Depositions: $425 per hour plus expenses

(8) Areas of Expertise and Experience

Note - Letter codes used in front of the subject mean:

• [ T ] Testified in court or at depositions on the subject;
• [ R ] Retained as a consultant, but have not testified on the subject.
• [ Q ] Qualified to testify or consult on the subject, but have not served as a paid consultant.

(A) Standard areas

[T] Agency policies, practices and customs
[Q] Capital Sentencing
[R] Competency, Insanity and Diminished Capacity
[T] Failure to protect specific persons (domestic violence, witnesses, etc.)
[T] Psychiatric Disability
[R] Psychological screening of employees

(B) Additional areas

[T] Alcoholism
[Q] Critical incidents, Effect on police and accused.
[Q] Criminal behavior and personality
[Q] Criminal behavior and arousal, sensation-seeking.
[Q] Family of origin related to criminal behavior
[Q] Mitigating circumstances in crime
[Q] Police stress
[R] Retardation, learning disabilities, brain damage, multiple-handicaps in criminals
[T] Record review

(9) Types of cases you will not accept:

As a Psychologist, I only accept cases within my area of expertise (which includes criminal behavior). Cases I will not accept would include those who require specific knowledge of a facility policies and procedures or technical knowledge.

(10) Other information relevant in evaluating your services (publications, awards, achievements, special interests)

Professional Speeches & Presentations:

"Facilitating Change in Individuals and Creating Organizational Resiliency", Grand Rounds, presented At Nyack Hospital Recovery Center, Nyack, NY.

"Community Empowerment as a Prevention for Drug and Alcohol Problems in a Native American Tribe," presented at the International Congress on Family Therapy, Prague, Czechoslovakia.

"Hope," Workshop presented at the Oklahoma State Employment and Training Association Spring Conference, Tulsa, OK.

"Creating Change in Individuals and Families," presented at the Fall Convention of the Oklahoma Association of Counseling and Development, Tulsa, OK.

"Mental Health Prevention and Community Empowerment: Promoting a Better Future for Cherokee Children," presented at the 114th Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, Las Vegas, NV.

"Death and Dying, Grief, and Healing Processes," In-service Workshop presented to the W. W. Hastings Hospital staff, Tahlequah, OK.

"Current and Future Approaches to Treating Co-dependency," Conference Luncheon Address presented at the Native American and the Chemically Dependent Family Conference, Albuquerque, NM.

"Helping Children and Families Cope with Chronic Illness and Stress," presented to the Green Country Juvenile Diabetes Association, Muskogee, OK.

"Cross-cultural Stress Management Workshop, "presented with a traditional healer (medicine man) to the Cherokee Nation W.I.C. (Woman, Infant, Children) Program. Tahlequah, OK.

"Group Treatment with Acting-out Teenagers in a Group Setting: Transforming 'Street Empathy' into Self-growth," a colloquium presented at the Children's Treatment Center, University of New Mexico Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Albuquerque, NM.

"Criminal Behavior, Individual Differences and Emotional Implications," presented at the American Psychological Association Annual Meeting, with Frank H. Farley, Ph.D., Montreal. (This was a presentation of the results of my doctoral dissertation.)

Professional Memberships

American Psychological Association
The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Clinical Member
The Virginia Satir Avanta Network
The Rockland County (NY) Psychological Society
Leadership Rockland, Class of 2001-2002.

Certificates of Appreciation

"Exceptional Contribution to Our Community as a Volunteer Clinical Supervisor," presented by the Volunteer Counseling Service of Rockland County, NY, June 2000.

"Outstanding Services to the Cherokee People," presented by Wilma Mankiller, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, June 1988.

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