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Abstract: 

Testimony can be one of the most stressful experiences for forensic evaluators working with sex offenders (and other forensic areas). If you are going to be a forensic evaluator, then showing your work through testimony will be part of your career. It is a skill that is difficult to teach since experience is what makes you better and more comfortable. Training as a clinical psychologists focuses on being skilled listeners and being cooperative and deferential; clients and colleagues are not confrontational or adversarial. Testimony is much different. Testimony is almost always adversarial and confrontational, which makes it anxiety-provoking, even for the most seasoned forensic psychologist. This is especially true regarding cross-examination. And if the forensic evaluator has any public speaking anxiety, a common problem, these difficulties are compounded while preparing for and giving testimony. In this article, the authors outline the fundamentals of effective testimony and discuss some testimonial challenges they have faced in their careers as forensic evaluators (also referred to as expert witnesses). Some are general and some are specific to sex offense cases. They propose approaches to these challenges. Drawing on their years of experience testifying in court and depositions, they offer some suggestions about how best to cope with the stress of testifying and keep a positive, well-balanced perspective on the work.

Keywords: Basic Principles of Effective Testimony; Allegiance Bias; Explaining Statistical Concepts; Stress Management During Cross-Examination

Affiliations:  1: Somerset Psychological Group; 2: Somerset Psychological Group; 3: Somerset Psychological Group.