Dr. Robert Thompson is a clinical and forensic psychologist, a consultant, and an educator.  In his practice, Dr. Thompson provides a variety of psychological assessment services.  Among those services, he provides forensic psychological evaluation, which involve the use of psychological methods to address legal or court-related issues.  In criminal cases, he focuses on the following areas:

·      Competency to stand trial

·      Competency to waive Miranda rights

·      Criminal responsibility (i.e., mental state at the time of an alleged offense)

as it pertains to verdicts of not guilty by reason of insanity,

guilty but mentally ill, extreme emotional distress, duress, and self-defense

·      Violence and sex offender risk assessment

·      Correctional mental health treatment

·      Fitness for duty in police, security and correctional personnel

·      Pre-sentence treatment recommendations

Within the area of civil forensic psychology, Dr. Thompson provides evaluations in the areas of disability (Social Security, worker’s compensation), personal injury, and independent medical (psychological) examinations.  Dr. Thompson is an experienced expert witness who has provided testimony in the states of Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, where he holds active licenses to practice.  Dr. Thompson also provides clinical psychological evaluations for purposes of differential diagnosis (deciding which diagnosis is correct) and treatment and placement recommendations. 

In addition to his private practice, Dr. Thompson currently serves as the chief competency program executive and Norristown State Hospital Regional Forensic Psychiatric Center.  He is an adjunct assistant professor at the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology at Widener University, where he teaches classes in psychological assessment and serves on oral examination committees for students preparing to receive their doctoral degrees.  He also teaches undergraduate classes in psychology and forensic psychology at Bay Path University.  Dr. Thompson has presented on a wide variety of topics at conferences across the United States. 

If you think Dr. Thompson may be able to provide a useful service to you or someone you know, we encourage you to speak to him.  There is no charge for an initial telephone consultation. 

Previously, he spent eight years as a full-time assistant professor at Argosy University, teaching graduate students in forensic and counseling psychology, overseeing dissertation research of doctoral students, supervising adjunct instructors in the forensic psychology program, and participating in educational and program development.  He spent five years at the Jane E. Mitchell Building, the forensic unit of the Delaware Psychiatric Center.  He conducted forensic psychological evaluations of hospitalized individuals and of defendants referred by the Family Court, the Court of Common Pleas, and the Superior Court throughout the state of Delaware. 

Prior to working at the Delaware Psychiatric Center, from the years 2000 to 2006, he worked for the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, providing many different types of services within the New Jersey Department of Corrections.  From 2001 to 2005, he served as Lead Psychologist and Site Director for Mental Health Services at SouthWoods State Prison, where he was responsible for the mental health care provided to 725 mentally disordered inmates receiving mental health treatment in the outpatient department and residential facilities at South Woods State Prison.  He was also responsible for monitoring compliance with NJ DOC policies and procedures and with the stipulations of the CF v. Terhune Settlement Agreement.  As a part of those duties, he was responsible for oversight, clinical management, and final disposition of all suicide watch cases.  He was responsible for conducting psychological evaluations focusing on the following areas: custody status classification, violence risk assessment prior to parole and max release, competency and criminal responsibility in disciplinary hearings, suitability for civil psychiatric commitment, suitability for referral to the Sexually Violent Predator Unit of the Attorney General’s Office, and assessment of custody officer fitness for duty.  He served as chair of the institutional Suicide Prevention Committee.  He was responsible for training mental health staff in the areas of suicide prevention and suicide watch placement, reduced custody evaluations, sexually violent predator evaluations, and management of mental health emergencies.  He trained correctional staff in suicide prevention, and he was responsible for conducting and participating in morbidity and mortality reviews.  In addition, he was the mental health representative to the Civil Commitment Review Committee, the Institutional Release Committee, and the Sex Offender Release Unit.  He provided 24-hour, seven-day-per-week, on-call coverage for psychiatric emergencies within the institution.