Forensic Psychological Consulting

Providing forensic evaluations in criminal, civil, juvenile and family law cases.

Mindy B. Mechanic, Ph.D.

Dr. Mindy Mechanic is a trauma-focused clinical and forensic psychologist, and Professor Emeritus (California State University-Fullerton), licensed to practice psychology in California and Minnesota, whose expert evaluations, consultation, and testimony is rigorously grounded in social science and biomedical empirical research.

Dr. Mechanic is available for expert consultation, trial consultation and expert testimony in any trauma-related case – civil, civilian-criminal, or military courts-martial, involving victims, defendants, or witnesses to a traumatic events or violent crimes. She is also available to provide education and training on any victimization or trauma-related topics, including counterintuitive victim behavior, psychological responses to trauma, and the use of expert consultation in cases involving battered women charged with crimes.

Mindy B. Mechanic profile image

Forensic Evaluations

Dr. Mechanic conducts trauma-focused forensic evaluations in criminal and civil cases in which alleged trauma is at issue.

Expert Testimony

Dr. Mechanic provides two types of expert testimony: (1) Educational (non-clinical) and (2) Forensic.

Education & Media

Dr. Mechanic provides professional training and media interviews on a variety of topics within her field of expertise.

Forensic Expertise

  • Interpersonal Victimization
  • Impact of Non-Crime Trauma
  • Risk Assessment
  • Workplace Violence

  • Sexual Assault

  • Child Maltreatment

  • Intimate Partner Abuse

  • Stalking

  • Infanticide

  • Memory Impairment

  • Family & Juvenile Courts

  • Criminal & Civil Courts

Selected Publications

February 2022

Battered Women Charged with Homicide: Expert Consultation, Evaluation, and Testimony

Expert testimony on “Intimate Partner Battering and its Effects” (IPBE) and “Battered Woman Syndrome” (BWS) is offered in courtrooms to assist the factfinder in making more informed decisions in cases involving battered women defendants. Such [...]

January 2020

Patterns of Surveillance, Control, and Abuse Among a Diverse Sample of Intimate Partner Abuse Survivors

Using a mixed-methods design, the present study examined intimate partner surveillance among a diverse sample of intimate partner abuse (IPA) survivors (n = 246), including women of Mexican (n = 83), Korean (n = 50), [...]

May 2019

Sexual Coercion in Marriage: Narrative Accounts of Abused Latinas

Abstract: Compared to other forms of intimate partner violence (IPV), marital sexual coercion or intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) has been relatively understudied, particularly from the perspective of women of color. Qualitative interviews using [...]

May 2009

Mediator Assessment, Documentation, and Disposition of Child Custody Cases Involving Intimate Partner Abuse: A Naturalistic Evaluation of One County’s Practices

Abstract: The contentious and costly nature of the adversarial process for resolving child custody disputes has prompted scholars, practitioners, and policy makers to advocate for the development and implementation of less divisive forms of [...]

January 2007

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Physical Health Symptoms Among Women Seeking Help for Relationship Aggression

This study examined associations between intimate partner aggression and physical health symptoms among a sample of help-seeking women experiencing relationship aggression (N = 388). Using a structural equation modeling framework, the authors found posttraumatic stress [...]

February 2003

The Relative Effects of Intimate Partner Physical and Sexual Violence on Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptomatology

This study examined the relative effects of intimate partner physical and sexual violence on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomatology. Severity of physical and sexual violence as well as PTSD severity were assessed in a sample [...]

August 1997

Objective Assessment of Peritraumatic Dissociation: Psychophysiological Indicators

Objective—The aims of this study were to investigate psychophysiological changes associated with peritraumatic dissociation in female victims of recent rape and to assess the relation between these changes and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder [...]

February 2022

Battered Women Charged with Homicide: Expert Consultation, Evaluation, and Testimony

Expert testimony on “Intimate Partner Battering and its Effects” (IPBE) and “Battered Woman Syndrome” (BWS) is offered in courtrooms to assist the factfinder in making more informed decisions in cases involving battered women defendants. Such [...]

January 2020

Patterns of Surveillance, Control, and Abuse Among a Diverse Sample of Intimate Partner Abuse Survivors

Using a mixed-methods design, the present study examined intimate partner surveillance among a diverse sample of intimate partner abuse (IPA) survivors (n = 246), including women of Mexican (n = 83), Korean (n = 50), [...]

May 2019

Sexual Coercion in Marriage: Narrative Accounts of Abused Latinas

Abstract: Compared to other forms of intimate partner violence (IPV), marital sexual coercion or intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) has been relatively understudied, particularly from the perspective of women of color. Qualitative interviews using [...]

May 2009

Mediator Assessment, Documentation, and Disposition of Child Custody Cases Involving Intimate Partner Abuse: A Naturalistic Evaluation of One County’s Practices

Abstract: The contentious and costly nature of the adversarial process for resolving child custody disputes has prompted scholars, practitioners, and policy makers to advocate for the development and implementation of less divisive forms of [...]

January 2007

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Physical Health Symptoms Among Women Seeking Help for Relationship Aggression

This study examined associations between intimate partner aggression and physical health symptoms among a sample of help-seeking women experiencing relationship aggression (N = 388). Using a structural equation modeling framework, the authors found posttraumatic stress [...]

February 2003

The Relative Effects of Intimate Partner Physical and Sexual Violence on Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptomatology

This study examined the relative effects of intimate partner physical and sexual violence on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomatology. Severity of physical and sexual violence as well as PTSD severity were assessed in a sample [...]

August 1997

Objective Assessment of Peritraumatic Dissociation: Psychophysiological Indicators

Objective—The aims of this study were to investigate psychophysiological changes associated with peritraumatic dissociation in female victims of recent rape and to assess the relation between these changes and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder [...]