No forensic psychology practice is based in Riviera Beach. The closest court-qualified team is FC PsychExperts in Jupiter, about 15 minutes north. We’ve evaluated and testified across Palm Beach County’s 15th Judicial Circuit since 2008.
Is there a forensic psychologist in Riviera Beach?
That detail matters more than it first sounds. A forensic evaluation usually means several appointments, and your expert may later need to appear for a deposition or trial. The right choice is a provider whose location and schedule fit the number of sessions your case actually needs.
Jupiter Office
FC PsychExperts
Our four-doctor team, court-qualified across the 15th Circuit. A short drive up US-1 or I-95 for Riviera Beach residents.
County Court Psychology
15th Judicial Circuit
For judge-ordered evaluations, the circuit runs its own service, with a North County location that may be closer for some cases.
Public or private: which pathway fits your case
The county forensic service
- Handled through the 15th Judicial Circuit’s court administration at the Main Courthouse in West Palm Beach, with a North County location available.
- Requires a signed court order specifying the evaluation type.
- Covers competency, risk assessment, parental and child evaluations, mental state at the time of the offense, and delinquency, dependency, and guardianship matters.
- The judge decides how the cost is handled, so there’s often little or no direct out-of-pocket cost to the individual.
An expert you choose
- You or your attorney select the psychologist and control the timing and scope.
- Used for defense-retained evaluations, plaintiff evaluations, second opinions, rebuttal of an opposing expert, immigration matters, and anything not initiated by the court.
- The evaluation isn’t filtered through a court appointment list.
- Billed by the practice, and almost never covered by health insurance.
Many cases use both routes at different stages. If a court-appointed evaluator is the better fit for your situation, we’ll tell you so before you spend anything.
The PsychExperts Daubert-Ready Check
1. License and discipline, verified
Look the psychologist up on the Florida Board of Psychology. Confirm an active license and a clean disciplinary record. Ours is Florida license PY9058. A name on a website is not the same as a verified, current license.
2. A testimony track record, by circuit
Ask how many times they’ve been accepted as an expert in the last two years, and in which circuits. Recent, accepted testimony in your court tells you far more than the phrase “courtroom experience.”
3. A named validity protocol
Ask exactly how they screen for malingering, exaggeration, and invalid responding, and which validity measures they use. A report with no validity testing is the first thing opposing counsel goes after.
4. Forensic-specific training
Florida has no separate “forensic psychologist” license, so training is what separates a clinician from a forensic expert. For competency work, the evaluator should meet the training required under Florida Statute 916.111 and follow Rules 3.210 and 3.216 of the Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure.
5. Methodology documented to Daubert’s four factors
The report should show a method that can be tested, has been peer-reviewed, has a known error rate, and is generally accepted in the field. That paper trail is what survives a motion to exclude.
A forensic evaluation, start to finish
1. Records review
Medical, legal, school, and employment records, plus any prior evaluations.
2. Clinical interviews
Often more than one session. A thorough criminal evaluation can run nine or more hours of interviews across two days.
3. Standardized testing, with validity scales
Tests are chosen for the legal question. Validity scales check for exaggeration or invalid responding.
4. Collateral interviews
Family, witnesses, or treating providers, when they’re relevant to the question.
5. Analysis tied to the legal question
Findings are connected directly to the standard the court applies, with the basis for each opinion documented.
6. A written report
Documented method, findings, and the reasoning behind every conclusion.
7. Testimony, if needed
Deposition or trial, billed separately. Competency evaluations follow Rules 3.210 and 3.216 of the Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure.
Evaluations we handle for Riviera Beach cases
Our four doctors cover criminal, civil, family, and immigration matters across Palm Beach County and beyond.
Criminal
Competency to proceed, criminal responsibility (insanity), sentencing mitigation, violence and sexual-risk assessment, sexually-violent-predator review, Miranda waiver, and capital sentencing.
Civil
Personal-injury and emotional-damages evaluations, independent medical examinations, guardianship and capacity, and psychological autopsy.
Family
Parental-capacity evaluations, social investigations and custody evaluations under Florida Statute 61.20, and juvenile matters, including work for ChildNet and Communities Connected for Kids.
Immigration & Neuropsychology
Extreme-hardship and related immigration evaluations, plus neuropsychological testing when brain injury or cognitive questions arise.
Meet the Team
Dr. Cathy Colet
Forensic PsychologistDr. Cathy Colet is a Licensed Clinical and Forensic Psychologist and founder of Forensic and Clinical PsychExperts, LLC.
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Dr. Lauren Miller
Clinical and Forensic NeuropsychologistDr. Miller has nearly 20 years of experience as a clinician, consultant, lecturer, and writer.
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Dr. Matthew J. Jalazo
Forensic PsychologistDr. Matthew J. Jalazo is a licensed psychologist who has practiced forensic psychology on a full-time basis for the last fifteen years.
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Dr. Christopher J. Beltran
Forensic PsychologistDr. Beltran is a Licensed Forensic Psychologist with over twenty-five years of experience in criminal and family law
Read MoreFrequently Asked Questions
Is there a forensic psychologist located in Riviera Beach?
No. No forensic psychology practice is based inside Riviera Beach. The nearest court-qualified team is FC PsychExperts in Jupiter, about 15 minutes north. Other private practices sit in the West Palm Beach area to the south.
Do I need a court order to get an evaluation?
It depends on the path. The county’s forensic service requires a signed court order. A privately retained evaluation, the kind we most often handle, does not. You or your attorney can arrange it directly.
Do you testify for both sides?
Yes. Our team has been retained by both prosecution and defense, and by both plaintiff and defense in civil matters. An evaluation answers the question put to it, whoever retains us.
Will health insurance cover a forensic evaluation?
Almost never. Forensic work is different from routine therapy and is typically paid by the attorney or the parties involved. Court-ordered work is handled through the court’s process.
How do I verify a forensic psychologist’s credentials?
Look the psychologist up on the Florida Board of Psychology and confirm an active license and clean disciplinary record. Florida has no separate forensic license, so also ask about forensic-specific training and recent testimony. Our license is PY9058.