DR. MATTHEW J. JALAZO
Matthew J. Jalazo, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist who has practiced forensic psychology on a full-time basis for the last fifteen years (including four years as a psychologist in the United States Army).
He earned his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Nova Southeastern University (with a concentration in forensic psychology), completed his predoctoral internship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and his postdoctoral fellowship in forensic psychology at Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Dr. Jalazo has a wealth of experience in assessing the impact of numerous organic and psychiatric conditions on behavior that brings individuals into contact with the criminal justice system. He has conducted thousands of evaluations in inpatient, correctional and outpatient settings that have encompassed a wide range of psycholegal questions including criminal and civil competencies, risk assessment, criminal responsibility, death penalty mitigation, downward departure, fitness for duty, and short and long-term disability, and has testified on several hundred occasions in state court. He has co-authored publications and given presentations in other areas of interest, including post-traumatic stress disorder and neuropsychology.
As a forensic psychologist with specialized training and experience in military psychology, Dr. Jalazo offers a unique blend of professional skills that are highly suited for active duty and veteran populations facing civil and criminal proceedings. He completed his doctoral degree in psychology with a specialization in forensic psychology from Nova Southeastern University, his predoctoral internship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and his postdoctoral fellowship in forensic psychology at Dorothea Dix Hospital. While serving in the United States Army, he served as the chief psychologist at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. His duties included serving as the sanity board officer for soldiers accused of various federal offenses, as well as assisting with medical evaluation boards. He also conducted command-directed, fitness for duty and other evaluations for mobilizing soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division and 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.
While deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, Dr. Jalazo conducted a multitude of evaluations and specialized assessments for soldiers with the 5th and 10th Special Forces Groups and 25th Infantry Division. Additionally, and notably, he served as the chairperson of an international committee of mental health providers tasked with assessing and selecting recruits for the Iraqi Special Forces.
Following his active duty service, Dr. Jalazo served as a psychologist for the Veterans Administration in Nashville, Tennessee. His duties included establishing operating procedures for an outpatient clinic at Fort Campbell, designed to assist active duty soldiers who were transitioning out of service. As a forensic psychologist working in a civilian capacity, he has also conducted compensation and pension (C&P) examinations, independent medical examinations, short and long-term disability evaluations, and fitness-for duty evaluations.