Medico-Legal Psychological Assessments
Dr Joseph Poznanski is an independent examiner providing psychological medico-legal reports to adult victims of childhood abuse.
Approach to Psychological Trauma Assessment
Dr Joseph Poznanski is a registered psychologist with over 25 years of experience conducting comprehensive clinical assessments and preparing medico-legal reports. His professional practice specialises in psychological trauma of an interpersonal nature and its enduring impact on psychosocial functioning and wellbeing across the lifespan.
Dr Poznanski has extensive expertise in the assessment of trauma arising from childhood sexual abuse, incest, childhood emotional abuse, and physical abuse. These experiences frequently involve abuses of power by perpetrators—often related to age or social status—and are commonly accompanied by profound confusion, distress, and shame in the child victim.
In many cases, survivors only come to recognise the connection between their early traumatic experiences and later life difficulties decades after the events occurred, having suppressed or minimised these memories for much of their lives. Dr Poznanski’s work focuses on carefully reconstructing personal histories and subjecting clinical material to rigorous evaluation, including psychometric testing, to arrive at well-substantiated and clinically grounded opinions.
His approach is characterised by clinical precision, depth of understanding, and sensitivity to the long-term psychological consequences of interpersonal trauma.
In relation to interpersonal trauma incidents, Dr Poznanski assess for the presence of trauma-related conditions, such as:
- Chronic PTSD
- Complex PTSD
- Personality Disorders
- Dissociative Disorders
- Major Depressive Disorder
- Dissociative Depressive Episodes
- Body Dysmorphic Disorder
- Eating Disorders
- Addictive Behaviours
- Impulse Control Behaviours due to Traumatic Brain Injury
- Anxiety Disorders
- Stress
- Attachment Disorders
- Co-Dependency
- Cognitive Decline
Five Step Independent Psychological Assessment Process
All my examinations are carried out either face-to-face or via Zoom videoconferencing, allowing me to assess individuals across every state in Australia. My medico-legal reports are informed through diagnostic indicators, which are based on five key aspects of my assessment, outlined below.
Clinical Observation
Examinee’s mental status, overt behaviour, affect, and cognition throughout the interview process is an important psychological factor to take into account during the examination and evaluation process.
Non-Structured Clinical Interview
Non-structured clinical interviewing involves asking open-ended questions relevant to the client’s case, attaining a wide view of their psychological and social experience.
Structured Clinical Interview
During the structured clinical interview, the client answers a set of pre-determined questions designed to evaluate their experience of any traumatic events, and the subsequent impact of these events on their psychological well-being and everyday social and occupational functioning.
Psychometric Testing
Psychometric testing identified as valid and reliable through research is used to better understand the presence of trauma related psychological disorders.
Diagnostic Indicator Re-Evaluation
To provide the most accurate and objective diagnostic report as possible, information from each step of the examination is interpreted within the context of the DSM-V-TR.
Medico-Legal Experience
I am a Registered Psychologist, a full member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) since January 2001, and a Fellow Member of the APS College of Counselling Psychologists. I also hold an area of practice endorsement in counselling psychology.
Throughout the last 25 years of my practice as a trauma psychologist, my clients included adult victims of road trauma, victims of crime, adults affected by child abuse, misconduct by professionals, and workplace bullying or sexual harassment.
I have provided medico-legal services as an Independent psychological Expert, fully aware of the legislation that governs the submission of evidence under the Expert Witness legislation across various Australian states. Being based in Melbourne, most of my work over the past 25 years has involved legal firms in Melbourne. My independent psychological assessment reports have been submitted to the Magistrates’ Courts of Victoria, the County and Supreme Courts of Victoria, and the County and Supreme Courts of NSW. I also have presented to the Family and Community Development Committee at Victorian Parliament during the Inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations. In addition, I have also provided my professional opinion as evidence at:
- Victorian Civil Administration Tribunal
- Victims of Crime Tribunal
- Financial Assistance Scheme
- Coroner’s Court
- Country & Supreme Courts
The bulk of my clinical medico-legal work involved clients registered with Work Cover, TAC, and Victims of Crime. I have provided Treating Psychologist Reports on request from my clients’ legal representatives. These included psychological injury reports, work capacity assessments, and psychological assessments of trauma related impacts.
Over the last 25 years, I worked extensively with adult victims of:
- Physical Assaults
- Child Sexual Abuse
- Child Emotional Abuse
- Workplace Bullying, Discrimination or Harassment
- Torture and Political Oppression
- Criminal offences
- Road trauma
- Environmental Disasters (Earthquakes, Floods, Bushfires)
- Other life-threatening circumstances
