River Valley Psycholegal Consulting, LLC

About dr. smith-casey

Experience

REBECCA SMITH-CASEY, JD, PsyD is a nationally recognized expert in the area of forensic psychology with experience conducting psychological assessments in criminal and civil cases in a wide variety of jurisdictions. She has extensive experience in conducting evaluations in felony matters, including Capital sentencing evaluations, competency to stand trial, the insanity defense, mitigation for sentencing, witness competency to provide testimony, competency to waive Miranda, and parental capacity to waive juvenile rights. She has also conducted chart reviews and secondary evaluations in a variety of federal and state appeal matters related to failure to address mental health concerns during the initial trial. Dr. Smith-Casey conducts evaluations for law enforcement related to fitness for duty in pre-employment and following administrative action. Dr. Smith-Casey is known for her work related to trauma assessment and the application of these assessments to criminal prosecutions, civil damages, parental visitation, and issues stemming from human trafficking. Dr. Smith-Casey has also engaged in evaluations for Child Protective Services in various jurisdictions related to parenting capacity, best interests of the child, and reunification. Dr. Smith-Casey is the author of the New Jersey Competency Assessment Tool (NJ-CAT), a state specific assessment tool for competency to stand trial based on the New Jersey competency standards.

Education

Dr. Smith-Casey completed her undergraduate work at The College of New Jersey, majoring in Psychology and Law & Justice, with a minor in forensic psychology. Dr. Smith-Casey completed her law degree at Villanova School of Law, after which she was admitted to the Bar in New Jersey. Dr. Smith-Casey completed a Master's in Educational Psychology and a dual Doctorate in Psychology in Combined School and Clinical Psychology at Kean University in an APA-approved program.

Training

Dr. Smith-Casey has completed various clinical training experiences in a wide number of settings, including forensic hospitals, residential treatment facilities for juvenile sexual offenders, partial hospitalization programs, community behavioral health settings, correctional facilities, and school settings for behaviorally and emotionally disturbed adolescents.

Dr. Smith-Casey completed her internship at Girard Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA where she worked on the acute inpatient unit and in the outpatient clinic serving a diverse population of individuals with serious mental illness and comorbid substance abuse. which included providing individual and group therapy. Dr. Smith-Casey completed her post-doctoral training at the Joseph J. Peters Institute in Philadelphia, PA where she conducted psychosexual evaluations of children, adolescents, and adults with a history of trauma, in addition to providing individual trauma focused therapy to clients with a wide range of presenting traumatic experiences and sexualized behaviors.

Licensure

Dr. Smith-Casey is licensed as a psychologist in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. She is a certified school psychologist in the State of New Jersey. She is also authorized as a provider through the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT®), an interstate compact designed to facilitate the practice of telepsychology and the temporary in-person, face-to-face practice of psychology across state boundaries. Dr. Smith-Casey was previously a member of the Bar in the State of New Jersey, which has subsequently been relinquished due to her practice as a forensic psychologist.

Teaching Experiences

Dr. Smith-Casey presently serves as a member of the teaching faculty in a forensic psychology graduate program, which includes teaching course work in psychopathology, ethics, diagnosis and treatment planning, assessment, and clinical seminars. She has prior experience in providing secondary and direct supervision to doctoral and masters level graduate students and unlicensed professionals.