Forensic Psychology Therapists in Phoenix, AZ

Welcome to Sentience. Sentience is the ability to feel, perceive, and have self-awareness through emotional experiences. Having the full capacity to feel and perceive both the rewarding and challenging sensations of life in a balanced way, supports psychological health. The goal of Sentience is to provide conscientious psychological services for people presenting with emotional or behavioral challenges in their lives. We provide comprehensive services including therapy, evaluation, consultation, teaching/lecture, and expert testimony.

McGady and Associates Psychological Services (MAAPS) provides a variety of clinical, forensic, consultation, supervision, and training services to the greater phoenix area. Clinical services include individual, couples', and family psychotherapy for children, adolescents, and adults to address a wide array of issues including depression, anxiety, parenting issues, anger issues, trauma and more. Psychological evaluations are another service provided by MAAPS to assist with diagnostic clarification and treatment planning. The types of evaluations offered include comprehensive, autism diagnostic and psychosexual evaluations.

I am an attachment based psychologist. I specialize in traumatic loss, marriage and family, bereavement, Play therapy, Parenting coaching, EMDR, and Somatic Experiencing, child, adolescents, and adult and relationship therapy. I am a solution-focused, brief therapist. The client sets the goals and we work collaboratively, using the skills and strategies mentioned above to achieve his or her goals. I try to create a warm, caring, safe relationship in which my client can discover his or her answers within. I also write evaluations and do expert, witnessing in wrongful death suits, for those who have lost a loved one

In an effort to bridge the gaps which exist within the current mental health treatment and evaluation process, my psychiatrist partner and I have developed a comprehensive model which utilizes an interdisciplinary approach that combines the specialized work of psychology and psychiatry all in one agency. Prior to the development of our agency, my partner and I individually provided evaluation and treatment services in a variety of diverse settings throughout Maricopa County and abroad for over 10 years. Our interdisciplinary approach yields a useful product which benefits our colleagues and members of our community.

Deciding to make changes in life can be extremely difficult and I hope to support you through your process. I will help you to identify the behavior(s) that you believe are holding you back. I work with a lot of individuals struggling with depression and anxiety; most of my clients have also struggled in engaging in healthy sexual behaviors and have experienced behaviors such as pornography viewing which has made it difficult for them to connect with their partners. I am committed to helping you develop better coping skills that will help you to think, feel, and behave in ways that will enrich and fulfill your life.

Anxiety issues? Are you an overthinker? Perhaps you have High-Functioning Autism, otherwise known as Asperger's, or being Neurodivergent? Maybe you are just very bright and tend to suffer anxiety from your racing thoughts. I can help you, online, with effective, and powerful methods, including Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, and simple life and executive coaching. I am an author and educator. I also help those with mood disorders, personality disorders, and depression. I am known for being a kind, compassionate and effective counselor.

I promise you that even when it feels like you just can't do it anymore.. you really can! I personally have experienced much of life's hardships but I'm grateful for that because it gave me the opportunity to help others! I love helping people find their passion and understand how to cope through life. I primarily work with narcissistic abuse survivors as well as empaths and HSP's. Understanding how to function in a world that you seemingly don't fit into can be a huge challenge that comes with what seems like, debilitating anxiety, depression, and more. Being an empath myself, I can completely understand and relate to my clients!

Individual counseling, In office/telehealth Treatment for Anxiety/Disorders/Trauma/Depression/Stress/Adults with childhood abuse/neglect/relationship issues. The most rewarding client is seeking to grow and change. By using a creative and artistic layout for each client, therapy is tailored to meet individual needs. Clients see immediate change and improvement in their lives without long term and expensive treatment. Quality care, empirically based research, professionalism, and a counselor who is passionate about her work, are all incorporated and have shown high success rates.

Please contact us for ongoing DBT groups for adolescents and adults and kindness/mindfulness groups for kids. Julie Skakoon is a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice in Scottsdale, Arizona. Julie provides forensically informed treatment of childhood trauma and child maltreatment. Her specialties include play therapy, divorce / co-parent counseling, child forensic interviews, interventions for divorcing families (court-ordered and private), play therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).

I am a Phoenix-based forensic psychologist with extensive experience in forensic evaluations of adolescents and adults at all stages of criminal and divorce proceedings as well as child abuse and neglect cases. I have provided consultation, diagnostic assessments, forensic psychological assessments, and expert testimony for both prosecution and defense. I am also a court-appointed evaluator for the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County.

I view therapy as a space for you, the client to be unequivocally yourself while recognizing that there are so many internal and interpersonal factors alongside systems in place that may contribute to the pain, anxiety, and discomfort one feels. You are the most important person in your own life, and once you start to care for yourself in healing ways, this can be extended to others who you care for and love. I believe that it is important to walk patiently with every individual and I also believe that it is important to discuss how cultural beliefs and societal roles may influence one’s perception and experiences.

We provide evidence-based, effective treatment for general psychological issues, substance abuse, physical violence, and problematic sexual behavior ranging from sex addiction to sexual offending.

My approach in therapy is to respect each individual as a whole person. I believe each person knows himself or herself best. Rather than just treating the symptom(s), I attempt to get to know the person well enough to guide them into insights of the CAUSES of their problems. My ultimate goal is to help each individual achieve the healthiest level of well-being and highest developmental level of functioning. Whenever appropriate, I work with multiple members of the same family in order to strengthen the family and/or marriage.

I have extensive training working with individuals who struggle with a range of anxiety symptoms, and diagnoses especially trauma. In my years of practice, I have noticed that many clients lack trust in themselves and the ability to find a positive sense of self. People just want to understand themselves and become more comfortable with how they handle daily life stressors and others. To achieve this goal individuals need support with recognizing triggers and utilizing appropriate coping skills to reduce the negative responses to those triggers.

My aim as a therapist is to help my clients confront difficult situations (whatever they may be) and to empower them to make meaningful change in their lives. I specialize in working with adults and families struggling with addiction problems.

I am focused on helping individuals thrive in spite of circumstance. Similar to the way in which a wildflower blooms through cement, I believe that people can grow and flourish throughout unfavorable situations. My approach focuses on authenticity, transparency, and helping people to discover their own truths. I consider the unique needs of each individual and what growth means to them. I help others to root themselves by discovering their strengths and using them to overcome adversity. My main goal is helping others to feel that they are truly living rather than only existing.

I believe that each client is the expert in their own lived experience. I am passionate about working to create a welcoming and safe space where you feel safe sharing your journey, challenges, and hopes. I use a relational, strengths-based, trauma informed, and person centered approach in order to treat the whole person and ensure that therapy is personalized, collaborative, and unique to each client with the goal of helping you become the best version of themselves.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist in Arizona and an advocate for change, both personally and systemically. I enjoy working with teens and adults, specializing in individual therapy for BIPOC patients who may be experiencing depression, anxiety, systemic racism, and generational trauma. I believe we all have unique experiences and I offer treatment that personalizes individual needs while also recognizing the systems that may hurt us. I work from a strength based, client directed approach, utilizing solution focused, humanistic, and cognitive-behavioral techniques.

I primarily provide neuropsychological testing and evaluation services for individuals suffering from various cognitive difficulties.