Court Psychiatric Clinic

Overview

The Court Psychiatric Clinic (“the Clinic”), established in 1925, is a specifically designated department of the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. It is also one of 10 sites designated as a Certified Forensic Center by the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health, Office of Forensic Services. The Clinic’s primary function is to provide high quality, community-based forensic evaluation services to the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court and Probation Department, and the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health. The forensic evaluation services are provided to assist the respective entities in answering various pretrial, presentence, and postsentence psycholegal questions for felony-level defendants in Cuyahoga County.

The Clinic also has a longstanding history as an educational institution, providing supervised training experiences to forensic psychiatry fellows and social work Master’s students from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), predoctoral psychology practicum students from local universities, and postdoctoral psychology trainees.

Clinic Mission and Goals

In conjunction with the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court and pursuant to Rule 5122-32-01(I)(b) and in consideration of services rendered for the Probation Department and the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health, the Mission of the Clinic is as follows:

To provide the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court and Probation Department and the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health with community-based forensic evaluation services as prescribed by the relevant statutes of the Ohio Revised Code.

 Overarching goals of the Clinic include:

1. Providing the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court and Probation Department, and the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health with high-quality community-based forensic evaluations.
2. Providing forensic opinions and treatment recommendations via evaluations, consultation, and testimony in a timely, unbiased, and accurate manner.
3. Providing education/training experiences for a variety of individuals including but not limited to mental health professionals, court personnel, and student trainees.

Staff

The Clinic is staffed by a multidisciplinary team of psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and support staff.

Dylan Songer, Psy.D., is the Director of the Court Psychiatric Clinic and a licensed psychologist. As Director, he provides oversight of all Clinic operations, administrative supervision of all Clinic personnel, and direct consultation to Court Administration. In addition to these responsibilities, he carries a caseload of criminal forensic evaluations and supervises predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees. He also provides trainings on various forensic mental health topics to audiences throughout the Court system and community.

Tatiana Matlasz, Ph.D., ABPP is a licensed psychologist and board-certified specialist in forensic psychology (American Board of Professional Psychology). She is the Court Psychiatric Clinic’s Associate Director and Director of Training and Education. As the Associate Director, she works alongside Dr. Songer providing oversight of assessment services and day-to-day operations, as well as administrative supervision to Clinic staff and consultation to the Court, as needed. As Director of Training and Education, she provides direct clinical supervision to trainees, conducts didactics for the postdoctoral fellowship in forensic psychology, and oversees the Clinic’s educational activities. She also provides trainings for mental health, legal, law enforcement, and other professionals locally and nationally on forensic mental health topics.

Contact Information

1200 Ontario Street, 6^th Floor, Justice Center Courts Tower

Cleveland, Ohio, 44113

Tel: (216) 443-7330 | Fax: (216) 443-7332

Employment Opportunities

Postdoctoral Fellowship in Forensic Psychology

The Court Psychiatric Clinic’s Postdoctoral Fellowship in Forensic Psychology is a 12-month, 2,000-hour training program designed to prepare doctoral-level practitioners for independent practice in forensic psychology. Over the course of the training year, the fellow will engage in practical and educational activities to develop the foundational and functional competencies necessary for work in the field of forensic psychology. Such training activities have been thoughtfully structured around the Postdoctoral Training in Forensic Psychology Guidelines outlined by the American Board of Forensic Psychology (ABFP).

Under the supervision of licensed, qualified psychologists, the fellow will conduct criminal forensic evaluations for a variety of psycholegal questions, including (but not limited to): competence to stand trial, mental condition at the time of the offense charged (sanity), mitigation/pre-sentencing, and risk assessment. While all fellows receive comprehensive training in the ethics, legal standards, research, and skills that provide the foundation for best practices in forensic mental health assessment, each individual fellow may also choose to engage in elective opportunities to gain deeper understanding of—or even simply exposure to—specialized areas of interest within the forensic specialty.

Upon completion of the program, fellows will have gained the competencies necessary to conduct ethical, evidence-based, objective forensic evaluations. Fellowship graduates will also have developed the requisite conceptual and practical foundations to pursue board certification in forensic psychology four years after fellowship, should they aspire to do so. Yet, we are confident that the well-rounded knowledge, skills, and experience acquired will prepare our graduates to flourish in a variety of employment settings.

If you are interested in the Postdoctoral Fellowship in Forensic Psychology, please contact the Training Director, Tatiana Matlasz, Ph.D., ABPP, at tmatlasz@cuyahogacounty.gov.

Please click the Job Opportunities link for information on employment opportunities within the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.