Forensic Assessment

Forensic psychology is defined as the application of psychological theory, research and methodology to answer a legal question.

Dr. Keddy has experience in the following areas of forensic assessment;

Pre-employment Screening
Alcohol and Drug Use Evaluations
Sex Abuse cases (both alleged victims and alleged perpetrators)
Licensing Board/State Bar complaints/ Standard of Practice Cases
Competency to Stand Trial (1368 Hearings)

He is interested in expanding his forensic practice.

Therapeutic Assessment

This type of assessment is offered as a consultation to the client himself or herself with release of the information to the therapist if the client is currently in therapy. A therapeutic assessment can help to pinpoint issues, to develop a plan or "roadmap" for therapy. This type of assessment can be helpful to the client and his or her therapist when a therapy is at an impasse, is "bogged down," or there are diagnostic puzzles. It can also be helpful to assess progress and to obtain some more objective information on what has been accomplished or what are outstanding issues.

As a client you are assessed by means of the following;

  Core Procedures

Interview (50 minutes)
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Revised (MMPI-2)
The Rorschach Inkblot Test
The Weschler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI)
(Additional tests and/or interviews are done depending on particular needs and circumstances.)

  Feedback session with person being assessed

You the client are given feedback on the test results in a 90 minute session. This is also a chance for you to give me feedback on how accurate the results seem to you. The test results combined with the interview information are viewed as hypotheses which we attempt to confirm or disconfirm. This kind of discussion often moves the therapy forward. If you wish, the session is taped so you can keep a record of it and review it later.

  Feedback to person's therapist

Finally, after we have discussed the feedback and "fine-tuned" it, I meet with your therapist and relay the results of the assessment and the extent of your agreement with the findings.

Dr. Keddy's Assessment Background

Dr. Keddy's specialization is in personality assessment, as distinct from neuropsychological or educational assessment. He is a member of the Society for Personality Assessment. A special interest and focus is the use of the personality assessment (especially the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Revised or MMPI-2 and the Rorschach) as a therapeutic intervention. This means using these tests with clients who are self-referred. Feedback is given on the findings of the test to help clients better understand themselves and to make positive changes in their lives. Dr. Keddy sometimes does this with his psychotherapy clients who want to pursue this avenue. This approach is consistent with his roots in humanistic approaches to psychology.

In his first position after graduate school, Dr. Keddy coordinated the assessment team in a residential psychotherapy-treatment center. He administered the psychological tests and wrote the reports. Dr. Keddy's interest in and respect for the findings of psychological tests grew through that experience as he had the opportunity to observe people that he had tested after they spent time in individual and group treatment.

Dr. Keddy studied the Rorschach Inkblot Test with the noted assessment teacher and practitioner, Dr. Philip Erdberg. He also took workshops from the developer of the Comprehensive System, Dr. John Exner. Dr. Keddy has co-authored two journal articles on assessment, one with Dr. Erdberg, and the other with Professor Chris Piotrowski of the University of West Florida.

With regards to the MMPI-2, Dr. Keddy has been especially interested in the work of Dr. Alex Caldwell, developer of the Caldwell Report, and has been pleased to have the opportunity to take workshops from him and consult with him on some cases.

Dr. Keddy's experience with the treatment of alcohol and drug problems has led to that being an important focus of some of his assessments. Work with people who have alcohol or drug problems led in turn to an interest in Adult Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Bipolar Spectrum Disorders. Dr. Keddy does screening and psychotherapy for Adults with ADHD.

Dr. Keddy has done assessments for the California State Board of Registered Nursing, the California State Board of Chiropractic Examiners, The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland, for Religious Orders, the California Bar Association's Lawyer Assistance Program, the County of Alameda Superior Court, and for individuals with various concerns.

Tests or Instruments Used

For personality assessment
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - Revised (MMPI-2)
Rorschach Inkblot Test - Using the Rorschach Interpretative Assistance Program
Version 5 (RIAP 5). Computer-generated quantitative data and narrative
Reports based on the Comprehensive System.

Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory - III (MCMI-III)

  For assessment of intellectual abilities
Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale - Third Edition (WAIS - III)
Shipley Institute of Living Scale


  For assessment of work interests, career planning
Strong Interest Inventory

  For assessment of "normal" personality differences and career planning
The Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16 PF) - Fifth Edition
The Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R)
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

  For Adult Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scales 

  For a comprehensive assessment of alcohol or drug problems
The Addiction Severity Index

  For Evaluation of Competency to Stand Trial