Meet Dr. Judith Gibbons,
Forensic Psychology Expert

An experienced forensic psychologist, Dr. Judith Gibbons delivers expert services for the Forensic Psychology Group. She provides forensic psychological evaluations and expert testimony in the areas of immigration law, employment discrimination law, and criminal law. Two recent immigration law cases in which Dr. Gibbons provided expert services to the Bar include:

• The case of a young American woman engaged to marry a man from another country. When her fiancé over-stayed his visa by two months, he was deported and banished from the U.S. for ten years. The wedding plans had to be put on hold. The United States authorities suggested that the young woman, who comes from a very close-knit family, move to her fiancé's country. Separated from her fiancé just weeks before she was to be married and the real prospect of separation from her loving family represented an extreme and exceptional hardship for her. She began to suffer from both depression and anxiety. Dr. Gibbons provided diagnostic assessments of the young woman's condition, and testified on her behalf.
  
  
• The case of a successful businessman who is a United States citizen. He has grown children from a previous marriage who live in the U.S. and with whom he is very close. His second wife was born in another country. They have a baby girl. His wife was deported to her country of origin. The businessman takes their daughter to visit her mother. However, the child only gets to see her mother four or five times a year, for limited periods. The girl developed separation anxiety problems and the father became depressed as a result of being separated from his wife and observing how upset their daughter has become. Dr. Gibbons diagnosed the child with separation anxiety disorder and testified about the impact of this separation on the child as she gets older, as well as the impact on the father. The legal objective was to obtain a waiver for the father and daughter so that the mother can re-enter the U.S. and be with her family.

This is just a sampling of the many immigration cases in which Dr. Gibbons has been called as an expert. In addition to these cases of extreme hardship, she has also conducted psychological evaluations and given her expert testimony in cases of spousal abuse, political asylum, and criminal mitigation. Dr. Gibbons is a member of the American College of Forensic Psychology and the American Psychological Association.

In her New York City-based private practice, Dr. Gibbons provides diagnostic assessments, individual therapy, and family therapy. She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Fordham University, where she was a National Institute of Mental Health Fellow, and a B.A. in Psychology from Marymount Manhattan College. At the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Dr. Gibbons was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Clinical Psychology and a Research Fellow in Clinical Psychology. Dr. Gibbons is an experienced educator and a sought-after speaker. She conducts workshops and seminars in a wide range of clinical areas, including employee discrimination, sensitivity training, stress management, and interpersonal conflict.

Dr. Gibbons provides expert services to law firms, institutions, corporations, and human rights organizations in the following areas of law:

• Immigration law, including political asylum, extreme and exceptional hardship, spousal abuse, and citizenship waivers
• Criminal law, including psychological assessments and mitigation reports
• Employment discrimination, age discrimination, gender discrimination