About
Forensic Psychology LLC is the private practice of Dr. Laura Brown in Baton Rouge, LA. Dr. Brown specializes in forensic assessment and offers psychological evaluations, file reviews, expert testimony, and consultation to courts, attorneys, and other legal decision makers. Dr. Brown’s approach to forensic assessment is science-based and emphasizes objective data, empirically validated methods, current scientific knowledge and peer reviewed research publications, and transparent presentation of the data and reasoning underlying opinions. Science-based practice meets the highest standards for ethical and professional practice of psychology as well as the Daubert standard for admissibility of expert witness testimony. The hope is that the services provided ultimately enhance the functioning of the legal system by enabling courts and jails to respond appropriately to mental illness and supporting severely mentally ill individuals’ access to justice.
Dr. Brown is continually updating and expanding her knowledge and practices in response to newly published research and scientific/technological advancements. She does this through formal training events and professional workshops, discussing and consulting with colleagues, reading professional newsletters and updates, and keeping up with relevant scientific literature.
Forensic Psychology LLC is a private psychology practice in Baton Rouge, LA. We use a data driven, science-based approach informed by scientific knowlege and updated peer-reviewed empirical research. Standardized, norm referenced assessments with objective scoring criteria are used when available. Clinical interpretations are based on known error rates, individual characteristics of an examinee, aspects of the testing environment, and the purpose of the evaluation. Acknowledging the pervasiveness of unconscious bias and empirical studies revealing evidence of bias blind spots in forensic evaluators, strategies to mitigate potential bias are employed in information gathering, test selection, data analysis, and report writing and review.
Laura Brown, Ph.D.
Clinical & Forensic Psychologist
Dr. Brown has been in licensed practice since 2015. She worked at the secure forensic unit of Eastern Louisiana Mental Health System evaluating defendants committed by state courts as incompetent to proceed or not guilty by reason of insanity for her first 5 years of licensure. This is the primary (and only) receiving facility for incompetent defendants and insanity acquittees deemed in need of inpatient admission. These years were spent developing and refining assessment procedures and promoting agency sponsored training and policies that adopted scientifically rigorous methods, updated psychological assessments, and clearer reports for courts. She served as the primary clinical supervisor for graduate students, predoctoral interns, and postdoctoral residents completing forensic assessment rotations at the hospital. Former supervisees went on to careers in clinical and forensic practice, multidisciplinary research centers, and 4-year state universities.
Dr. Brown continues to focus on forensic psychological assessment in private practice. This includes court-appointed criminal evaluations as well as criminal and civil court referrals from attorneys, administrative agencies, private companies, and others. She often supervises graduate students and postdoctoral level psychologists who assist with these services.
Clinical & Forensic Psychologist
Dr. Brown continues to focus on forensic psychological assessment in private practice. This includes court-appointed criminal evaluations as well as criminal and civil court referrals from attorneys, administrative agencies, private companies, and others. She often supervises graduate students and postdoctoral level psychologists who assist with these services.
Laura Brown, Ph.D.
Clinical & Forensic Psychologist
Dr. Brown has been in licensed practice since 2015. She worked at the secure forensic unit of Eastern Louisiana Mental Health System evaluating defendants committed by state courts as incompetent to proceed or not guilty by reason of insanity for her first 5 years of licensure. This is the primary (and only) receiving facility for incompetent defendants and insanity acquittees deemed in need of inpatient admission. These years were spent developing and refining assessment procedures and promoting agency sponsored training and policies that adopted scientifically rigorous methods, updated psychological assessments, and clearer reports for courts. She served as the primary clinical supervisor for graduate students, predoctoral interns, and postdoctoral residents completing forensic assessment rotations at the hospital. Former supervisees went on to careers in clinical and forensic practice, multidisciplinary research centers, and 4-year state universities.
Dr. Brown continues to focus on forensic psychological assessment in private practice. This includes court-appointed criminal evaluations as well as criminal and civil court referrals from attorneys, administrative agencies, private companies, and others. She often supervises graduate students and postdoctoral level psychologists who assist with these services.
Clinical & Forensic Psychologist
Dr. Brown continues to focus on forensic psychological assessment in private practice. This includes court-appointed criminal evaluations as well as criminal and civil court referrals from attorneys, administrative agencies, private companies, and others. She often supervises graduate students and postdoctoral level psychologists who assist with these services.
Competency to proceed, Criminal Responsibility, Malingering and Deception, Personal Injury and Disability.
B.S., Psychology, Louisiana State University, 2006
M.A., Clinical Psychology, Louisiana State University, 2010
Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, Louisiana State University, 2013
Pre-doctoral Internship, Northeast Florida State Hospital, 2013
M.S., Clinical Psychopharmacology, Alliant International University, 2019
National Academy of Neuropsychology
Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers
- competency to proceed, criminal responsibility, detection of malingering and deception, psychological injury, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, personality disorders, actuarial risk assessment, cross-examining psychological experts
B.S., Psychology, Louisiana State University, 2006
M.A., Clinical Psychology, Louisiana State University, 2010
Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, Louisiana State University, 2013
Pre-doctoral Internship, Northeast Florida State Hospital, 2013
M.S., Clinical Psychopharmacology, Alliant International University, 2019
National Academy of Neuropsychology
Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers
Louisiana Psychological Association
Baton Rouge Area Society of Psychologists
Andrea Pignatiello
Executive Assistant
Andrea Pignatiello is an Administrative Assistant with over six years of experience. She graduated from DePaul University in Chicago with an Education degree. She worked as an educator for four years before deciding to use her skillset in other areas. Andrea specializes in calendar management and scheduling and is responsible for communication procedures and record collection. She takes pride in her attention to detail. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and four children. She began working with Forensic Psychology LLC in 2022.
- competency to proceed, criminal responsibility, detection of malingering and deception, psychological injury, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, personality disorders, actuarial risk assessment, cross-examining psychological experts
B.S., Psychology, Louisiana State University, 2006
M.A., Clinical Psychology, Louisiana State University, 2010
Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, Louisiana State University, 2013
Pre-doctoral Internship, Northeast Florida State Hospital, 2013
M.S., Clinical Psychopharmacology, Alliant International University, 2019
National Academy of Neuropsychology
Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers
Louisiana Psychological Association
Baton Rouge Area Society of Psychologists
Laura Brown, Ph.D.
Clinical and Forensic Psychologist
I have been practicing in Louisiana since 2015. I spent my first 5 years of licensure at the state’s secure forensic inpatient unit where I evaluated defendants facing violent felony charges who had been committed by the Court as incompetent to proceed or not guilty by reason of insanity. I revised the assessment procedure and reports so that the standard psychological evaluations were comprehensive, based on reliable measures of objective data, utilized sophisticated methods for detecting feigning/malingering, and were supported by updated scientific research. My evaluations were regularly relied on for discharge decisions, and I was frequently called to testify as an expert in criminal court hearings across the state for defendants I evaluated at the hospital. I was also responsible for a significant proportion of the direct clinical supervision of the graduate students, predoctoral interns, and postdoctoral residents who rotated through the hospital.
My work in private practice continues to be primarily court-ordered evaluations of criminal defendants though some cases are referred by public defenders, prosecutors, and private attorneys. I also provide some clinical evaluation and treatment services and offer clinical training and supervision.
I specialize in assessment and diagnosis of mental disorders in adults. This includes psychological testing and evaluations of cognitive ability, personality, memory, attention, etc. It also includes criminal forensic evaluations of competency to proceed, criminal responsibility, and violence risk. I also have specific interest in assessment of symptom and performance validity. Although most of my clinical work is assessment, I have considerable experience in treatment of personality disorders and schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
B.S., Psychology, Louisiana State University, 2006
M.S., Clinical Psychology, Louisiana State University, 2010
Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, Louisiana State University, 2013
Pre-doctoral Internship, Northeast Florida State Hospital, 2013
M.S., Clinical Psychopharmacology, Alliant International University, 2019
National Academy of Neuropsychology, professional member
Association of Contextual and Behavioral Science, member
Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers, clinical member
Louisiana Psychological Association, director
Baton Rouge Area Society of Psychologists, member and past president