Who’s Who: Dawn M Hughes,PhD, ABPP

Clinical and Forensic Psychologist

• Independent Practice and Clinical Assistant Professor,

Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College

• Founding Member and Immediate Past-President

APA Division 56

• Board Certified in Forensic Psychology

American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP)

Formal Education

• BA – Psychology – Hamilton College
• PhD – Clinical Psychology – Nova Southeastern University

Areas of Expertise

• Interpersonal Violence and Traumatic Stress
• Trauma Psychology
• Expert Witness Testimony

Self-care: The outdoors, exercise, hiking, yoga, anything at the beach, thrillers, laughter, and easy times with family and close friends.

What is forensic psychology?

Forensic psychology is the application of the science and principles of clinical psychology to a particular legal question. Forensic psychologists evaluate individuals in criminal, civil, and family matters, and provide objective, empirically-based expert witness testimony to a judge or jury.

What is a trauma-focused forensic psychologist?

A trauma forensic psychologist is a forensic psychologist with a specialization in trauma who can offer expert witness testimony to the courts on how traumatic events (such as violence, abuse, and victimization) impact the lives of individuals and their behavior. For example, I have testified in many criminal matters involving intimate partner violence (IPV), where a victimized individual has killed or assaulted their partner in self-defense. Expert testimony is crucial in these cases for the courts to consider the characteristics and dynamics of intimate partner violence, dispel myths and misconceptions about IPV (such as “Why didn’t they just leave?” or “Why didn’t they just call the police?”, explain counterintuitive coping strategies to violence and abuse (compliance or acquiescence), describe coercive control and psychological manipulation, conduct risk assessments to assess for dangerousness and lethality in the relationship, and evaluate the individual’s psychological functioning, such as the relative influence of posttraumatic stress and other disorders on an individual’s actions. This empirically-based testimony allows the judge and jury to consider the science and study of trauma psychology on victim behavior as they weigh their verdict.

How did you get into this area of practice?

Should I be a lawyer or psychologist? That was the agonizing question I struggled with upon graduating with an undergraduate degree in psychology. So, I first worked at a methadone maintenance treatment facility in the South Bronx where I gained a valuable introduction to chronic trauma, inequity, and poverty, which contributed to substance abuse. I then worked as a legal assistant for the Federal Defenders in Lower Manhattan, assessing the social and psychological issues of people charged with crimes. It wasn’t so simple. It was then that I knew I wanted to be a trauma psychologist, and I somehow trusted that my trajectory would allow my interests in law and psychology to merge.

What else would you like us to know?

Law and psychology are like oil and water – they don’t always mix well – and forensic psychology and testifying in court are not for the faint of heart. Nonetheless, it is gratifying to give voice to the issues and experiences of victimized individuals who have often been silenced, marginalized, and not believed – by perpetrators, family, friends, society, and institutions. We, as trauma psychologists, have an essential role in disseminating over five decades of scientifically backed knowledge about what trauma is and how it impacts individuals across the lifespan, which is sometimes crucial data for courts to consider in rendering justice.

Submit a Who’s Who nomination on TPN’s online submission form

“Should I be a lawyer or psychologist? That was the agonizing question… It wasn’t so simple… I knew I wanted to be a trauma psychologist, and I somehow trusted that my trajectory would allow my interests in law and psychology to merge.”