Dr. McCallum
Licensure and education
I am licensed to practice in the state of Colorado. I hold a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Sam Houston State University and a M.A. in Forensic Psychology from the University of Denver. I completed my clinical internship at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri. I completed my post-doctoral fellowship in forensic psychology at the Denver Forensic Institute for Research, Service, and Training (Denver FIRST).
Forensic experience
I have worked in probation offices, county jails, and a federal prison. My experience includes both evaluation and treatment services. In addition to private practice work, I am contracted to conduct court-ordered evaluations for the state of Colorado, and I serve as the Clinical Director of a jail-based competency restoration program. As well, I am an affiliate forensic evaluator and supervisor for the Denver Forensic Institute for Research, Service, and Training (Denver FIRST). Since beginning my private practice in 2019, I have authored over 100 forensic mental health evaluations. I have testified as an expert in Colorado on the issues of competency and sanity. I am very familiar with mental health law, particularly with Colorado and Federal statutes.
A postdoctoral fellowship in forensic psychology is a full year of specialized training in forensic psychological evaluations. Though a completion of such a fellowship is not required to obtain licensure or to practice as a forensic psychologist in many states, it is particularly important in Colorado. Per Colorado Statute, because I completed such a fellowship, I am qualified to conduct competency and sanity evaluations as a forensic psychologist.
- For sanity evaluations, "forensic psychologist" is statutorily defined as "a licensed psychologist who is board certified in forensic psychology by the American board of professional psychology or who has completed a fellowship in forensic psychology meeting criteria established by the American board of forensic psychology." CO Rev Stat § 16-8-102
- For competency evaluations there is a less stringent standard but forensic training is still required. In Colorado, a competency evaluator is statutorily defined as "a licensed physician who is a psychiatrist or a licensed psychologist, each of whom is trained in forensic competency assessments, or a psychiatrist who is in forensic training and practicing under the supervision of a psychiatrist with expertise in forensic psychiatry, or a psychologist who is in forensic training and is practicing under the supervision of a licensed psychologist with expertise in forensic psychology." CO Rev Stat § 16-8.5-101
Objectivity
I keep track of all my evaluations, referral sources, opinions, and other variables in order to compare the rates of my opinions with state and national averages. This process helps me identify potential biases I may be blind to, and this information is very helpful to have on hand during testimony.
The topic of bias in forensic mental health evaluations is a research interest of mine. You can find a list of publications on my curriculum vitae below. For more information on my research projects, you can follow my updates on Research Gate.