Telehealth Forensic Psychiatry for Survivors, Claimants, and Their Counsel
Along with individual counseling and medication management, Empathy Therapy offers forensic psychiatric services to California residents. Dr. Mark Chofla is a board-certified psychiatrist with 27 years of clinical experience and 15 years in telehealth. He earned his medical degree at Midwestern University: Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his psychiatric residency at the Los Angeles County and University of Southern California Medical Center. He has served as a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, Davis Medical Center and School of Medicine.
His forensic work covers civil, criminal, family, and other court matters that require psychiatric evaluation, treatment documentation, or expert testimony.
Forensic Psychiatry Services
Forensic Services Built Around Survivors
Most forensic psychiatry is built around the courtroom. This practice is built around the person at the center of the case. Dr. Chofla works primarily with survivors and claimants, the individuals whose mental health is part of the legal record because of something that happened to them.
Forensic cases often stretch over months or years. Too often, survivors get passed between evaluators, treaters, and experts who never speak to one another. Dr. Chofla offers a different arrangement. One psychiatrist, start to finish. The same provider who evaluates you can also treat you, document your care, and testify if your case calls for it.
Working with Legal Counsel
For attorneys, working with Dr. Chofla means one expert across the life of a case. He can evaluate, treat, document, and testify, all from the same clinical record. There is no gap between the evaluator, the treater, and the expert who shows up at deposition. The psychiatrist on the stand is the same one who has known the client from the start.
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Some clients are already in Dr. Chofla's care and engage him in expert capacity as a case develops. Other clients are referred by counsel specifically for forensic evaluation, written reports, or testimony. Both arrangements are available.
Areas of Forensic Practice
Dr. Chofla provides forensic psychiatric services in the following areas:
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Disability Law: Psychiatric evaluation and supporting documentation for short-term disability, long-term disability, and Social Security disability claims involving mental health conditions.
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Employment Law: Assessment of psychiatric injury arising from workplace conditions, including harassment, hostile work environment, wrongful termination, and occupational stress.
Psychological Injury: Evaluation of psychiatric harm following motor vehicle accidents, assault, premises liability, and other personal injury matters, with or without accompanying physical injury.
Custody Issues: Psychiatric evaluation relevant to family court proceedings and the mental health needs of children and adolescents involved in custody disputes.
Discrimination Law: Documentation of psychiatric injury related to discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or other protected characteristics.
Mental Health Diversion Programs: Psychiatric evaluation and treatment planning for individuals pursuing diversion under applicable state statutes as an alternative to traditional criminal prosecution.
Court-Mandated Mental Health Treatment: Ongoing psychiatric care and progress documentation for individuals required to participate in treatment as a condition of probation, custody arrangements, or other court orders.
Psychiatric Conservatorships and Civil Commitments: Evaluation and expert input on matters involving conservatorship petitions, civil commitment proceedings, and related capacity questions.
Psychiatric Court Testimony: Expert witness services, including deposition and trial testimony, in matters where psychiatric opinion is at issue.
Psychiatric Physician Declaration Letters: Written declarations and supporting letters for immigration matters, accommodation requests, leave of absence documentation, and other administrative or legal contexts.
Natural Disaster Trauma: Psychiatric evaluation and treatment documentation for survivors of wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other catastrophic events with ongoing legal or insurance components.
Sexual Trauma: Trauma-informed psychiatric evaluation and care for survivors of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and childhood sexual abuse pursuing civil remedies or criminal cases.
Domestic Violence: Psychiatric evaluation and treatment of survivors, including documentation supporting protective orders, divorce proceedings, custody matters, and civil claims.
Other Civil, Criminal, Family, and Traffic Court Cases: Psychiatric evaluation, treatment, and documentation across the broader range of matters where mental health is a relevant factor.
Access and Fees
Forensic services are billed separately from standard clinical care. Fees, scope, and timelines are set before any work begins. Telehealth sessions are conducted by secure video where the jurisdiction and case allow.
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All forensic engagements begin with a 75-minute initial consultation, which can be attended by the client, legal counsel, or both. This appointment is used to discuss the case and determine the scope of services needed. The consultation is for case review only and does not establish the client as a patient of Empathy Therapy. The initial consultation is billed at a flat fee of $4,000.
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All subsequent forensic work, including documentation, record review, written reports, declarations, phone consultations, and deposition preparation, is billed at $350 per hour.
Full-day in-person testimony, evaluation, or deposition is billed at $4,400. The day rate covers travel time. Out-of-pocket travel expenses, including airfare, lodging, ground transportation, and mileage, are billed separately at cost. No-shows and late cancellations of in-person appointments are charged the full $4,400.
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Forensic psychiatric services in California are available to individuals, attorneys, and legal representatives.
Dr. Chofla also provides clinical psychiatric care to patients in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Alaska, Florida, and New York.
