Julie A. Armstrong, PsyD, RNCS

Julie A. Armstrong, PsyD, RNCS, is a Psychologist and Clinical Nurse Specialist (psychiatric/mental health), using her more than 30 years of experience to provide psychological assessments and expert witness consulting in employment, personal injury, civil rights, disability and psychological & medical malpractice cases that involve adults, children and the developmentally disabled.

Successful trial testimony and deposition experience for both defense and plaintiff cases. Issues addressed for psychology include exaggeration or suspected malingering, trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (adults and children), emotional distress, allegations of harassment and discrimination, and claimed impairment. Issues in nursing addressed include psychiatric inpatient practice and standards of care, inpatient standards of practice and abuse and neglect.

Licensed in CA Psy16001, AZ Psy 4952 & IA Psy 105064. Available for cases nationally and internationally.

Services

Dr. Armstrong's services include: psychological evaluations addressing issues such as Causation and Apportionment of permanent psychological disability, need for treatment, and determination of malingering behavior. Evaluations include: Independent/Agreed Medical Examinations, Workers' Compensation, Immigration, Claimed Permanent Disability, Return to Work, and Fitness for Duty. Regularly engaged by the Federal Aviation Administration and California Board of Registered Nursing to perform evaluations. Expert Witness consultation for Psychology and Psychiatric Nursing standards of care. Provide on-site crisis debriefing services when trauma occurs in the workplace.

Confidential consultation to claims professionals and attorneys to review files and assist in determining the veracity of a claim or the strength of a case involving psychiatric, psychological or other clinical issues. Available to evaluate records and critique reports from opposing experts and advise.

Litigation Support Services

Available to confidentially review medical records and case files to determine issues relevant to the strength or possible limitations of a given case and identify salient psychiatric/psychological or nursing issues for litigation.

Areas of Expertise

Additional Expertise:

Inpatient and Residential Abuse or Neglect, Psychology Trauma, Independent Psychological Assessment, Allegations of Harassment & Discrimination, Claimed Impairment or Disability, Psychology Standards of Care, Confidential Records and File Reviews to Determine Merits of a Claim and Salient Issues, Nursing and Psychiatric Nursing Standards of Care, Psychiatric Treatment Needs Evaluation.

Areas Served

Licensed in CA, AZ and IA. Available nationally and internationally.

Julie A. Armstrong, PsyD, RNCS in the Social Networks

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Professional Experience

Psychologist Mental Health Triage – Kaiser Permanente, Diablo Valley. Per Diem basis, 04/2022 – Present. Provide Mental Health Triage services to the membership for member and physician referrals to Psychiatry services.

Private Practice, Licensed Psychologist, Clinical Nurse Specialist, 1996-Present
Complex psychological assessment including the analysis of medical and psychiatric records and data related to a person's (child/adult) behavior or symptom development, using behavioral and psychoanalytic theories and psychological testing when indicated. Services include psychological evaluations of adults and children (including developmentally delayed individuals), assessment of allegations of permanent psychological disability, need for treatment, damages mitigation and assessment of malingering behavior.

Evaluations include: Independent/Agreed Medical Examinations, Workers' Compensation, Immigration, Disability, Return to Work, and Fitness for Duty. Regularly engaged by the Federal Aviation Administration and California Board of Registered Nursing to perform evaluations. Expert Witness consultation for Psychology (emotional distress, employment, psychiatric/psychological disability), and for Psychiatric Nursing standards of care. Available for on-site crisis debriefing services when trauma occurs in the workplace.

Confidential consultation to claims professionals and attorneys to assist in determining the veracity of a claim or the strength of a case involving psychological issues. Available to critique reports from opposing expert witnesses and advise. Also available to travel for cases nationally and internationally.

1998 – 2010 - Private psychotherapy practice of adults and children

Psychologist, Campus Psychological Services, Santa Monica College, 1999-2007
A half-time staff psychologist position, provided short term and crisis resolution treatment to faculty, staff and students on this very large and internationally diverse campus. Also served as liaison consultant to the Santa Monica College Police Department when needed.

Psychosocial Resource Nurse, Harbor-UCLA Med Center Emergency Room/Trauma Center, 1992-1999
This liaison position was a psychological support position for the nursing and medical staff in the Trauma Center. Responsibilities included assisting and caring for the family and friends of critical and dying patients who were brought to the Trauma Center.

Registered Nurse, UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital & Institute, 1983-1996
Staff RN on the inpatient Adult, Geriatric and Child psychiatry units, responsible for participation on an interdisciplinary treatment team. The hospital worked from a primary nursing model, and this required my involvement with the patients from admission through treatment plan development and assessing treatment goals and outcomes.

Licenses

• Licensed Psychologist, Arizona, (Psy 4952 )
• Licensed Psychologist, California (Psy 16001)
• Licensed Psychologist, Iowa (Psy 105064)
• Certified Clinical Nurse Specialist, California (CNS 004)
• Registered Nurse, California (RN363062)
• National Register of Health Service Psychologists
• Qualified Medical Evaluator, California
• Content Expert, California Board of Psychology
• Expert Witness, California Board of Registered Nurses
• Public Health Nurse, California

Legal Experience & Services

Testimony provided in court approximately 30-40 times.
Depositions taken approximately 90-100 times.
Case ratio approximately 60% defense - 40% plaintiff.

Affiliations

California Psychological Association
Arizona Psychological Association
Iowa Psychological Association
FBI Citizen's Academy, Class of 2015
American Psychological Association
Los Angeles County Bar Association, past associate member in good standing
American Psychoanalytic Association, past member in good standing
American Women for International Understanding (AWIU), past Board Member

Seminars & Training

Selected Research/Presentations/Appearances

“The Mystery of the Psyche – Malingering.” California Schools Risk Management, Pasadena, CA, November 9, 2015.

“The Global Assessment of Functioning Scale: Rating Psychological Injury,” “Deconstructing a Psychiatric Evaluation,” “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,” “Psycho-Social implications of Traumatic Brain Injury,” Hanna Brophy Academy, (multiple presentations/times).

Wicked Attractions, Investigation Discovery Channel, on-air psychologist for 13 episodes: Blood Brothers, The Golden Years, Built for Murder, Calm Before the Storm, Bad Fortune, The Golden Buddha, Lesbians and the Little Man, The Jaycee Lee Dugard Story, Recipe for Disaster,
Mommy's Little Helper, True Bromance, Dirty Double Cross and More than a Babysitter. M2 Productions, 2009-2013.

Killer Kids, Lifetime Channel, on-air psychologist for a single episode, The Hail Mary Murders. Originally aired 2013.

“Psycho-Social implications of Traumatic Brain Injury.” 10th Annual Neuro-Rehab Conference, Loma Linda University. Sponsored by the Center for Neuro Skills. October 21, 2011.

“Autopsy of a Psych Evaluation.” Workers' Compensation Forum, San Bernardino, CA, May 10, 2011.

“Bullying and Harassment.” JTZ Claims, April 29, 2011.

“The Global Assessment of Functioning Scale: Rating Psychological Injuries.” Day with the Doctors, State of California Workers' Compensation Adjudication Board, CA, July 17, 2010.

“Post -Traumatic Stress Disorder.” Rifenbark, Wolf & Holtz, October 16, 2009.

“Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder and other Psychiatric Issues in Workers' Compensation.” Votok, Votok & Zayon, October 13, 2009.

“An Overview of the Work of Jacques Lacan: A comparison with the psychoanalytic theories of Bernard Bail.” Unpublished, 2006.
“The Irony of Darwin: Infant Personality Development.” Presented at the American Psychological Association, Division 39 Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, 2003.

“Identification of Suicidal Fantasies in Virtual Reality Simulation Games.” Federal Bureau of Investigation, Quantico, VA, September 21-23, 1999 (Paper published by the FBI in Collected Papers on Suicide and Law Enforcement, 2000).

“The More Dead: Investigating the Murders in the Mexican Maquila.” International Association of Forensic Sciences, August 1999 (Co-Presented with Patrick Callahan, PhD).

“El Depredadors: Murder in Mexico.” Presented at the 5th Annual International Investigative Psychology Conference, London, September 1998 (Abstract published in 5th Annual International Investigative Psychology Conference Proceedings).

Education

PsyD, Doctor of Psychology, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA, 1996
Dissertation: Childhood Abuse in Nurses. Trained in crisis debriefing, assessment and treatment of trauma (PTSD, acute and chronic), individual and group psychotherapy. Private consultation and study included the study of infants and children, the normal processes of development and evaluation of trauma and/or illness, psychological assessment of children and adolescents and the study of the unconscious.

MN, Master of Nursing/Clinical Nurse Specialist, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 1990
Specialty: Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing. Thesis work included a new theoretical model for diagnosis of nursing problems.

BSN, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Consortium of California State Colleges and Universities, 1988

Diploma in Nursing, California Hospital School of Nursing, 1983

Post-graduate training includes: Infant Diagnosis, Observation of Infants and Children (3 years), Psychological Assessment of Children and Adolescents, Psychoanalytic Theory, and Forensic Psychology