Walker & Associates, LLC is a psychology firm that specializes in forensic evaluations and expert testimony to assist attorneys in helping answering legal questions before the court. Dr. Lenore Walker, the psychologist who heads the firm, has been providing these services for the past forty years. Originally creating the defense using Battered Woman Syndrome for women who killed their abusers in what they claimed was self-defense, the testimony has developed into criminal defenses for a variety of other crimes of duress or in civil and other cases where abuse has impacted someone’s state of mind. Assessment of the psychological impact of all forms of gender violence (i.e. rape, sexual exploitation and harassment, child abuse, sex trafficking, and domestic violence) and how the experience impacts someone’s state of mind in civil cases is also provided. Some cases of access to a child after allegations of abuse have been made can also be evaluated and testimony may be provided where possible. Please see our fee schedule for more information.
Dr. Lenore Walker is a licensed psychologist in several states and Board Certified in Clinical Psychology and in Couples and Family Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. She has practiced all over the U.S. and in several other countries around the world. She earned her doctoral degree in psychology from Rutger’s, The State University in N.J. in 1972 after attaining an M.S. in Psychology from City College of the City University of New York (CCNY) in 1967 and a B.A. from Hunter College of CCNY in 1962. In 2004, she earned an M.S. in Clinical Psychopharmacology from Nova Southeastern University. She began an independent practice of psychology after obtaining her license in N.J. in 1974 where she provided psychotherapy and assessment services throughout the years even after she moved to Denver, Colorado in 1975 and became licensed there. In 1981, she became a full-time employee of Walker & Associates and built her independent psychology practice adding forensic services to psychotherapy until 1998 when she began training other psychologists at Nova Southeastern University College of Psychology. She continued Walker & Associates, LLC on a part time basis until today, even after retiring from NSU.
Dr. David Shapiro is a licensed psychologist in several states and Board Certified in Forensic Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. He has practiced in a number of states with specializations in ethics, malpractice and licensing board cases and death penalty cases. He is a Professor of Psychology at NSU COP where he trains other clinical forensic psychologists and has a part time independent practice of forensic psychology in addition to his work with Walker & Associates, LLC. He formerly was Director of the Department of Corrections for the State of Maryland and Chief Forensic Psychologist for St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. For more information about his long career, please see his resume and go to his website.
Dr. Chad Waxman is a licensed psychologist in several states and currently is practicing in Denver, Colorado where he has a part time practice with Walker & Associates, LLC. He specializes in criminal case evaluations in the Western part of the country and works together with Dr. Walker on the Battered Woman Self Defense cases where someone has killed an abusive partner in what may be self-defense. Dr. Waxman was trained as a clinical and forensic psychologist at NSU College of Psychology working together with Drs. Walker & Shapiro. He did his internship at the Federal Bureau of Prisons and residency working at the Dallas Juvenile Department. He works at the Arapahoe County Colorado RISE program where he helps inmates re-enter into society. He specializes in behavioral disorders such as sexually inappropriate behavior, drug abuse and compulsive gambling among others. For further information see his resume and visit his website below:
Dr. Giselle Gaviria has worked as an associate with Walker & Associates, LLC for the past 15 years while she has been completing her education. She earned her Doctor of Psychology degree from Carlos Albizo University in 2018. She completed her psychology internship at Citrus Health Center in Miami working with children and families, forensics, and sex trafficking survivors. Her Post Doctoral Residency was working with immigrants from many different countries, many of whom needed forensic psychology services. Dr. Gaviria is totally bilingual in Spanish and English; she has assisted us in working with those who need assessments and interventions in Spanish. She administers and interprets clinical and forensic assessments. In addition to her expertise in multicultural issues for trauma survivors, she has been working with sex trafficking survivors and battered women in different Latin cultures, both here and in other Latin countries. She has experience in providing individual and group psychotherapy to people with substance abuse problems having worked in both outpatient and inpatient facilities. Dr. Gavira has presented her work at various local, national and international conferences including the American Psychological Association and the International Academy of Law and Mental Health. She is co-author of the Handbook of Sex Trafficking (Springer, 2019) as well as journal articles on gender and family violence topics. Recently she has become co-editor of the special issue on Women Who Kill for the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma.
Dr. Kelley Gill is a Licensed Psychologist in the states of New York and Florida. Dr. Gill earned a Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Forensic Psychology from Nova Southeastern University. Originally from the State of Connecticut, Dr. Gill has years of experience providing treatment to individuals, children, families, and groups. She received her Master’s Degree in Psychology from Southern Connecticut State University and her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Albertus Magnus College with a specialization in Child Development/Community Mental Health. Dr. Gill has expertise in domestic violence, trauma, gender violence, substance abuse, police collaboration, forensic psychology, and providing treatment in multiple therapeutic settings including correctional facilities.</p> <p>Dr. Gill has conducted evaluations for the Department of Children and Families, Legal Aid, the Guardian Ad Litem Program, and Juvenile Probation to determine the best course of treatment for children and their families. She was the Coordinator for the Battered Women Syndrome Research Questionnaire Study, a research program designed to collect data to empirically support the Battered Women’s Syndrome. Dr. Gill was trained in clinical and forensic psychology working together with Dr. Lenore Walker and Dr. David Shapiro. Additionally, Dr. Gill was employed at Yale University Child Study Center in the Child Development/Community Policing Program, which is a program in collaboration with the New Haven Police Department. She served as Trauma Clinic Coordinator, Domestic Violence Advocate Coordinator and on-call clinician for police officers which included responding to the scene, advising, training, and assisting police with intervention strategies to minimize the trauma exposure of children involved. In the above-mentioned roles, Dr. Gill served as the coordinator of an innovative program designed to identify, treat, and assess children exposed to violence, while evaluating its potential to increase positive interactions with police and the community. Dr. Gill was an active member of the Domestic Violence Task Force in New Haven for several years, serving several roles including that of secretary. Dr. Gill currently teaches a Master’s level course in forensic psychology for Nova Southeastern University and performs forensic evaluations for Battered Woman Self Defense cases where domestic violence/trauma may be mitigating factors in the commission of serious crimes.
Dr. Tarmeen Sahni is a licensed psychologist in several states and currently practices in New York and New Jersey where she conducts criminal and civil evaluations, expert witness testimony, consultation, and supervision. She has a part time practice with Walker & Associates, LLC. She has been trained as a clinical and forensic psychologist, earned her Ph.D. from Nova Southeastern University, completed her doctoral internship at Patton State Hospital, and her post-doctoral residency with the State of New Jersey, specializing in sex offender treatment and evaluation. She has also specialized in competency and multicultural issues related to trauma. She formerly worked at Brooklyn Supreme Court and helped in the development of the first felony Mental Health Court along with establishing an intensive case management unit for the Domestic Violence Part. She also works as a clinical psychologist developing an individualized path for each client using different modalities of therapy to help reach the client’s therapeutic goals. She understands that mental well-being is influenced by a multitude of factors that impact our lives and the world we live in, including our relationships with others, the environment we work and live in, our cultural makeup, and our perception of such factors. She believes by increasing awareness of the factors creating psychological distress, old patterns can be transformed, and new and positive changes can take place. Her therapeutic style is usually psychodynamic, integrating cognitive behavioral techniques (CBT). Dr. Sahni’s area of interests include pre-, peri-, post-natal psychology, focusing a woman’s journey from pregnancy to life after baby. For further information see her resume.
Dr. Stephanie Akl, Psy.D., is a Licensed Psychologist based in Miami, Florida. After attending the University of Miami and then conducting neuropsychological research at the University of Pittsburgh, she returned to South Florida for her graduate training in psychology. Dr. Akl earned her M.S. and Psy.D. degrees in Clinical Psychology from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale. At Nova, Dr. Akl studied and trained in a wide range of clinical treatment modalities and gained expertise in psychological assessment. She focused her energy on Clinical Psychology and the treatment of anxiety, depression, and trauma. In addition, Dr. Akl trained in the specialty of Forensic Psychology, learning how to answer legal questions through psychological assessment, knowledge, and expertise. Dr. Akl has conducted research and delivered conference presentations on domestic violence and Battered Woman Syndrome, false confessions, and the effects of child sexual abuse, to touch on a few.</p> <p>Since earning her degrees and license, Dr. Akl has treated patients across South Florida with a diverse range of clinical concerns, and she conducts forensic evaluations and therapy for those involved with the Department of Children and Families, criminal courts, and immigration courts. Dr. Akl proudly joined Walker & Associates as an associate in 2018 to conduct evaluations and provide expert witness testimony (when needed) related to trauma, Intimate Partner Violence, and the effects of Battered Woman Syndrome. Although much of her work is based closed to home in South Florida, Dr. Akl has also been known to jump at the opportunity to pack a bag and travel for cases!
Brandi Diaz, M.A. is currently a clinical psychology doctoral student at Nova Southeastern University. She is working toward her PsyD with a concentration in forensic psychology at NSU. Brandi previously obtained a Master's degree in forensic psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University. During her training at NSU, Brandi has worked in a variety of settings, including evaluation experience with competency, immigration, mental health diversion, and family court. Her areas of research interest include intimate partner violence, the assessment of malingering, psychopathy, and therapeutic jurisprudence. She is working with Walker & Associates on the 3rd Edition of the STEP program as well as assisting on various forensic cases. Upon completion of her doctorate in 2023, Brandi hopes to establish a career as a forensic evaluator in her home state of Michigan.
Amanda is a psychology trainee in the Clinical Psychology Psy.D. program at Nova Southeastern University (NSU). She is currently in her third year of the program and a member of the Forensic Concentration. Amanda grew up in New York and received her Bachelor’s degree with honors from Amherst College with a major in Psychology before beginning at NSU, where she has since received her Masters in Clinical Psychology. She has spent time working with behavior-disordered children through New York University’s Summer Program for Kids and has counseled children and parents of children with trauma-related disorders at the Child and Adolescent Traumatic Stress Program and NSU. Currently, Amanda is working with various forensic populations conducting immigration-related and parental fitness evaluations, facilitating competency restoration groups, and seeing individual clients in the process of completing a Post-Arrest Diversion program. Amanda has conducted research with Dr. Walker on battered women who kill their partners, and is completing her Directed Study on this topic. She also will assist Dr. Walker on coordinating a special issue on Women Who Kill for the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma.