Working with Psychopathy : Lifting the Mask

This brief explores the research on psychopaths in various settings and in everyday life. Psychopaths are often predatory by nature but may appear normal to laypersons. Individuals working in health professions, forensic occupations, education and corporate environments are likely to encounter a person with psychopathic traits at some point in their respective careers; this brief highlights the value of being able to identify a person with psychopathic traits, to understand the implications, and to navigate any interactions.

With recommendations for assessment and for guiding future interactions, this brief will be beneficial to mental health professionals, practitioners and researchers in psychology, forensic occupations, corrections, education, healthcare, and professionals in corporate environments.

Tom Kennedy is an Associate Professor and the Director of Academic Affairs for the College of Psychology at Nova Southeastern University (NSU).  He serves as a representative for the NSU IRB and is a supervisor for the forensic practicum. He received his PhD from the University of Miami and is a licensed psychologist in Florida.  He previously served as Associate Professor for the College of Education at NSU where he was co-director of the Applied Research Center and developed and taught multiple courses including: Methods of Inquiry, Statistics, Advanced Statistics, Research Design, Mixed Methods, Program Evaluation, Survey and Measurement and Testing. His clinical experience consists of providing forensic evaluations, neuropsychological assessments, behavioral medicine interventions, and child and adolescent therapy in inpatient and outpatient settings including: the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, UM Mailman Center for Child Development, JacksonMemorial Hospital, UM Institute for Individual and Family Therapy, and the Dallas County Detention Center.  Before coming to NSU, he worked at the Mailman Center for Child Development, where he trained and supervised school psychologists and assessed children throughout Miami-Dade County Schools. He is board certified in Biofeedback. His research interests include three convergent forensic tracks, one focused on at-risk children and adolescents, the other on psychopathy, domestic violence, and human trafficking, and a third on the reliability and validity of psychological instruments used in forensic evaluations.  He has procured grant funding and served as lead evaluator for multiple organizations including Catholic Charities, Miami Dade-Schools Police, and National Bullying programs. He has published books and book chapters, and written articles in the areas of juvenile crime, psychological assessment, bullying, psychophysiology and research design.

Elise Anello is currently enrolled in Nova Southeastern University’s clinical psychology Ph.D. program. Prior to attending Nova, she received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and criminology and law from the University of Florida. Her research interests are focused on psychopathy and forensic populations and her primary clinical interests are assessment and forensic psychology. Elise is also the program coordinator for Nova Southeastern University’s Forensic Psychology Master’s program.

Stephanie Sardinas is a student at Nova Southeastern University currently pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. Before she was accepted into the doctoral program, she had earned her master’s degree in forensic psychology from Nova Southeastern University. Stephanie’s research focuses primarily on exploring the convergence of personality disorders, violence, and sexual offending. Her clinical interests center on the assessment and treatment of sexual offenders.

Scarlet Woods is pursuing a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Nova Southeastern University. Prior to this, she studied at Roger Williams University and earned her master’s degree in forensic psychology. Her research interests include psychopathy, youth who sexually offend, and related developmental pathways in these youth. Scarlet’s clinical and forensic interests focus primarily on the integrated evaluation of mental health, including risk of self-harm, violence, and/or sexual reoffending. Additional interests involve acculturation within a family context, as well as leading group interventions in forensic populations.