About Dr. Stephen W. Barron

Picture of Dr. Stephen W. Barron

Dr. Stephen William Barron (D.Psych., M.Crim., M.A., Grad. Dip. Clin. Hyp., Grad. Dip. Psych. Prac., MAPS.)
Psychologist (Forensic)

Profile

Dr Barron has worked in many areas of the criminal justice system in New South Wales since 1980, since 1995 that work has been specifically related to the review and behavioural investigation of crime, offenders and those who have had usually a negative encounter with the courts.

Initially a psychologist developing assessment centres and organisational leadership courses, opportunities arose to work in more formal areas of interviewing, assessment and preparing professional opinions for courts. This forensic work included the provision of reports and testimony for courts in a range of criminal matters, including homicide, sexual assault, arson and property offences. Forensic work also included workers compensation, pre-sentence evaluations and counselling victims of crime. His research into police officer suicide led to the development of a psychological autopsy protocol specifically for police officers, but can include an investigation into any equivocal death.

Following his registration as a psychologist in 1997, Dr Barron worked in private practice, seeing police officers, emergency service personnel, military personnel, their spouses, partners and children, providing a range of clinical and counselling services, including PTSD, stress related problems, anxiety and depression.

His qualifications include Masters Degrees (M.A. - Psychology) and (M.Crim. - Criminology) and a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) from Charles Sturt and Sydney Universities. He completed his Doctor of Psychology (Forensic) at Charles Sturt University, completing clinical coursework and research in the area of police officer suicide. His clinical placements included the Department of Juvenile Justice, Aged care working on competency evaluations and private practice seeing persons for a range of mental health problems.

He has a Graduate Certificate in Applied Mgt. (AIPM) and Graduate Diplomas in Clinical Hypnosis and Psychological Practice. Currently registered as a psychologist in NSW and in Victoria.

He was an adjunct lecturer at the College of Psychological Practice, presenting to, and assessing intern and experienced psychologists in report writing and court presentation skills. Dr Barron was also a guest lecturer in Arson behavioural investigative analysis to the NSW Police Arson Investigators Course. He currently teaches in the area of psychological aspects of arson with Charles Sturt University.

Dr Barron’s current practice provides a range of clinical services to police officers, emergency service personnel, military personnel and other members of the community in addition to criminal and forensic services for solicitors in a range of criminal and civil court actions.

 

Selected Publications:

  • Barron, S.W. (2007). Police Suicide. Conference Paper, Psychology and Law, Adelaide.
  • Barron, S.W. (2006). Suicide in the New South Wales Police 1990 – 2005. Doctoral thesis. Charles Sturt University, Bathurst.
  • Barron, S.W. (2003). Psychological Autopsy and Police Suicide. Unpublished paper.
  • Barron, S.W. (2001). Police Suicide in New South Wales – A review. Conference Paper, National Suicide Conference, Melbourne.
  • Barron, S.W. (1999). Psychological aspects of Arson. Arson review paper for NSW Police.
  • Barron, S.W. (1999). Ethics in Policing. Open Learning Institute. Charles Sturt University, Bathurst.
  • Barron, S.W. (1998). Information and Investigation. Open Learning Institute. Charles Sturt University, Bathurst.
  • Barron, S.W. (1997). Police Psychological Services. Policy Discussion paper for NSW Police.
  • Barron, S.W. (1997). Issues in Investigation. Open Learning Institute. Charles Sturt University, Bathurst.
  • Kear-Colwell, J., & Barron, S.W. (1997). Psychological Aspects of Arson. Open Learning Institute, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst.
  • Barron, S.W. (1996). PTSD: Classification and Review. Research report for NSW Police.
  • Moroney, K., Jacobsen, T., & Barron, S.W. (1995). Recruitment: an analysis of the strategies and recommendations for effective police recruitment toward the year 2000. NSW Police Service, Sydney.
  • Barron, S.W. (1994). The Development of a Permanent Organisational Assessment/Selection Centre. NSW Police Service, Sydney.
  • Barron, S.W. (1994). Police Assessment and Police Recruitment. NSW Police Service, Sydney.

 

Professional Memberships

  • Member - Australian Psychological Society
  • Member - College of Forensic Psychology (APS)
  • Member – Police Psychology Services Section of IACP.
  • Member - Australian Society of Hypnosis
  • International Affiliate - American Psychology Association.


Areas of Interest

  • Police Psychology (Investigative interviewing, witness testimony, profiling, psychological autopsy, police suicide)
  • Forensic Psychology
  • Ethics and Policing
  • Police Education and Training
  • Executive Coaching.

 

To assist in a general understanding of what forensic and clinical psychological service provision is:-

Forensic Psychology:

– is the application of psychological knowledge and principles to the criminal and civil justice systems. In its basic form, forensic psychology is the intersection of the law and mental health, with forensic psychologists using a range of methodologies such as psychological testing, interviewing and research to assist courts, judges, and legal counsel in a range of legal questions, providing advice and psychological reports.

Forensic psychologists typically work in criminal, civil and family courts in the provision of professional and expert opinion relevant to psychological and behavioural questions before the court. Some of these questions may include: issues of self-defense, mitigation re sentencing, opportunities for rehabilitation, likelihood of re-offending, feigning of mental illness to evade prosecution, conveying information re mental illness, ‘best interest’ of the child, assisting jurors with the complex nexus of human behaviour and offending, and a range of compensation issues relevant to psychological injury.

Many forensic psychologists have expertise in other disciplines within psychology, providing services in their professional work that are clinical in nature, in addition to providing forensic consultation.

Clients of forensic psychology, apart from persons seeking a range of therapeutic psychological interventions and management, are typically:

  • Courts and Judges,
  • Department of Public Prosecutions,
  • Personal Injury Lawyers,
  • Family Law Solicitors,
  • Police Forces and specialist investigation units,
  • Insurance Companies,
  • Workers Compensation Lawyers.

Basic knowledge about legal procedure, criminal proofs and defences are essential ingredients of forensic psychology in order to communicate effectively with solicitors, barristers and other court/legal related professionals. Forensic psychologists are able to assist legal counsel, courts and jurors understand the often complex and difficult psychological concepts that are relevant to the legal issue(s) of the situation. Where many psychologists perform clinical evaluations, few have experience providing forensic consulting services and fewer have experience presenting their professional opinions in court.

 

Clinical Psychology:

Usually individuals, couples and families visit a clinical psychologist suffering from some type of emotional distress or that their behaviour generally, or in certain situations, is causing them concern at work or in personal relationships. Some persons attend due to their own concerns; others are referred or encouraged by their doctor, family members of friends. Some of these problems are later diagnosed as mental health issues such as anxiety, depression or a range of other disorders, depending on the symptoms and behaviours observed and assessed. Others are simply due to poor management of themselves or with their environment, this is an oversimplification, but illustrates that mental health problems may be minor or major.

Professional assessment, evaluation, diagnosis and treatment planning usually result in positive outcome for many people and couples; others are encouraged to manage their problems differently through a range of techniques whereby their behaviours are modified in some way or skills are learned that assists in improving their quality of life. In many cases, medication and a period of intensive therapy assist. The problems largely depend on the individual, where psychological interventions, some involving therapy may often result in amore pleasing outcome. Any intervention is based on the person’s life experiences, personality and expectations.

Counselling and therapy can take weeks, in the acquisition of specific skills and knowledge relating to the presenting problem, or can take much longer, the duration usually a collaborative decision by the clinician and client. There is often the use of psychological testing where appropriate and working with concerns alongside ongoing support of medication. Problems can also re-surface, so for some people ongoing therapy remains possibility. In any case, few clinicians offer a ‘cure’ or a ‘fix’, the best outcome is where the client works to learn skills that can enable them to better manage their own lives and where problems solving skills are transferable to a range of problem events.

There are a range of psychological interventions and models available and what works for some people may not work for others, the decision of best-fit is one based on the quality of the relationship between client and practitioner. What differentiates the clinical psychologist from other psychologists is usually the experience and training in assessment, diagnosis and treatment of mental health problems, that is, specifically in the practice of clinical psychology.

 

For any enquiries please visit the contact page. A copy of my CV may be supplied to legal practitioners upon request.