Competency to Stand Trial Evaluations

Dr. Selina Mangassarian provides competency to stand trial evaluations under California Penal Code §1368. These evaluations assess whether a defendant understands the nature of the criminal proceedings and can assist counsel in a rational manner.

She is a paneled neuropsychologist and forensic psychologist with both the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County and the Superior Court of California, Ventura County, and has conducted competency evaluations across a range of settings including outpatient, jail-based, and forensic facilities.

While many competency evaluations are primarily psychiatric in nature, a significant subset of cases involve cognitive and neuropsychological factors that standard psychiatric assessment alone may not adequately capture. Dr. Mangassarian’s dual expertise in clinical neuropsychology and forensic psychology positions her to address these more complex cases with a level of depth and rigor that is not always available from evaluators without neuropsychological expertise. As a forensic neuropsychologist, Dr. Mangassarian evaluates psychiatric symptoms as well as cognitive factors that may affect competency, including intellectual disability, traumatic brain injury, neurodevelopmental conditions, and neurocognitive disorders.

When Neuropsychological Testing Adds Critical Value

• Traumatic brain injury or acquired brain injury
• Intellectual disability or borderline intellectual functioning
• Neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism spectrum disorder or ADHD
• Dementia or neurocognitive decline
• Severe mental illness with cognitive sequelae
• Malingering or questionable effort, where validity testing is needed to interpret findings meaningfully
• Prior competency findings or restoration history that requires deeper cognitive analysis