You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
Dr. Alexander-Guerra offers an uninhibited account of the conflicting emotions and inner dialogue she faces when accepting and working on a forensic case. This dialogue brings the patient, the crime committed, the Court, the attorneys, and Dr. Alexandra-Guerra's own family prominently into the foreground. Dr. Alexander-Guerra delineates the conflicts encountered into ethical, clinical, and personal. Although her forensic work is primarily that of treating the forensic patient, her contributions can be applied also to the forensic evaluation of an individual.
Dr. Alexander-Guerra reminds us that, although psychoanalysts have not usually committed murders, we do recognize and feel within ourselves fantasies and wishes to murder. Being at the other end of this continuum can be both a relief to the psychoanalytic forensic expert and psychoanalysts and engender great anxiety, in that “there but for the grace of God go I.”
In addition, Dr. Alexander-Guerra grapples with the interesting issue of different fee schedules for forensic versus customary psychoanalytic work. She resolves this issue for herself by charging the same fees for both works, to avoid the lure of forensic work because of the higher fee (and headaches) often associated with it.