Ms. Stephanie Erickson, MSW, PSW, LCSW, CADTS
Newport Beach, CA 92663
Over the past 30 years, Stephanie Erickson, MSW, PSW, LCSW, CADTS, has developed expertise in objectively evaluating situations in which abuse or neglect allegations are made about a vulnerable person and presenting her findings to the court to demonstrate the relationship, if any, between the alleged abuse or neglect and the vulnerable person’s ability to function. The vulnerable individuals with whom she has extensive experience include children, adults, and older adults, many of whom have a mental illness, physical illness, dementia, or a developmental disability. These evaluations often require assessment of not only the vulnerable individual, but also family dynamics, caregivers, and healthcare organizations, such as nursing homes, board and care homes, assisted care homes, adult family homes, the child welfare system, the adult welfare system, and the school system. As a forensic social worker, much of her work involves serving as an expert on child welfare, elder care, elder abuse, conservatorship, and nursing homes. As a practicing social worker, she is also able to render expert opinions on the professional conduct of social workers.
Throughout her career, Ms. Erickson has made it standard practice to visit individuals in their home environments, whether that is a family home, foster home, nursing home, board and care, assisted care home, or hospital to ensure that her evaluation includes observations about the availability and interaction of services, resources, care, caregivers, healthcare professionals, families, and community workers and their influence on the vulnerable person’s functioning. These environmental evaluations provide clinical insights about interpersonal relationships, family dynamics, safety, staffing, services, and day-to-day functioning and needs. In addition, Ms. Erickson facilitates interviews with family members, caregivers, healthcare professionals, community resource providers, nursing home administrators, staff, and other interested persons to integrate the observations and perspectives of many individuals in the vulnerable person’s entourage. This approach is neutral and inclusive to understand fully how an individual or organization is functioning.
Ms. Erickson has worked in a multitude of settings throughout her career, giving her a holistic understanding of the influences that impact a person’s functioning over the life cycle. She has worked in the Child Welfare system investigating child abuse allegations; as a clinical social worker for a hospice, building and supervising school-based mental health services; as a therapist in a high school setting, at a domestic violence shelter, at a homeless shelter; as a clinical social worker in a home care setting, in custody mediation; as a private practitioner, providing therapy for children, adolescents, adults, families, and older adults; and in a network of nursing homes.
Ms. Erickson has been a Forensic Expert with Park Dietz & Associates since March 2023.
- Child Sexual Abuse
- Education & Schools
- Elder Abuse
- Family Law
- Geriatrics
- Long Term Care
- Social Work/Social Services
- Trusts & Estates
- Q: Please list your professional accreditations, degrees, licenses, and certificates granted:
- A:
• Master of Social Work (MSW) – California State University, Long Beach, CA
• Bachelor of Arts (BA), English, Minor in Spanish – San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
• Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
• Ordre professionnel des travailleurs sociaux du Quebec Professional Social Worker (PSW)
• Certified Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment Specialist (CADTS)
- Q: Please list any teaching or speaking experience you have had, including subject matter:
- A:
• Working with Aging Clients and their Families, CWB Wealth Management (2022)
• Setting Boundaries and Family Dynamics, L’Appuyi Caregiver Support (2022)
• Team Caregiving, L’Appuyi Caregiver Support (2022)
• Legal Documents and Preserving Family Harmony, L’Appuyi Caregiver Support (2022)
• Plan for Aging Well, Regional Geriatric Program of Eastern Canada (2021)
• Plan for Aging Well, Mutual of Omaha (2021)
• Plan for Aging Well, The Alzheimer’s Society (2021)
• Boundaries: Understanding, Building, and Maintaining Healthy Boundaries, 4Korners (2021)
• Plan for Aging Well: Our Emotional and Spiritual Health, The Care Connection, Leeza Gibbons (2020)
• Plan for Aging Well, National Caregivers Association (2020)
• Understanding Protective Regimes and Decision-Making Capacity, The Alzheimer’s Society (2011–2020)
• Mental Illness and Mental Health, Evolocity Financial, Montreal, QC (2019)
• Working with Seniors: Practical Tips Every Law Firm Needs to Know, American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys (2019)
• The Aging Experience, Brandeis (2019)
• Caregiving is Here to Stay: Are We Ready? The Employee Assistance Trade Association (EASNA) (2016)
• If we are what we say, then why not say something different? TEDx (2016)
• I’m Still Me. How Terminology about Aging Impacts Our Experience, The Alzheimer’s Society (2016)
• Decision-making Capacity and the Opening of Protective Regimes Dementia, Veteran’s Association (2016)
• Decision-making Capacity for Older Adults, American Society of Aging (2015)
• Ethical Factors Associated with Assessing Older Adult Capacity for Consent, American Society of Aging (2014)
• Dementia, Alzheimer’s, Cognitive Loss, Brandeis (2014)
• Initiating Conversations about Aging with Your Family, Brandeis (2014)
• Downsizing, Brandeis (2014)
- Q: Have any of your accreditations ever been investigated, suspended or removed? (if yes, explain)
- A: No
- Q: On how many occasions have you been retained as an expert?
- A: Multiple times over an 18-year period in Montreal, Canada.
5 times in California since with PD&A.
- Q: For what area(s) of expertise have you been retained as an expert?
- A: Child welfare (CPS); elder welfare (APS); elder abuse (APS; nursing home, assisted living, etc.); child abuse (CPS, developmental disability), class action for Veterans (nursing home)
- Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the plaintiff?
- A: Multiple times in Canada.
Since with PD&A (1 plaintiff, 4 defendants).
- Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the defendant?
- A: Multiple times in Canada.
Since with PD&A (1 plaintiff, 4 defendants).
- Q: On how many occasions have you had your deposition taken?
- A: Multiple times in Canada.
Since with PD&A, never.
- Q: When was the last time you had your deposition taken?
- A: 2021
- Q: On how many occasions have you been qualified by a court to give expert testimony?
- A: Multiple times in Montreal, Canada.
None of my cases with PD&A have gone to trial yet.
- Q: On how many occasions have you testified as an expert in court or before an arbitrator?
- A: Multiple times in Montreal, Canada over an 18-year period.
- Q: For how many years have you worked with the legal industry as an expert?
- A: Including Canada, 20 years
- Q: What services do you offer? (E.g.: consulting, testing, reports, site inspections etc.)
- A: Documents Review, Interviewing of Interested Persons (victims, perpetrators, administrators, direct staff [nurses, social workers, etc.]), Family Members; Site Inspection of Nursing Homes, Board and Care, Adult Family Homes, Assisted Living; Consultation; Report Writing, Testimony
- Q: What is your hourly rate to consult with an attorney?
- A: Hourly rates are the same for all activities and are available on request.
- Q: What is your hourly rate to review documents?
- A: Hourly rates are the same for all activities and are available on request.
- Q: What is your hourly rate to provide deposition testimony?
- A: Hourly rates are the same for all activities and are available on request.
- Q: What is your hourly rate to provide testimony at trial?
- A: Hourly rates are the same for all activities and are available on request.
- Q: Please list any fees other than those stated above (E.g.: travel expenses, copy fees, etc.)
- A: Travel expenses and other expenses specified in the engagement letter or contract.
Available Upon Request