is a Licensed Psychologist, specializing in Clinical and Forensic Psychology with children, adolescents, and adults.  

Education.    After receiving her A.B., with Honors, from Brown University, Dr. Harrelson earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She completed an American Psychological Association-accredited predoctoral clinical internship in Child and Adolescent Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine / Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior, where she further specialized in assessment, treatment and forensic psychological evaluation with children, adolescents, and adults. Aiming to further develop her ability to conceptualize and apply well-developed research and clinical skills within various legal contexts, Dr. Harrelson completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Forensic Psychology at the University of Southern California (USC) Institute of Psychiatry, Law, and Behavioral Science, where she also served as a Clinical Instructor in the USC Keck School of Medicine.

Private Practice.    Dr. Reba-Harrelson currently directs a private practice with a primary focus on a variety of issues at the intersection of psychology and the law. Based on her training and experiences, the scope of her practice includes conducting psychological evaluations with youth and adults involved in juvenile, criminal, and civil proceedings. In an expert witness appointed by the Court, Defense, and Prosecution in juvenile and criminal matters, she has extensive experience conducting evaluation related to issues including but not limited to competency to proceed, mental status and the time of the offense (MSO/NGRI), violence risk and needs assessments, and waiver/transfer to and from Juvenile and Superior Courts, and Death Penalty Mitigation. In civil proceedings, Dr. Reba Harrelson has also conducted numerous evaluations as a damages expert--addressing proximal cause of various types of alleged abuse relative to alleged injury. Further experiences includes conducting psychological evaluations relative to immigration issues in Federal Court.

Dr. Reba- Harrelson also provides consultation to legal professionals in the context of juvenile, civil, and criminal matters, as well as a variety of state, federal, and private agencies. She has consulted on issues including developmental maturity and trauma for both the defense and prosecution in juvenile and criminal matters, as well as methodological issues in damages assessment for both plaintiff's and defense counsel in civil litigation. Prior agency clients include the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, the Los Angeles Office of the Coroner, Fulton County Office of the Public Defender and District Attorney, as well as school and juvenile courts across three states related to issues of alternative disposition, disproportionate minority contact, and culturally-informed treatment.

Regarding testimony experience, Dr. Reba-Harrelson has been sworn as an expert in psychology relative to juveniles, adults, and specific issues associated with both child development and trauma. Across multiple states and legal issues, she has testified over 100 times in civil, juvenile, and criminal proceedings.  In juvenile matters, her experiences includes testimony at pretrial hearings relative to adjudicative competency, as well as in the context of Superior Court transfer hearings in case involving both automatic waiver and transfer by prosecutorial discretion. In criminal proceedings, Dr. Reba-Harrelson has testified at numerous pretrial hearings addressing competency to strand trial, MSO/NGRI, and psychiatric commitment. In both bench and jury trials, she has also testified on issues associated with diminished capacity, as well as in the guilt and sentencing phase of capital cases as a mitigation expert.

Faculty and Research.    As faculty at the Medical University of South Carolina, Dr. Reba-Harrelson provides supervision to psychologists and psychiatrists completing specialized training through Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavior Science. As part the fellowship's didactic education, she also conducts multiple lectures on topics including cultural competency in forensic psychology, empirically-supported approaches to assessment of justice-involved youth and adults, and special issues related to mental health evaluations in civil litigation.  In her faculty role in the Emory University School of Medicine's Psychiatry and Law Service, Dr. Reba-Harrelson conducts research and assists in training of psychologists and psychiatrist completing the postdoctoral forensic specialization through the Emory Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program. 

Regarding research, Dr. Reba-Harrelson has received grants including two years of funding from the National Institute of Health to study of transmission of disordered behavior in a highly unique sample of 100,000 mothers and their children, followed from the 17th week of pregnancy through early childhood within the Norwegian Institute of Public Health MoBa study. Her current scholarship is chiefly focused on the impact of stressors on emotions, behaviors, and related outcomes amongst justice involved youth of color, and collaborative development of culturally- and trauma-informed treatment for juveniles and families in the legal system. Through her position at Emory, her work also relates to novel approaches to competency remediation. 

Dr. Reba-Harrelson is an active member of professional organizations, and is currently the Chair-Elect of the American Psychological Association Division 41 (American Psychology-Law Society) Early Career Professional Committee. She is also a member of the the American Academy of Forensic Sciences , and the Georgia Psychological Association, in which she is involved with the Council on Diversity.

Philosophy.    Dr. Harrelson is strongly committed to approaching the practice of clinical and forensic psychology in accordance with the APA Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology, and the governing laws in the state of practice. Accordingly,  Dr. Harrelson limits the scope of her practice to areas in which she maintains expertise through continued scholarship, experience, and education. This is not only of utmost ethical importance, but salient in the context of meeting evidentiary standards for expert witnesses testimony, regardless of the jurisdiction-specific test (e.g,. Frye v. U.S., Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, the Federal Rules of Evidence).

Dr. Harrelson is committed to striving for multicultural competency in her approach to all clients, defendants, and case conceptualization. With ongoing involvement in organizations and scholarship related to diversity issues, Dr. Harrelson considers it an ethical and professional obligation to approach each psycho-legal issue not only with a strong understanding of the state of the science regarding psychological assessment methodology, but awareness, knowledge, and skill requisite to holistically understand cultural and environmental factors relevant to the case.  

For a print copy of Dr. Harrelson's Curriculum Vitae, click HERE