Forensic Mental Health Clinic

Forensic assessment, consultation, treatment, and training for the Southern Illinois Community

The Forensic Mental Health Clinic launched in January 2026 within the SIU's Community Care and Education Center. The Forensic Clinic is a training site founded on a commitment to meet the needs of the Southern Illinois community by providing evidence-based forensic mental health services, while training the next generation of forensic psychologists. The Clinic provides specialized psychological services to Southern Illinois court systems, treatment agencies, and justice-involved individuals. Services include forensic assessment, consultation, treatment, and training. Some of our services are available throughout Illinois and select additional states.

Mission

We are dedicated to providing evidence-based specialized forensic psychological services to Southern Illinois, training SIU clinical psychology doctoral students, and establishing partnerships within the community to improve forensic mental health practices and outcomes.

Practicum Program

The Forensic Mental Health Clinic offers a Forensic Psychology Practicum Program for clinical psychology doctoral students at SIU. The practicum program provides specialized training and hands-on experiences on forensic psychology.

Trainees engage in providing psychological services to adults involved in the criminal, civil, or immigration legal systems, many of whom have severe mental illness. Services may be provided in various settings including inpatient (i.e., Clyde L. Choate Mental Health and Development Center forensic unit), outpatient (e.g., attorneys' offices, courthouse), and correctional settings (i.e., jails/prisons), as well as via telehealth. Trainees may engage in assessments, treatment, and consultation services. Available opportunities ultimately depend on referrals, clinic's capacity, trainee's level of readiness, and supervisor's expertise.

This practicum program adopts a developmental supervision approach, where students start participating in training, observation, and shadowing. Subsequently, they begin conducting tasks under the direct observation of the supervisor, gradually increasing their independence. Trainees will receive supervision by a licensed clinical psychologist with a specialization in forensic psychology.

We welcome applications for the practicum program each spring semester. If you are interested in learning more about the program or the application process, please reach out to the Clinic Director at maria.aparcerosuero@siu.edu

Services

The Forensic Mental Health Clinic serves as a training site for graduate students in the clinical psychology doctoral program. Depending on the specific services requested, services may be provided directly by the Clinic Director or by a doctoral student trainee. Students may be involved at different capacities, and all services provided by students are under the direct supervision of a licensed supervisor. The specific structure of your service delivery, including who your primary provider will be, will be discussed prior to any retainer agreement.

Forensic Assessment

A range of forensic assessments for adults. Types of evaluations for criminal court cases include fitness to stand trial, criminal responsibility, general mental health and risk assessments (e.g., violence risk assessments), For immigration court cases, the clinic provides competency evaluations and N-648 psychological evaluations for medical disability exceptions.

Other forensic assessment services may be available if faculty expertise allows. Please contact us to discuss potential referrals.

Forensic Mental Health Treatment

Our clinic partners with community and state agencies to deliver forensic mental health treatment and other forensic services.

Forensic Consultation & Training

Our clinic provides consultation and training services on forensic psychological issues for mental health and legal professionals as well as other stakeholders. Our trainings and consultations are tailored to the needs of each client. Examples of topics include severe mental illness, cross-cultural forensic assessment, fitness, malingering, violence risk, and immigration competency evaluations. If you are interested in training for your staff on a specific topic, please contact us.

Our Team

Maria Aparcero-Suero, Assistant Professor

Maria Aparcero-Suero, Director and Supervisor

Dr. Aparcero-Suero is the Director of Forensic Mental Health Services and an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She is a bilingual (English & Spanish) licensed clinical psychologist with expertise in forensic psychology. Dr. Aparcero-Suero has worked in outpatient and inpatient forensic settings, providing psychological assessment, treatment, and consultation services for justice-involved offenders, many of whom had severe mental illness. She completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a Forensic Psychology concentration at Fordham University and a Forensic Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship at the California Department of State Hospitals-Patton. Prior to her appointment at SIU, she worked as a senior psychologist specialist conducting forensic evaluations, both in English and Spanish, on a wide range of criminal and civil forensic issues, including competency to stand trial, conservatorship, feigning, and violence recidivism risk assessments. She also provided expert testimony, training, and consultation in forensic psychology-related issues.

In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Aparcero-Suero conducts applied research in forensic psychology. Her research examines the validity of psychological and forensic assessments, emphasizing their application with culturally and linguistically diverse adults, and provides practical solutions to support practitioners' needs. She has published in the areas of violence and sex offender risk, malingering, cross-cultural assessment, immigration evaluations, and intellectual disability screening in correctional settings. She is one of the authors of the Fitness Interview Test – Immigration Court, a semi-structured interview for assessing competency to participate, self-represent, and testify in immigration court proceedings.

Visit the Cross-Cultural Forensic Psychology Lab for more information!

Nora Will, Doctoral Trainee

Nora Will, Clinical Psychology Doctoral Trainee

Nora is a doctoral student in the clinical psychology program at SIU, focusing on research and assessment at the intersection of law and clinical psychology. She is interested in understanding recidivism and reentry for those with serious mental illness, forensic assessment practices, and alternatives to incarceration. She is currently completing the Forensic Psychology Practicum Program.

Contact Us

For any service requests or inquiries, please contact us. The Clinic Director will respond to phone or email inquiries by following up with a phone call to discuss the referral, determine appropriateness for the training clinic, establish a timeline for service provision, and outline fee arrangements. The initial consultation is free.

While Southern Illinois is our primary focus, our forensic services are not limited to individuals within this region. Depending on licensure requirements, the nature of the referral, and availability, we may be able to provide services nationwide. We are always open to discussing referrals or potential collaborations, so please don't hesitate to contact us.

Location
Southern Illinois University
Community Care and Education Center
1101 S Wall St., Mail Code 6611, Carbondale, IL 62901
Contact
(618) 453-2334
forensicmhclinic@siu.edu