Dr. Linda Grounds holds a Ph.D. and master’s degree in clinical psychology with a strong research and teaching emphasis. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology. After she received undergraduate and graduate school honors, including membership in the honor society Phi Beta Kappa as an undergraduate, she then completed an American Psychological Association-approved internship at Oregon Health & Science University.
At OHSU, Dr. Grounds also did a two-year fellowship focused exclusively on psychological assessment and a two-year postdoctoral residency that included psychological assessment and clinical treatment of late adolescents and adults
Since 1987, Dr. Grounds has conducted psychological assessments and provided outpatient psychotherapy services. She has conducted forensic psychological assessments since 1999. Prior to this, she received extensive training in ethics, psycho-legal issues, assessment techniques and instruments, report writing, and testimony in forensic psychological evaluations. She brings this experience and training to each evaluation for state or federal court.
Dr. Grounds has conducted many forensic psychological evaluations, almost exclusively of individuals facing serious criminal charges including embezzlement, identity theft, drug offenses, assault and murder. The purpose of these evaluations has included:
Dr. Grounds has an active treatment practice and enjoys providing consultation to psychologists and attorneys. She also writes articles and does professional presentations on topics related to forensic psychology. She is available to conduct forensic evaluations across Oregon and sometimes in other states.
Dr. Grounds also supervises psychologist residents and doctoral students who specialize in forensic psychological evaluations. These practitioners provide additional expertise for ongoing forensic evaluations.
Dr. Grounds lives and practices in Portland, Oregon. She is often accompanied to work by her Cairn Terrier, Higgins.
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Dr. Grounds does forensic assessments using the most current standards of practice in forensic and clinical psychology. Forensic evaluation reports by Dr. Grounds and her team are comprehensive, detailed, and written in clear, understandable language. These reports provide the judicial participants with relevant psychological information regarding the defendant and explain specifically the relationship between this information and the alleged offense conduct.
Many of the forensic psychological evaluations conducted by Dr. Grounds are for the purposes of mitigation during plea negotiation and sentencing phases of a case. She also does evaluations in cases where questions of competency arise.
Dr. Grounds specializes in psychological evaluations of women and defendants with complex psychological issues. She has particular expertise in assessing an individual’s vulnerabilities, e.g., intellectual impairments, exposure to parental neglect, domestic violence, childhood victimization and adult traumas, substance abuse, and mental illness. These factors are often help to understand a defendant’s alleged offense conduct and can assist defense attorneys, prosecutors, judges and juries in their judicial decision making.
Dr. Grounds has a special interest in female defendants, including the role of male co-defendants and domestic violence in women’s offense conduct. To date she has done forensic psychological evaluations of 40 women charged with embezzlement and is currently conducting a study of the histories, psychological attributes and motivations of women who embezzle.
Dr. Grounds brings a strong academic and research background to her forensic psychological evaluations. She teaches graduate courses in the Department of Clinical Psychology at Pacific University, and she also teaches and supervises psychologist residents and doctoral students.
Dr. Grounds’ academic and research background ensures that her forensic evaluations are balanced, thorough, and utilize the most current research findings from forensic and clinical psychology.
In addition to forensic evaluations, Dr. Grounds provides consultation to both psychologists and attorneys. She writes articles and speaks on topics related to forensic psychology to professional audiences, including attorneys, and psychologists.
Dr. Grounds’ clinical practice focuses on the psychological treatment of late adolescents and adults who are struggling with unresolved family issues and experiencing anxiety, depression, and related psychological issues..
