Who's Qualified? Examining Attorney Perspectives on LPCs in the Legal System

Authors

• Becca Wilson, St. Mary's UniversityFollow

Files

Contributor

Corley, Shawna (Faculty Mentor)

Digital Publisher

Digital Commons at St. Mary's University

Publication Date

Spring 2026

Keywords

Legal issues, Mental Health, Counseling and Counselors, Attorneys, Student Scholarship

Description

Legal cases frequently intersect with mental health concerns, positioning Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) to contribute clinical expertise in custody disputes, trauma documentation, and psychological functioning. As mental health issues become increasingly central to both civil and criminal proceedings, the working relationship between attorneys and counselors carries real consequences for clients, yet LPCs entering legal settings often face challenges related to role clarity, courtroom preparation, and professional credibility. Existing research has focused primarily on counselors' forensic experiences, leaving attorney perspectives on LPC involvement largely unexplored. This gap is meaningful, as attorneys serve as gatekeepers to expert involvement and their perceptions of mental health professionals shape how clinical contributions are received in court. This study employed a qualitative phenomenological design to examine Texas attorneys' lived experiences collaborating with LPCs in civil and criminal legal cases.

Format

pdf

Size

1 poster

City

San Antonio, Texas

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.