A staff member at the mental hospital asks the psychiatric forensic nurse who is working with a
defendant as a competency therapist "Why are you spending so much time with that guy? You spend
one-to-one time with him and even go to activities
with him. And I have seen you writing volumes.
Usually we just give these people medication for a while, then return them to the court.". The best
reply for the nurse would be
a. "My role is to become an advocate for the defendant, so I have to know him
well.".
b. "The specialized assessments I make on behalf of the court require lengthy
interviews.".
c. "My focus is providing intensive psychotherapy to ensure the defendant's
competency when he returns to court.".
d. "I spend time observing, assessing, and documenting to determine the defendant's
competency, write a report, and provide expert witness testimony in court."
D
Option D best explains the need for the competency therapist to spend large amounts of time with
the defendant. The competency therapist collects evidence by spending many hours with a defendant
and carefully documenting the dialogue. A complete formal report is prepared for the court and, in
addition, the competency therapist may provide expert witness testimony. Option B: This response is
more nonspecific than option D. Option A: The role of the competency therapist is to advocate for
the judicial process, not the defendant. Option C: The psychiatric forensic nurse working as a
competency therapist does not provide psychotherapy for the defendant.
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