Biography
Dr. Susan Napolitano is a seasoned psychologist who specializes in clinical and forensic services. She has 25 years of clinical experience and more than 20 years’ experience as an expert witness in civil and criminal court cases.
A native of New York, Dr. Napolitano earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from LeMoyne College in Syracuse, N.Y. and a master’s in clinical psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, N.J. She completed her Ph.D. at the California School of Professional Psychology in Fresno, CA. in 1991 followed by two years of post-doctoral training in child, adolescent and adult clinical psychology at the Sullivan Center for Children.
Dr. Napolitano’s professional background includes more than 15 years as assistant clinical director and senior staff psychologist at the Sullivan Center in Fresno. She served as chief of staff at Cedar Vista Hospital in 1999 and formerly worked as an adjunct faculty member of the California School of Professional Psychology.
As an expert witness, Dr. Napolitano has testified on behalf of prosecutors, plaintiffs and defendants in dozens of cases involving sexual abuse of children, sexual abuse allegations, malpractice and personal injury. She is an expert in Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation Syndrome (CSAAS) and received training by the Child Abuse Training and Technical Assistance (CATTA) centers as a Child Forensic Interview Specialist. Dr. Napolitano served as Child Forensic Interview Specialist with the Madera County Child Forensic Interview Team (CFIT) from 2006 through 2010.
Dr. Napolitano has provided court-ordered Child Custody Evaluations for more than 25 years. She has mentored new psychologist evaluators, testified throughout California and provided expert consultation for attorneys. Her far-ranging forensic experience also includes conducting Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) evaluations and (OMD) evaluations for the California Department of State Hospitals, Forensic Services Unit. She also serves as a mentor, trainer and quality assurance provider for OMD evaluators. Dr. Napolitano is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, the San Joaquin Valley Psychological Association, Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA) the Forensic Mental Health Association of California (FMHAC) and the National Register of Psychology providers. She is a past president of the San Joaquin Valley Psychological Association and served for eight years as editor of the San Joaquin Psychologist.
Dr. Napolitano has provided advanced training seminars throughout California in the areas of violence risk assessment, sexual disorders, sex offender risk assessment, domestic violence, high conflict child custody cases, refuse/resist dynamics in children, Child Forensic Interviews, child sexual abuse allegations, and interviewing children.
In 2000, Dr. Napolitano received the Distinguished Psychologist Award from the San Joaquin Valley Psychological Association.
