Domestic Violence Consultants

Charles H. Heller, PhD, is a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist with over 35 years of experience in his field. Dr. Heller offers consultative expert evaluations to assess children and adults for intellectual, emotional, and mental abnormalities as defined by federal regulations. He is experienced in psychotherapy and psychological testing and provides psychological services to a broad spectrum of clients. Dr. Heller is currently on staff at Rutgers University Biomedical Health Service, specializing in criminal behavior and risk assessment. He also serves as a forensic psychologist consultant for the Rockland County (NY) court evaluation service, where he has performed hundreds of child custody, as well as criminal competency and child abuse/neglect evaluations.

Areas of Specialization:

Agency Consultation - Dr. Heller also offers consultation to agencies to improve team effort and communication and reduce conflict. He facilitates executive and leadership committee meetings, goal setting, and staff training and clinical supervision of other therapists. Dr. Heller is a Forensic Consultant and custody evaluator for the Rockland County (NY) Department of Mental Health and a Child Custody evaluator for the Bergen Family Center, Court Services Program. He is a Consultant to agencies that include: outpatient and inpatient alcoholism and drug abuse treatment centers, schools, foster care agencies, as well as a variety of group homes for emotionally handicapped, children with special needs, adolescents, developmentally delayed, and dual-diagnosed people.

Law Enforcement Personnel Consultation - Dr. Heller offers his services regarding treatment for alcohol and emotional problems as well as fitness for duty evaluations. Member of the Rockland County De-briefing team for police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians who have been involved in traumatic situations and the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. Serve as a clinician for the member assistance program of the New York City Patrolman's Benevolent Association. Serve as an EAP clinician for agents and staff of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

Speaking Engagements - Dr. Heller has delivered numerous professional speeches and seminars. His volunteer clinical supervisory and professional activities have been recognized by agencies he has helped.

View Dr. Heller's Expert Witness Profile.

Seth Goldstein, is an attorney representing parents and children in family violence since 1995. His practice uses the successful multi-disciplinary prosecution model, bringing to a case the special expertise of various professionals involved.

Since 1994, he has been the Executive Director of the Child Abuse Forensic Institute, a resource and referral organization he created using the same approach handling child abuse based in Monterey, California. When working for the district attorney in Napa County, his program achieved a 96.5% conviction rate, at charging, charging 75% of the cases brought to the program. He currently sits as an advisory board member for the Family Violence Appeals Project, Oakland, California, that has had an amassed an unprecedented 85% success rate in its appeals.

Mr. Goldstein has worked as a consultant for the State of California on the subject of response to domestic violence; the National Counsel of Juvenile and Family Court Judges on family violence, a law enforcement investigator specializing in the investigations of Sexual Assault, Child Physical and Sexual Abuse, and Family Violence for the Berkeley Police Department, the Santa Clara and Napa County District Attorney’s Offices. He has testified as an expert witness in Criminal, Civil, Juvenile Dependency, and Family Law courts in California and other states on these subjects. He has written and been published on the topics of family violence and child abuse in various national journals and publications. His book on investigating child sexual abuse by Seth Goldstein is in its second edition.

View Seth Goldstein's Expert Witness Profile.

Linnda Durre', Ph.D., Licensed Psychotherapist, (FL License #MH6058) is an expert witness, psychotherapist, family counselor, intern supervisor, international speaker, corporate trainer, author, business consultant, adjunct college professor, and a magazine, Internet, and newspaper columnist. Her four areas of court expertise are Family Law, Personal Injury Law, Employment Law, and Criminal Law. 

Litigation Support: With over 49 years of experience, she consults to attorneys and has been qualified as an expert witness in 12 states - Florida. Alabama, California, Arkansas, Georgia, Connecticut, Washington, Ohio, Tennessee, and Iowa - in the areas of Personal Injury, PTSD, Family and Couples Counseling, Divorce, Child Custody, Relocation, Drug and Alcohol Counseling, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Abuse by Psychotherapists, as well as Age, Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation Discrimination. Her 400-page doctoral dissertation and research in the latter area was cited to pass legislation in several states. 

Dr. Durre' has hosted and produced four radio shows, two of which were call-in advice shows - "The Dr. Linnda Durre' Show" on WDBO in Orlando (a Cox station) and "Let's Talk with Dr. Linnda Durre' on an NPR station in New York, and two radio interview shows. Her last show was a daily hour-long podcast, entitled, "Linnda Durre' Interviews" Dr. Linnda Durre' has hosted and produced two call-in advice TV shows, including being selected in a national search of 200 applicants, to host, "Ask The Family Therapist," on America's Health Network (AHN), which was associated with Mayo Clinic and each show aired daily for two hours from Universal Studios Orlando. She was vetted by Mayo Clinic and America's Health Network.

She has appeared on Oprah, 60 Minutes, O'Reilly (twice), Today Show, Good Morning America, Canada AM, Daytime, Donahue (twice), Sally Jessy Raphael, People Are Talking, Home Show, Hour Magazine, Home and Family Show, Disney Channel, and the local and/or national news on NPR, PBS, CBS, ABC, NBC, CW, and Fox.

Dr. Durre' has been interviewed, cited, and/or quoted by the NY Times, LA Times, Forbes, WSJ, IBD, Business Week, SF Chronicle & Examiner, Toronto Globe & Mail, Albany Times Union, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Orlando Business Journal, Orlando Sentinel, Parade Magazine, Alternative Medicine Magazine, CNN Online, Washington Parent Magazine, Screen Actor Magazine, Florida Magazine, Pasadena Star News, Orlando Magazine, Women's Health Magazine, and others.

View Linnda Durre's Expert Witness Profile.

Dr. Ron Martinelli, PhD, CMI-V, is a nationally renowned Forensic Criminologist and a federal/state courts qualified law enforcement and premises liability expert who is also a Certified Medical Investigator (physician's level) and a Certified Suicide Investigator. 

Dr. Martinelli directs the nation's only Forensic Death Investigations & Independent Review Team of 26 law enforcement, forensic and medical experts and specializes in officer-involved death cases, civilian self-defense shooting cases and premises liability/security cases. He is a forensic/law enforcement expert to the U.S. Department of Justice, several State Attorney Generals' Offices, numerous major municipalities and nationally prominent private law firms specializing in wrongful death, civil rights and premises liability. 

Dr. Martinelli is the prevailing expert in over 90% of his retained cases. He has saved defendants over $650M and earned plaintiffs over $290 million in jury verdicts and settlements since 2004. He is the media's go-to forensic expert for FOX News, One America News Network, CNN, HLN, Sky News, BBC, NPR, and the History & Discovery Channels. Dr. Martinelli is skilled in officer-involved shootings, in-custody deaths, crime scene reconstruction, forensics, applied sciences, human factors, psycho-medical emergencies and premises liability and security cases. His unique and extensive field experience, combined his academic and scientific credentials, excellent written reports and persuasive testimony, make him a very appealing expert to attorneys and juries alike.

Areas of Expertise:

• Arrests
• Search & Seizure
• Use of Force / Excessive Force - All Levels and Weaponry
• Officer Involved Shootings(OIS)
• In-Custody Deaths
• Criminal Investigations
• Law Enforcement & Corrections Practices, Training & Supervision
• Adult & Juvenile Corrections
• Law Enforcement Negligence
• Civilian Self-Defense, Premises Liability, Security, Foreseeable Harm
• Insurance Cases
• Human Factors

Dr. Jane K. McNaught, PhD is a locally and nationally recognized Psychological Forensic Expert with an extensive background in Clinical Psychological issues. Dr. McNaught works with both adults and children. She specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Divorce related issues. 

Dr. McNaught has treated numerous adult and child victims of sexual and physical abuse. She has also consulted on cases for both the plaintiff and defense regarding the reliability of child and adult statements about sexual assault. She also consults on cases involving delayed reports of sexual assault as well as standard of care regarding interviewing alleged victims of sexual assault. 

Dr. McNaught also specializes in criminal cases where sexual assault is alleged as well as mental health issues that may impact sentencing. In the area of Family Law, Dr. McNaught has a long history of providing custody evaluations in high conflict cases that involve personaltiy disordered parents, allegations of physical and sexual abuse, allegations of Factitious Disorder of Self and Others, and cases involving Parental Alienation. Dr. McNaught also works with adults who are experiencing depression, anxiety, and going through life transitions. Throughout her career, she has also treated children who are experiencing behavioral, academic, and social difficulties. 

Clinical Areas of Expertise:

Dr. McNaught has presented her work at national conferences for psychologists, social workers, physicians, attorneys and judges. Her presentations and workshops have been requested by such organizations as the Criminal Justice Institute, International Symposium on Child Custody Evaluation, Trial Lawyers Association, and many others. Dr. McNaught was one of a few psychologists chosen to be an invited Expert on the Minnesota Supreme Court Task Force on Visitation. She has also been invited to participate in State and County Policy Making Boards related to sexual assault as well as divorce custody issues. She is highly regarded as a state and national expert in the areas of: Sexual Assault, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Parental Alienation, Factitious Disorder by Proxy, and Divorce related issues.

View Dr. McNaught's Expert Witness Profile.

Michael Levittan, Ph.D. is an Expert Witness, Psychotherapist, Media Consultant, and Lecturer at UCLA Extension and California Graduate Institute. Dr. Levittan works as an expert witness on cases involving domestic violence, child abuse, post-traumatic stress, anger issues, child custody, school violence. He is director of a certified Domestic Violence/Anger Management program and has numerous articles published on violence and abuse.

Dr. Levittan presents at UCLA, National Alliance on Mental Illness, L.A. Superior Court, U.S. Marines, Hillsides Children's Home, Loyola Marymount Univ, International Conference on Violence, Abuse, Trauma, California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, Grief & Loss Conference, The Maple Center, Womens Shelters.

Dr. Levittan's website: www.michaellevittan.com.

Dr. Heather Manning, Ph.D., is a Forensic Criminologist and consultant specializing in child protection, abuse prevention, institutional risk assessment, and investigative analysis. As the founder of SAFE – Sentinel Assessments & Forensic Evaluations, she provides consulting services to organizations seeking to strengthen safety practices, mitigate risk, and improve responses to allegations of abuse and exploitation.

Dr. Manning works with law enforcement agencies, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and youth-serving organizations to develop proactive systems designed to identify vulnerabilities, prevent abuse, and support effective investigative practices. Her consulting services include institutional risk assessments, policy and procedure development, investigative consultation on sexually based crimes, interview practice guidance, and the development of prevention-focused training programs.

With a background in forensic criminology and extensive experience analyzing cases involving sexual exploitation, violence, and institutional misconduct, Dr. Manning provides expert insight into offender behavior patterns, grooming dynamics, and systemic failures that allow abuse to occur within organizations.

Through SAFE, she assists organizations in building stronger safeguards by integrating evidence-informed training, risk mitigation strategies, and investigative consultation. Her work focuses on helping institutions recognize warning signs earlier, strengthen accountability systems, and create environments that prioritize the protection of children and vulnerable populations.

Dr. Manning is also available for case consultation, program development, training design, and expert analysis in both civil and criminal matters involving sexual abuse, exploitation, and institutional risk.

View Heather Manning's Expert Witness Profile.