Care Plus NJ Inc. offers integrated primary and behavioral health services to children and adults. And April 5, the Paramus-based company announced it is expanding upon those offerings with the introduction of its Forensic Psychiatric Consultation Services.

The new program will provide cost-effective and timely assistance to North Jersey legal counsel, courts, and probation and corrections departments, according to CarePlus NJ.

Following a referral and the scheduling of an appointment, CarePlus NJ said medical-legal records are sent for review and that a conversation with the source of that referral will serve to ascertain the purpose of the evaluation. After it has been completed, a written report with psychiatric legal opinion and treatment recommendations will be put together. Court testimony from the company’s experts is also available upon request.

The organization is partnering with Dr. Diana Riccioli, a forensic psychiatrist who is board certified in psychiatry and neurology, and forensic psychiatry, on the initiative.

“We are pleased to partner with Dr. Riccioli to provide a comprehensive range of forensic consultation services to legal counsel, courts, and probation and corrections departments in northern New Jersey,” said Senior Vice President of Hospital and Community Services Amie Del Sordo in a statement. “As a premier provider of integrated primary and behavioral health care, not only are we able to engage our experts to evaluate the competency and mental status of individuals, but we can also link them to the wraparound treatment and supportive services they need after a case is resolved.”

Services offered under the program include:

Forensic Assessments – In-depth and objective psychiatric evaluations, record reviews and detailed reporting. These include a diagnosis, mental status assessment, prognosis, treatment recommendations and treatment plans, and addressing referral questions regarding competency, pre-sentence, post-sentence, pre-pleading, guardianship, disability, psychiatric fitness to return to work, placement recommendations, and dangerousness.

Collaboration with The Courts – According to CarePlus NJ, court appearances can be provided by one of the organization’s experts, either virtually or in-person.

Expert Testimony – CarePlus NJ offers access to experts for organizations looking for recurring services, including but not limited to: child custody, firearm competency, guardianship, disability diagnosis, domestic violence, levels of trauma and PTSD, psychiatric fitness to return to work and levels of dangerousness.

Consultation services can also be used to address the policy and procedure of psychiatric practices in mental health or correctional facilities, according to CarePlusNJ.

In an announcement about the expansion, the company said mental health evaluations provided through its Forensic Consultation Services adhere to The American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-5, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition. Services can be offered at a mental health facility, a designated space in a courthouse, an attorney’s office, a hospital, or at a correctional facility.