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Kirk Heilbrun

Kirk Heilbrun, PhD

Professor
Director, Reentry Project
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
Office: 334 Stratton Hall
kirk.heilbrun@drexel.edu
Phone: 215.553.7109

Education:

  • PhD, University of Texas at Austin

Curriculum Vitae:

Download (PDF)

Research Interests:

  • Forensic mental health assessment
  • Violence risk assessment
  • Risk-reducing interventions

Accepting Students:

Dr. Heilbrun will not be accepting a student in the MS program, but will be accepting a student in the PhD program –to be co-mentored with Dr. David DeMatteo– for AY 2025-26.

Bio:

Kirk Heilbrun is currently a Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Drexel University, where he served as department head from 1999-2012 and from 2014-2016. Previously he was a staff psychologist, then chief psychologist, at the Forensic Service, Florida State Hospital, and clinical director of the Forensic Unit, Central State Hospital (Petersburg, VA). He is board certified in clinical psychology and forensic psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology and is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association in six divisions.

Professor Heilbrun directs a forensic assessment clinic in the Drexel Department of Psychology. The clinic provides psychological evaluations to courts and attorneys on issues that include juvenile commitment and decertification, competence to stand trial, mental state at the time of the offense, federal sentencing, capital sentencing, workplace disability, violence risk assessment, and malpractice. He also directs the Reentry Project, which provides pro bono assessment and treatment services to justice-involved individuals returning to the community from federal prison, individuals under the jurisdiction of a federal mental health court, and individuals exonerated following conviction and incarceration.

His research and scholarly interests center around forensic mental health assessment, violence risk assessment and management, and interventions to reduce the risk of reoffending and promote behavioral health in justice-involved populations.

Selected Publications:

  • Heilbrun, K., Slobogin, C., & Dvoskin, J. (in press). Reimagining risk assessment: Comment on Viljoen and Vincent (2020). Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice.
  • Zapotocky, H., Wiltsie, K., Jackson, C., & Heilbrun, K. (in press). Community-based psychological services for justice-involved individuals: The Drexel Reentry Project. For the Defense: An Official Publication of the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
  • Goldenson, J., Brodsky, S., & Heilbrun, K. (2023). Trauma-informed collateral interviewing in forensic mental health assessment. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 51(4), 520-528. DOI:10.29158/JAAPL.230059-23
  • Heilbrun, K., Giallella, C., Wright, H. J., DeMatteo, D., Griffin, P. A., Gowensmith, N., Locklair, B., Ayers, D., Desai, A., & Pietruszka, V. (2023). Appraising Jackson-based unrestorability to competence to stand trial: The Demonstration Model. Psychological Services, 20(3), 553-564. Advance online publication 6-12-23. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ser0000578
  • Desai, A., DeMatteo, D., Heilbrun, K., Holliday, R., Lankford, C., & Rotrosen, J. (2023, June 8). Public perception on policies to address prenatal substance use: Recommendations regarding maternal criminal prosecution and child welfare. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law. Advance online publication. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/law0000387
  • McPhee, J., Heilbrun, K., Cubbon, D. N., Soler, M., & Goldstein, N. E. (2023). What’s risk got to do with it: Judges’ and probation officers’ understanding and use of juvenile risk assessments in making residential placement decisions. Law and Human Behavior, 47(2), 320–332. https://doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000528
  • Ratkalkar, M., Jackson, C., & Heilbrun, K. (2023). Race-conscious forensic mental health   assessment:  A principles-based analysis. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health online February 2023. DOI: 10.1080/14999013.2023.2178556 
  • Ben-Porath, Y., Heilbrun, K., & Rizzo, M. (2022). Using the MMPI-3 in legal settings. Journal of Personality Assessment. 162-178. Published online December 17, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2021.2006672
  • Fishel, S., Lankford, C., Schwartz, J., & Heilbrun, K. (2021). Diversity, ethics, competence, and social justice:  Training clinics serving justice-involved clients. Association of Psychology Training Clinics Bulletin, winter/spring, 4-5.
  • Heilbrun, K., Giallella, C., Wright, H.J., DeMatteo, D., Griffin, P., Gowensmith, N., Locklair, B., Ayers, D., Desai, A., & Pietruszka, V. (2021).  Jackson-based restorability to competence to stand trial: Critical analysis and recommendations. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 27(3), 370–386. https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000307
  • Desai, A., Durham, K., Burke, S. C., NeMoyer, A., & Heilbrun, K. (2021). Releasing individuals from incarceration during COVID-19: Pandemic-related challenges and recommendations for promoting successful reentry. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 27(2), 242-255. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/law0000279
  • Thornewill, A., DeMatto, D., & Heilbrun, K. (2021). The role of data in facilitating discussion: Reply to Jackson (2021). American Psychologist, 76(7), 1198-1199. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000875 
  • Heilbrun, K., Kavanaugh, A., Grisso, T., Anumba, A., Dvoskin, J., & Golding, S. (2021). Racial identity context: Implications for forensic mental health assessment. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 49(4), 478-487. Online publication October 2021, DOI: https://doi.org/10.29158/JAAPL.210099-21
  • Heilbrun, K. Using theory and data in forensic research and practice (Invited Editorial) (2021).  Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 31, 9-12.
  • Heilbrun, K., Burke, S., NeMoyer, A., Durham, K., & Desai, A. (2020).  Forensic mental health assessment in an era of global pandemic: A principles-based analysis of change. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 48, 1-9.