THREAD OF EVIDENCE America Out Loud

Ellen Kirschman, Ph.D.



Being a police officer has always been a dangerous, stressful and rewarding job. Historically, for a number of reasons, many law enforcement officers have been reluctant to talk about the psychological toll being exposed to repeated trauma and dangers can take – and even more reluctant to get professional help. Fortunately, this is changing. On today’s Thread of Evidence, Dr. Joni Johnston interviews police psychologist Dr. Ellen Kirschman, who has spent over 25 years helping the men and women in blue understand and cope with normal reactions to life threatening situations, minimize the impact of their unique job demands on their families, and, when needed, get professional help before untreated psychological problems end a career or a life.     



Ellen Kirschman, Ph.D. is a police psychologist and volunteer clinician at the First Responders Support Network. She is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, The Society for the Study of Police and Criminal Psychology, The American Psychological Association and the International Association of Women in Law Enforcement.



Website: www.ellenkirschman.com



Image: AP

While the impact of social distancing and self-quarantine is stressful for everyone, it can be life threatening for domestic violence victims. Since COVID-19 hit communities in early 2020, domestic violence incidents have risen so much that advocates have called in the shadow pandemic. Join Dr. Joni Johnston as she interviews attorney Casey Gwinn, a prosecuting attorney and president of Alliance for HOPE International, and explores how victims can stay safe, how law enforcement can protect themselves when responding to domestic violence calls, and how communities are working together to break the cycle of what is often a multi-generational problem. 



Casey Gwinn, Esq. serves as the President of Alliance for HOPE International. Casey has been recognized by The American Lawyer magazine as one of the top 45 public lawyers in America. He is an honors graduate of Stanford University and UCLA School of Law.

Few occasions are more joyous in a courtroom than the completion of a successful adoption. Most birth moms want what is best for their child and most adoption agencies and attorneys are trying to do what’s right for everyone involved. Which is why it’s important to recognize when this is not the case, whether it’s the result of a financial scam, emotional vampire, or misguided couple or birth mom. On this episode of Thread of Evidence, Dr. Joni Johnston interview adoption attorney Derek J. Williams and takes a look at how to recognize and prevent adoption scams so everyone involved in the adoption process can make experience the joys of adoption while avoiding the emotional heartbreak and financial pitfalls.



Derek Williams’ practice focuses on civil litigation with an emphasis in medical malpractice defense, adoption law, product liability, and personal injury defense. He represents doctors, hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care providers involving regulatory, insurance, and professional liability matters.

Cults are in the news. In June 2019, the leader of self-improvement cult NXIUM Keith Reniere was convicted of several felonies, including human trafficking and sexual exploitation of a child. And, it’s almost impossible to avoid the ever-evolving story of Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow, who are under suspicion of being involved in a doomsday cult that may have led to three deaths and two missing children.  



Steven Hassan



From the outside looking in, it’s hard to understand how anyone could fall under the spell of a destructive cult leader, or how one person could convince others to commit unethical or illegal acts. On this episode of Thread of Evidence, Dr. Joni Johnston talks with Steven Hassan, who brings a dual perspective to destructive cults; he spent two and a half years in one and, since his escape, has spent over thirty years helping victims and their families understand, and escape, their harmful influence. 



Steven Hassan is a mental health professional who has been helping people leave destructive cults since 1976 after he was deprogrammed from Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church. He is the author of four books, including Freedom of Mind: Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Thoughts & Beliefs. He is the founding director of the Freedom of Mind Resource Center, located outside Boston.



Cult and destructive mind control expert, speaker, consultant, author, educator - freedomofmind.com

The Golden State serial killer Joseph James DeAngelo was finally caught in 2018. In addition to the public relief at this predator’s capture, part of the notoriety of his arrest came from the method used to identify him. DeAngelo was arrested after being identified through forensic genealogy. Since that first landmark moment, dozens of violent offenders have been brought to justice using this technique and today, law enforcement is taking advantage of what may be the greatest tool for investigating violent crimes since the invention of fingerprinting.



Join us for this episode of Thread of Evidence, where Dr. Joni Johnston interviews a woman whose been right in the middle of solving these cases: internationally recognized DNA investigative expert and Chief Genetic Genealogist at Paragon Labs, Cece Moore. CeCe Moore, Chief Genetic Genealogist at Paragon NanoLabs, is an internationally recognized DNA investigative expert, educator and pioneer in the field of genetic genealogy. Starting in 2010, she began developing the now widely used genetic genealogy techniques that have become foundational and central aspects of the field.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, has become a household word, but it is a term – and a disorder – that is often misunderstood. In the media, it is all too often associated with vets and with violence. But the reality is that PTSD is much more complicated than most people think and its role in the legal arena is often complicated. Join Dr. Joni Johnston for this episode of Thread of Evidence, where she interviews Dr. Sanjay Adhia, a forensic psychiatrist and expert witness on PTSD, where they explore the law and psychology behind post-traumatic stress.  



Website: www.forensicpsychiatrynow.com