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Virginia Barber Rioja, Ph.D                            

Virginia Barber-Rioja obtained her Ph.D. in clinical forensic psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York. For eight years, she worked in the NYC jail system holding the positions of Co-Chief and Clinical Director of Mental Health for Correctional Health Services/NYC Health + Hospitals. She also worked as Assistant Chief of Forensic Services overseeing all the competency to stand trial (fitness; CPL 730) evaluations in the NYC court system. Prior to this, Dr. Barber worked as a staff psychologist in forensic inpatient hospitals and as the clinical director of diversion and reentry programs. Currently, Dr. Barber Rioja consults for the Center for Justice Innovation as a Senior Clinical Policy Advisor and for correctional systems across the country. She also maintains an independent forensic practice involving training and forensic assessment in immigration, state, and federal courts. She is an adjunct assistant professor in the Psychology Department of New York University and the Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology of Teachers College, Columbia University. She has over 20 years of experience working in correctional and forensic contexts, including jails, forensic hospitals, and alternative to incarceration and reentry programs. She has published in peer-reviewed journals and is the first author of the book “Mental Health Evaluations in Immigration Court: A Guide for Mental Health and Legal Professionals published by NYU Press, and the first editor of the Handbook of Mental Health Assessment and Treatment in Jails published by Oxford Press. She is an elected Member-At-Large of the American Psychology Law Society (APLS), a board member of the Asociation Iberoamericana de Justicia Terapeutica and a former elected member of the American Psychological Association's Committee on Legal Issues (COLI).

Please contact us if you are interested in reaching Virginia Barber-Rioja for a speaking engagement