Areas of Expertise & Practice
Dr. Andrew Mendonsa provides clinical, forensic, medical legal, regulatory, and organizational consultation across a broad range of psychological and behavioral health matters. His work integrates direct clinical care, forensic evaluation, expert witness consultation, public sector leadership, regulatory review, academic teaching, and executive behavioral health experience.
Dr. Mendonsa is licensed in California, Hawaii, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Arkansas, Michigan, and Virginia.
Forensic Psychology and Expert Witness Services
Dr. Mendonsa provides independent psychological analysis for attorneys, courts, agencies, licensing boards, employers, and other authorized referral sources.
Areas of expertise include:
• Expert witness consultation
• Record review and case consultation
• First, second, and rebuttal opinions
• Deposition and trial testimony
• Standards of care analysis
• Psychological injury and emotional distress
• Mental health causation and impairment
• Functional capacity and prognosis
• Review of opposing expert reports
• Evaluation of testing, methodology, and conclusions
• Criminal responsibility and mental state questions
• Competency to stand trial
• Violence and dangerousness risk assessment
• Sexual offense and recidivism risk assessment
• Juvenile forensic assessment
• Parole suitability and release planning
• Court ordered psychological evaluations
QME, AME, IME, and Medical Legal Evaluations
Dr. Mendonsa conducts independent medical legal evaluations involving psychological and behavioral health issues.
Services include:
• California Qualified Medical Evaluator services
• Agreed Medical Evaluator services
• Independent Medical Evaluations
• Psychological causation analysis
• Industrial and nonindustrial contribution
• Functional impairment
• Treatment necessity
• Future care considerations
• Work restrictions and return to work issues
• Apportionment related psychological questions
• Review of prior medical legal opinions
• Disability and claims related evaluations
Disability, ADA, FMLA, and VA Related Matters
Dr. Mendonsa provides psychological evaluation, documentation, and consultation related to disability, workplace functioning, accommodation, leave, and veteran related claims.
Areas of expertise include:
• ADA accommodation evaluations
• FEHA related accommodation consultation
• FMLA documentation and leave support
• Disability claim review
• Disability appeal consultation
• Fitness for duty evaluations
• Return to work planning
• Workplace functioning and impairment
• Psychological limitations affecting job duties
• VA disability mental health evaluations
• C&P evaluation review
• Second opinions for veterans and attorneys
• PTSD, MST, depression, anxiety, and trauma related claims
• Occupational and social impairment analysis
Regulatory, Licensing, and Compliance Consultation
Dr. Mendonsa consults with health care organizations, behavioral health programs, professional practices, agencies, and attorneys regarding regulatory, licensing, compliance, and professional practice matters.
Areas of expertise include:
• Board of Psychology matters
• Board of Registered Nursing matters
• Board of Behavioral Sciences matters
• Medical Board matters
• Professional licensing review
• Standards of care violations
• Fitness for duty and return to practice
• Professional competence and impairment
• Ethics, boundaries, and documentation concerns
• Corrective action and remediation planning
• DHCS licensing and certification
• DMHC audit preparation
• ODS Medi Cal and Medicaid systems
• Joint Commission readiness
• Accreditation preparation
• Root cause analysis
• Sentinel event, close call, and death event review
• Policy and procedure development
• Quality assurance and risk management
Behavioral Health and Organizational Consulting
Dr. Mendonsa helps organizations identify risk, strengthen clinical systems, improve quality, and respond to complex behavioral health concerns.
Consulting areas include:
• Clinical program development
• Organizational assessment
• Clinical governance
• Documentation and compliance review
• Risk management systems
• Staff training and supervision
• Workforce competency concerns
• Performance improvement planning
• Public behavioral health systems
• Correctional and institutional mental health
• Patient safety and escalation procedures
• Digital mental health governance
• Ethical implementation of technology in behavioral health
• Executive consultation for complex clinical operations
Direct Clinical Care
Dr. Mendonsa continues to provide direct psychological care, which keeps his forensic, consulting, and evaluation work grounded in current clinical practice.
Clinical areas include:
• Trauma and stress related conditions
• Anxiety and depression
• ADHD and executive functioning
• Autism and neurodivergence
• Men’s mental health
• Substance use and addictive behavior
• Professional burnout and leadership stress
• Relationship and intimacy concerns
• Sexual behavior concerns
• LGBTQ affirming care
• Life transitions and adjustment concerns
• Psychological consultation for complex clinical presentations
Academic, Training, and Executive Leadership
Dr. Mendonsa’s expertise is strengthened by his leadership roles in higher education, clinical training, public systems, and digital health.
Professional roles and leadership areas include:
• Chief Clinical Officer, DOSE
• Assistant Professor of Practice, University of the Pacific
• Training Director, Brain Health Training Program
• Former Division Chief and public sector behavioral health leader
• Former Chief Psychologist with the State of California
• Quality Assurance and Standards of Care Surveyor
• Clinical supervision and professional training
• Graduate and doctoral level teaching
• Psychological assessment education
• Ethics and professional practice education
• Violence and suicide risk education
• Behavioral health leadership and systems consultation
Common Referral Questions
Dr. Mendonsa is often retained or consulted when the central question involves psychological functioning, professional conduct, risk, impairment, life-care planning, diagnosis, causation, treatment need, organizational responsibility, or the adequacy of another professional opinion.
Common questions might include:
• What does the psychological evidence support?
• Is the diagnosis adequately supported?
• Is there functional impairment?
• Is the claimed limitation consistent with the record?
• Is the requested accommodation clinically connected to the limitation?
• Did the professional meet the applicable standard of care?
• Is the person fit for duty or safe to return to practice?
• Is there evidence of psychological injury or work related causation?
• What are the treatment needs and prognosis?
• Was the prior evaluation methodologically sound?
• Were alternative explanations considered?
• What risks exist at the individual or organizational level?
• What corrective actions are clinically and operationally appropriate?
