Dana L. Formon, PhD

Background

Dr. Formon began her career in the arts, receiving her first bachelor’s degree in 2010 from Southeast Missouri State University in dance performance. Following this, Dr. Formon earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Drexel University in 2013. She then embarked upon her graduate training at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, receiving her master’s degree in 2015 and her doctorate in clinical psychology in 2019. As part of her training, Dr. Formon gained experience performing evaluations of competency to stand trial and criminal responsibility for juvenile and adult defendants, conducting psychotherapy with sexual offenders, and addressing diagnostic and treatment-related questions for probationers in mental health court.

Dr. Formon completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, North Carolina, where she completed court-ordered evaluations of competency and dangerousness, in addition to providing psychological services to general population inmates and civilly committed sexually violent predators. Following internship, Dr. Formon completed a postdoctoral fellowship in forensic psychology with the Colorado Department of Human Services in 2020. While there, she conducted court-ordered evaluations of competency to proceed with juvenile and adult defendants, evaluations of criminal responsibility and “mental condition,” and violence risk.

Professional Career

Following the completion of her postdoctoral fellowship, Dr. Formon continued to work with the Court Services Division of the Colorado Department of Human Services completing forensic evaluations as a staff evaluator for one year before moving to Virginia to serve as a forensic evaluator at Central State Hospital in Petersburg, Virginia. In both positions, she was not only involved in the provision of clinical services but also in training of predoctoral interns and postdoctoral fellows, providing training to state-wide multidisciplinary forensic treatment teams, and participating in research projects and review committees. In 2022, she joined the team at Forensic Specialty Group and also began completing forensic examinations via teleconference for the State of Colorado. She is currently licensed to practice Psychology in Georgia and Colorado.

In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Formon is an adjunct faculty member at Carroll University, where she teaches research design, statistics, psychometrics, biopsychology and clinical assessment. She also oversees master’s thesis projects in the Behavioral Health Psychology Program. Her primary research interests include forensic evaluator burnout, the recent increase in need for forensic psychological services, and other topics related to writing and supervision. While at Central State Hospital, Dr. Formon oversaw and mentored researchers undertaking projects related to census issues and program review and development. She is currently a peer-reviewer for several scientific journals, including Law and Human Behavior, the International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, and Translational Issues in Psychological Science.

Certifications

Dr. Formon has experience performing evaluations and consulting in a number of settings, including inpatient facilities for those with severe and persistent mental illness. Dr. Formon is available to consult and perform evaluations of both juvenile and adult clients. Dr. Formon is currently licensed to practice psychology in Georgia and Colorado.

Professional Associations

American Psychological Society

Georgia Psychological Society

American Psychology-Law Society

Society for Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology