Dr. Palm is a licensed clinical psychologist with extensive experience in psychological testing and assessment. He is recognized as an expert in the Collaborative/ Therapeutic Assessment model (Finn, 2007), a model which prioritizes collaboration, compassion, hope, and self-discovery and utilizes standardized assessment measures to build insight, answer client-generated questions, and produce positive growth and change through a process of collaborative self-discovery. Dr. Palm is a frequent presenter and trainer on topics related to psychological assessment at national and international conferences, including Society for Personality Assessment annual conventions and the Collaborative Therapeutic Assessment Conference. He consults with both individual clinicians and mental health organizations around the country on integration of CTA principles into their work.
Dr. Palm specializes in the assessment of children, adolescents, and adults. He further has extensive training in neuropsychological evaluation. Dr. Palm utilizes standardized psychological assessment instruments and tests, clinical interview, consultation, observation, and other comprehensive assessment techniques to arrive at an understanding of the whole person, in relation to the context of their daily life experiences, cultural and familial background and history, and personal strengths and challenges. His work is informed by developmental attachment, family systems, and existential theories.
Dr. Palm is a graduate of Fordham University, located in the Bronx, New York, where he received his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. He completed his American Psychological Association (APA)-accredited Pre-Doctoral Internship at The Guidance Center, a non-profit community mental health agency, where he later supervised and trained clinicians in psychological assessment for nearly a decade (as both Assessment Supervisor and Director of Training). Dr. Palm was licensed as a psychologist in California in 2005 and is the founder and director of the Southern California Center for Collaborative Assessment. (Long Beach, California). He is currently affiliated with Miller Children’s Hospital, where he provides neuropsychological assessments and consultation; the Professional Treatment & Recovery Center, where he conducts forensic personality assessments and evaluations; and Hoag Hospital (Newport Beach) Neurosciences Institute where he assesses children, adolescents, and young adults as part of the Teen Brain Program.
About
Jacob A. Palm, Ph.D., founder of the
Southern California Center for Collaborative Assessment
"Through a collaborative/ therapeutic assessment, we can come to know ourselves better, begin the process of personal growth and change, and build hope within ourselves, our families, and our communities. My goal is to make our assessment work together practical and effective, allowing you to identify strengths, confront challenges, and continue toward your full potential."
Dr. Palm is recognized as the United States representative of the Istituto Italiano Wartegg, serving as expert trainer and consultant to psychologists worldwide using the innovative Wartegg Drawing Completion Test (a performance-based personality test).
A Selection of Dr. Palm's Recent Publications and Presentations
Palm, J.A. (2019). Testing Without an Eraser: Integrating the Wartegg Drawing Completion Test with Therapeutic Assessment. The TA Connection, 5 (2), 18-23.
Crisi, A., & Palm, J. A. (2018). The Crisi Wartegg System (CWS): Manual for administration, scoring, and interpretation. Routledge.
Palm, J.A., & Crisi, A. (2018) History and Development of the Crisi Wartegg System. In Crisi, A., & Palm, J.A., The Crisi Wartegg System (CWS): Manual for administration, scoring, and interpretation (pp. 1-42). Routledge.
Palm, J.A., & Crisi, A. (2018) Statistical Foundations of the CWS. In Crisi, A., & Palm, J.A., The Crisi Wartegg System (CWS): Manual for administration, scoring, and interpretation (pp. 43-155). Routledge.
Palm, J. A. (2018). Lights! Camera! Action! Use of Clients’ Stories to Encourage Self-Reflection, Increase Engagement, and Promote Change. Presented in Life Stories and Therapeutic Stories: Clinical, Empirical Perspectives, Society for Personality Assessment, 2018 Annual Convention, San Francisco, CA.
Palm, J. A. (2017). The Drawings as our Guide: Use of the Wartegg Drawing Completion Test in CTA Extended Inquiry. Workshop presented at the 2nd International Collaborative Therapeutic Assessment Conference, Austin, TX.
Palm, J. A. (2016). Clinical Use of the Crisi Wartegg System (CWS). Presented in The Assessment of Psychosis and Psychotic Disorders. Society for Personality Assessment, 2016 Annual Convention, Chicago, Il.
Crisi, A., & Palm, J. A. (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019). A practical overview of the Wartegg Drawing Completion Test according to the Crisi Wartegg System. Workshop presented at the meeting of the Society for Personality Assessment
Palm, J. A. (2015). I am all he needs… aren’t I? Extended Inquiry of the AAP with a Preoccupied Mother. Presented in Using the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System in Collaborative/ Therapeutic Assessment, Society for Personality Assessment, 2015 Annual Convention, Brooklyn, NY.
Palm, J. A. (2015). A man falling backwards into deep water: Assessing the emergence of psychotic depression using the CWS. Presented in Clinical Use of the Crisi Wartegg System (CWS) in the Assessment of Depression, Society for Personality Assessment, 2015 Annual Convention, Brooklyn, NY.
Palm, J.A. (2011) Psychological Assessment: A Scientific and Therapeutic Window into the Internal World. Spring 2011 Newsletter: The Guidance Center.
