Tara Ryan PH.D.

Tara Ryan is a licensed psychologist (Oregon & Colorado) and a Certified Forensic Evaluator in Oregon. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration (finance) from Creighton University. She went on to complete her master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical-forensic psychology at Simon Fraser University (SFU). During her graduate training, Dr. Ryan was particularly focused on violence risk assessment, but also engaged in training opportunities in other areas of general and forensic psychological assessment. She trained with diverse patients and defendants in a variety of clinical settings including forensic outpatient clinics, jails, and an inpatient psychiatric facility. She then completed her pre-doctoral internship at Western State Hospital in Lakewood, Washington where she focused on competency to proceed evaluations with adult and adolescent defendants, violence risk assessment, treatment with individuals committed as sexually violent predators, and she also provided group and individual therapy for civilly committed youth. After graduating from SFU with her doctorate, Dr. Ryan completed her postdoctoral residency at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts. During this training year, she focused on a variety of forensic evaluations, primarily in an inpatient forensic setting, including competency to proceed, criminal responsibility, violence risk assessment, and psychosexual assessment. Her training also included evaluations for civil commitment with patients experiencing serious and persistent mental illness and individuals struggling with substance use. Dr. Ryan testified in civil commitment matters on numerous occasions as a postdoctoral resident. She also participated in forensically relevant didactics such as expert testimony and case law. Following the completion of her residency, she worked as a forensic evaluator for the state of Colorado for one year prior to joining the practice at Northwest Forensic Institute in 2022. Her practice in Oregon consists of fitness to proceed, criminal responsibility, mental state/diminished capacity, sentencing mitigation, violence risk assessment, and psychosexual evaluations. She also has an interest in research and continues to collaborate with colleagues at various academic institutions to conduct studies aimed at informing clinical-forensic practice. She is currently serving a 3-year term as Conference Co-Chair for Division 41 (American Psychology-Law Society) at the Annual American Psychological Association Conference. During her free time, Dr. Ryan enjoys powerlifting, hiking, traveling, exploring new restaurants and coffee shops, staying connected to friends, and listening to music and podcasts.

Email: ryan@nwforensic.org