An Assessment-Based Private Practice co-located in the GTA and Kitchener-Waterloo that provides clinical and forensic mental health evaluations to help inform decision-makers about DSM-5-TR diagnosis of psychopathology, neuro-cognitive assessment, actuarial appraisal of forensic risk, treatment planning, risk management, detection of deviant response styles including malingering, and consent and capacity assessment issues related to adult guardianship and trusteeship.
Structured psychological assessment framed within a psycho-legal context, with referrals from government departments, Crown and defense counsel pertaining to criminal and civil court proceedings. Having worked extensively across Canada and throughout the Arctic, Dr. Stones has expertise with the assessment of special populations, including Indigenous and Inuit persons in underserviced and remote locations, persons charged with or convicted of general, sexual and or violent criminal offences, non-native English speakers, persons with cognitive impairment including intellectual disability and various types of dementia, and persons with complex psychosocial histories including psychological trauma and alcohol/substance abuse.
With 40 years of frontline operational experience in the Canadian criminal justice system, Dr. Stones offers objective professional psychological consultation about a range of clinical and forensic issues relevant to an adult population.
Dr. Stones is a registered Clinical and Forensic Psychologist who earned his Masters and Doctorate in Counselling Psychology at the University of Toronto. His clinical and forensic training was completed at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and the University of Toronto. Over the course of his lengthy career in the Canadian criminal justice system, Dr. Stones has earned a reputation as a skilled assessor, innovator and communicator, with an intimate understanding of the often complex intersection between mental health, neuro-cognitive functioning and criminal behaviour.
Having conducted hundreds of psycho-legal evaluations of men and women engaged in criminal, family and civil proceedings and before quasi-judicial tribunals, Dr. Stones has extensive expertise in the diagnosis of psychopathology as defined by the DSM-5-TR, cognitive assessment, malingering assessment, forensic risk appraisal, treatment planning and risk management. Much of that work has been with special populations.
In 2024 Dr. Stones was appointed to the Ontario Review Board (ORB) as a part-time (Psychologist) member. Established under the Criminal Code of Canada, the ORB is an independent tribunal responsible for annually reviewing the status of every person found to be not criminally responsible (NCR), or unfit to stand trial for criminal offences due to mental disorder, to determine whether the individual continues to present a significant risk to the public.
Dr. Stones' research interests include predictive paradigms investigating treatment effects and release outcomes for higher risk/needs clientele, and the relationship between neuro-cognitive functioning, personality traits and risk of criminal behaviour. Over the years, Dr. Stones has developed a trans-theoretical orientation anchored in a strength-based approach and the principle of compassionate intervention, with particular sensitivity for the disadvantaged and marginalized.
Dr. Stones accepts referrals through private retainer, institutional billing, and Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) certificates.
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