Access To Justice - Pro se Litigants Awareness of Mental Health Resources
In civil cases, pro se litigants brave the legal system without an attorney, legal expertise, or knowledge of the court system. This can often be exacerbated by mental illness. Access to Justice for self-representing people in the courts system is aided by alignment working within each court's parameters. Strategies are discussed to help ease this important work with pro se litigants when needed.
Presented by:
Gwen Zornberg, M.D., Sc.D.
Assistant Attending Psychiatrist - NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry - Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University
Dr. Zornberg specializes in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of a wide range of conditions. Dr. Zornberg emphasizes helping people talk to other people as a key strategy in improving health outcomes and relations in the community. Dr. Zornberg was invited to speak at a federal judicial “2019 Joint Circuit Access to Justice Conference” on “Improving the Court Experience for Self-Represented Litigants.”
Dr. Zornberg draws on her background as a Director of Residency Education with a doctorate in epidemiology from Harvard University, teaching as adjunct faculty at the Harvard School of Public Health, following her service as a McLean Hospital Chief Resident and Psychiatrist-in-Charge of the McLean Hospital Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center at Harvard. She has published pharmacoepidemiologic research on a number of drug safety concerns as well as epidemiologic research on early developmental etiologies of schizophrenia.
Dr. Zornberg introduces Weill Cornell medical students to their first interviews of psychiatric patients while teaching them evaluation of the mental status exam and other psychiatric assessments. In 2019, Dr. Zornberg was honored to receive the Weill-Cornell Medical College Excellence in Medical Student Teaching Award for 2018-2019.
Watch the webinar:
Presentation:
Access to Justice Webinar Slides