Dbird wrote on Oct 23^rd, 2001 at 12:57am:

Okay, I have been convinced that the polygraph is unreliable, being at best as effective as using a coin toss to determine the truth.  Now, I wonder if anyone knows of professionals who evaluate individuals for sex offense risk (no act alleged in my case--all other aspects of the investigation/assessment have shown there to be no problem) who do not use or require the use of a polygraph.  That is the sticky point I face now.  Are there such professionals who do not include the polygraph in their assessment tools?  I live in Washington state.

Yes, of course. You need a board certified clinical psychologist or psychiatrist who adheres to the acceptable standards of the APA in rejecting the polygraph as a diagnostic tool.

One of the most common and usually the most widely-accepted state of the art psychopathological diagnostic tool is the The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). It is an empirically-based assessment of adult psychopathology and consists of about 600 questions. The items cover a wide range of topics, including attitudes on religion and sexual practices, perceptions of health, political ideas, information on family, education, and occupation, and displays of symptoms known to be exhibited by certain groups of mentally disturbed people.

This test, in conjunction with in-depth interviews conducted by your psychologist should be more than sufficient in assessing you.

My advice would be to go to your local parish and tell either the Father or someone in the church your problem. They should have a professional either on their staff or to whom they refer people in such situations. Having someone who has appeared as an expert witness in court or has authored opinions to the court would help.


Quote:

It amazes me that such a non-scientific tool is used by people have have master's and doctorates, when most of the APA (American Psychologists Ass'n) and other venerable men and women have severely critiqued its use and its serious fallibility.

Very few PhD's subscribe to the notion that polygraphs are a suitable diagnostic tool.