CLE Seminar Speaker

G. Andrew H. Benjamin, J.D., Ph.D.

The exceptional features of Professor Benjamin's career are the breadth of his range of professional activities and the strength of his commitment to combining the best resources of Psychology and Law for the benefit of adults and children enmeshed in severe psychopathology.

While working with families engaged in high-conflict litigation and lawyers suffering from various mental health and drug abuse problems, Andrew Benjamin was named "Professional of the Year" by the Washington State Bar Association's Family Law Section.

He was elected to serve as President of the Washington State Psychological Association and later his colleagues there created an award named after him for "outstanding and tireless contributions."

He was honored by the Puyallup Indian Nation's Health Authority for serving as a "modern day warrior fighting the mental illnesses, drug-alcohol addictions" of the people served by the Nation's program.

He was elected to serve as a representative of the great state of Washington to the American Psychological Association's (APA) Council (he currently is serving his fifth year in this position).

He also was nominated and appointed to serve as a member and a chair of the APA's Committee on Legal Issues (COLI), and more recently, serves in his first year as an elected member of APA's, Policy and Planning Board.

The APA conferred the Heiser Award on Professor Benjamin in recognition of his record of public service and advocacy in numerous areas of professional activity.

Professor Benjamin has published 36 peer reviewed articles in Psychology, Law, and Psychiatry journals. He is the author of two books published by APA: Law and Mental Health Professionals (1995,1998) and Family Evaluation in Custody Litigation: Reducing Risks of Ethical Infractions and Malpractice (2003).

Professor Benjamin lives in Seattle with his wife of 25 years and their two children. His hobbies include extensive family travel watching his son's and daughter's soccer teams. He was an active soccer coach until last year and happily reports that both kids' teams exceeded his skills by the time team members were 12 years of age.