PTSD Assessments for Legal & Compensation Claims in Western Australia

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is one of the most common psychological injuries assessed in medico-legal and criminal injuries compensation matters in Western Australia. At Cygnet Medico-Legal Psychologists, our Perth-based team of AHPRA-registered forensic and clinical psychologists conducts comprehensive PTSD assessments that are objective, evidence-based, and accepted by WA courts, insurers, the Office of Criminal Injuries Compensation, and the Workers Compensation and Injury Management Commission. Whether you are a lawyer building a case, an insurer requiring an independent evaluation, or an individual seeking to document the psychological impact of a traumatic event, our assessments provide the diagnostic clarity and medico-legal reporting the matter requires.

What a PTSD Assessment Includes

A PTSD assessment at Cygnet begins with a structured clinical interview covering the index traumatic event, developmental and psychiatric history, current symptom profile, and functional impact. We use gold-standard psychometric instruments — including the PCL-5, the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5), and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised — alongside broader measures of mood, anxiety and impairment. Where the assessment is medico-legal, we also address causation: whether the identified traumatic event is, on the balance of probabilities, the source of the psychological injury. Each report sets out diagnosis against DSM-5-TR and ICD-11 criteria, impairment, prognosis, and evidence-based treatment recommendations.

Who PTSD Assessments Are For

• Victims of crime making a Criminal Injuries Compensation claim under the CIC Act 2003 (WA)
• Personal injury plaintiffs and claimants in motor vehicle accident matters
• Workers compensation claimants following a workplace trauma or psychological injury
• Defence members and first responders with cumulative or single-incident trauma exposure
• Family Court and Children's Court matters requiring trauma-informed psychological opinion

Court-Ready Reports, WA-Wide

Our PTSD assessment reports are prepared to be court-ready from the outset, suitable for filing in the Magistrates Court, District Court, Supreme Court and Family Court of Western Australia, as well as the State Administrative Tribunal. We are routinely instructed as Single Expert Witnesses and provide independent expert opinion that withstands cross-examination. Standard reports are delivered within 2–3 weeks of assessment; priority and urgent reports are available on request. We see clients in Fremantle and Midland, and via Telehealth across regional Western Australia.