Charity Wijetunga, J.D., Ph.D.
I am a clinical psychologist who provides psychotherapy and assessment services to individuals across the lifespan. I earned my undergraduate degree in psychology from Boston University. I then earned my JD from Fordham University School of Law. Thereafter, I worked as a court attorney, drafting judicial decisions in a variety of civil matters, including child custody and matrimonial cases, before returning to Fordham to earn my PhD in clinical psychology. I completed my pre-doctoral internship training with Mt. Sinai Services at Elmhurst Hospital Center. Throughout my training, I have worked with individuals experiencing a broad range of challenges, from adjustment difficulties to serious and persistent mental illness, in college counseling, inpatient and outpatient hospital, and forensic settings.
At Soffer & Associates, I co-direct the Psychological Assessment Service, provide psychotherapy, and supervise trainees in both psychotherapy and assessment. My approach to psychotherapy is flexible and integrative, incorporating both relational psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral techniques. Above all, I prioritize the establishment of an authentic, empathic therapeutic relationship and believe in its potential to help people better understand themselves, their experiences, and their relationships. I also use more structured approaches when necessary to help people cope with distressing thoughts and emotions and shift repetitive cycles that keep them feeling stuck. My approach to psychological assessment is similarly individualized and grounded in research, incorporating evidence-based assessment tools and techniques tailored to the client's needs. I have expertise in cognitive, personality/psychodiagnostic, and forensic assessment.
Relevant Affiliations
American Psychological Association Member (Division: Psychology-Law)
Select Awards & Grants
Fordham University Summer Research Fellowship (2018)
American Psychology and Law Society Grant-in-Aid (2018)
Fordham University Professional Development Grant (2015, 2016)
Select Publications/Presentations
At Soffer & Associates, I co-direct the Psychological Assessment Service, provide psychotherapy, and supervise trainees in both psychotherapy and assessment. My approach to psychotherapy is flexible and integrative, incorporating both relational psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral techniques. Above all, I prioritize the establishment of an authentic, empathic therapeutic relationship and believe in its potential to help people better understand themselves, their experiences, and their relationships. I also use more structured approaches when necessary to help people cope with distressing thoughts and emotions and shift repetitive cycles that keep them feeling stuck. My approach to psychological assessment is similarly individualized and grounded in research, incorporating evidence-based assessment tools and techniques tailored to the client's needs. I have expertise in cognitive, personality/psychodiagnostic, and forensic assessment.
Relevant Affiliations
American Psychological Association Member (Division: Psychology-Law)
Select Awards & Grants
Fordham University Summer Research Fellowship (2018)
American Psychology and Law Society Grant-in-Aid (2018)
Fordham University Professional Development Grant (2015, 2016)
Select Publications/Presentations
- Aparcero-Suero, M., Wijetunga, C., & Rosenfeld, B. (under review). Measuring adaptive functioning in a correctional setting: An analysis of the Problems in Everyday Living Test (PEDL).
- Wijetunga, C., Picard, E., & Rosenfeld, B. (2019). Forensic measures for assessing offenders. In R.D. Morgan (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of criminal psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
- Wijetunga, C., Picard, E., & Rosenfeld, B. (2019). Management of sex offenders in community settings. In W.T. O’Donohue & D. Bromberg (Eds.), Sexually violent predators: A clinical science handbook. New York, NY: Springer.
- Rosenfeld, B., Galietta, M., Foellmi, M., Coupland, S., Turner-Corn, Z., Stern, S., Wijetunga, C., Gerbrandij, J., & Ivanoff, A. (2019). Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for stalking offenders: A randomized controlled study. Law and Human Behavior, 43, 319-328. doi: 10.1037/lhb0000336
- Wijetunga, C., Nijdam-Jones, A., Rosenfeld, B., Martinez, R., & Cruise, K. (2018). Using the Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol-Revised (J-SOAP-II) to assess psychopathy. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 45, 483-502. doi: 10.1177/0093854817745912
- Rosenfeld, B., Foellmi, M., Khadivi, A., Wijetunga, C., Howe, J., Nijdam-Jones, A., Grover, S., & Rotter, M. (2017). Determining when to conduct a violence risk assessment: Development and initial validation of the Fordham Risk Screening Tool (FRST). Law and Human Behavior, 41, 325-332. doi: 10.1037/lhb0000247
- Howe, J., Wijetunga, C., Nijdam-Jones, A., & Rosenfeld, B. (2017). Treatment of psychopathic personality disorder. In P. Sturmey (Ed.), The Wiley handbook of violence and aggression: Assessment, prevention, and treatment of individuals (Vol. 2, pp. 1-12). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
- Wijetunga, C., Rosenfeld, B., & Galietta, M. (2017, March). The impact of gender on the structure and predictive accuracy of the B-SAFER. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Psychology-Law Society, Seattle, WA.
- Wijetunga, C., Foellmi, M., Nijdam-Jones, A., Grover, S., Rosenfeld, B., & Khadivi, A. (2016, June). Structural analysis of gender differences on the Historical-Clinical-Risk-20, Version 3 (HCR-20V3). Paper presented at the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services Annual Conference, New York, NY.
- Wijetunga, C., Nijdam-Jones, A., Rosenfeld, B., Martinez, R., & Cruise, K. (2016, March). Using the Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol-Revised to Assess Psychopathy. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Psychology-Law Society, Atlanta, GA.
- Wijetunga, C., Foellmi, M., Khadivi, A., & Rosenfeld, B. (2016, March). The role of protective factors in violence risk triage. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Psychology-Law Society, Atlanta, GA.
- Wijetunga, C., Rosenfeld, B., Cruise, K., & Martinez. R. (2016). The influence of age and sexual drive on the predictive validity of the Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol-Revised. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/0306624X16650681
- Wijetunga, C., Foellmi, M., Nijdam-Jones, A., Grover, S., Rosenfeld, B., & Khadivi, A. (2015, June). Concordance between the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide and the Historical-Clinical-Risk Management-20. Poster presented at the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services Annual Conference, Manchester, England.
- Wijetunga, C., Rosenfeld, B., & Martinez, R. (2015, March). Examining the relationship between psychopathy and recidivism using the Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol-Revised. Poster presented at the annual conference of the American Psychology-Law Society, San Diego, CA.
- Wijetunga, C., Rosenfeld, B., & Martinez, R. (2014, March). Predictive validity of the J-SOAP across discharge settings and offender characteristics. Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Psychology-Law Society, New Orleans, LA.