Specialties
ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE/ADDICTIONS
Dr. Beckson has evaluated and treated thousands of individuals addicted to methamphetamine, cocaine, opioid pain medications, marijuana, heroin, and alcohol since 1991. He is board certified in Addiction Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology and certified in Addiction Medicine and as a Medical Review Officer (for drug testing) by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Dr. Beckson has founded and directed alcohol & drug treatment programs (both inpatient and outpatient). He is experienced in individual, group, and medication therapies for detoxification and rehabilitation. Dr. Beckson has conducted published research in brain imaging of crack cocaine addicts, as well as medication treatment of heroin and cocaine abuse, under the auspices of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Dr. Beckson is lead author of the Addictions chapter in the current edition of the widely used text, Principles and Practice of Forensic Psychiatry. Dr. Beckson has lectured to attorneys and psychiatrists on a variety of issues in addictions. He currently serves as Chair of the Addiction Psychiatry Committee of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. Dr. Beckson is a member of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.
SUICIDE AND SUICIDE RISK ASSESSMENT
Dr. Beckson has evaluated and treated over 2,000 suicidal individuals. He is highly experienced in clinical risk assessment of suicidality. Dr. Beckson is a Clinical Professor at UCLA and teaches suicide risk assessment to UCLA psychiatry residents as director of the residency rotation in the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit of the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, where he is medical director. Dr. Beckson has also lectured to attorneys and other psychiatrists on this topic. At the VA, Dr. Beckson serves on the Suicide Root Cause Analysis Team, which examines all suicidal acts in the entire Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. Expert in the use of California mental health law to provide involuntary psychiatric treatment, Dr. Beckson regularly testifies in the Mental Health department of the Superior Court in the County of Los Angeles. Dr. Beckson is a member of the American Association of Suicidology.
POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)
Dr. Beckson has evaluated and treated hundreds of patients with PTSD, including combat veterans, civilian victims of trauma, and adult victims of childhood sexual abuse. He is highly experienced in the differential diagnosis of PTSD, including malingering in PTSD claims; he has performed compensation & pension evaluations for the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as consulting in civil and criminal matters. Dr. Beckson is a member of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.
WORKPLACE VIOLENCE, STALKING AND THREAT ASSESSMENT
Dr. Beckson has evaluated potentially violent employees of the US Postal Service and private corporations, and has collaborated wtih the LAPD Threat Management Unit, the FBI, and the U.S. Secret Service on threat management cases. Dr. Beckson is well versed in California mental health law, including the involuntary hospitalization and treatment of potentially violent individuals. As Medical Director of the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit of the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Dr. Beckson trains psychiatry residents in the assessment of risk in potentially violent patients. He has lectured on the psychiatric aspects of violent employees at the National Conference on Threats & Workplace Violence. Dr. Beckson belongs to the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals and regularly attends the annual national meeting.
SEXUAL ADDICTIONS AND DISORDERS
Dr. Beckson has extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of sexual disorders, including the paraphilias and sexual addiction. Dr. Beckson has evaluated and treated hundreds of non-paraphilic sex addicts and is a longstanding member of the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health and formerly served as psychiatric consultant to Sexual Recovery Institute in Los Angeles. He is also experienced with the issues of sex workers and formerly consulted to the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation. As part of his work with sexual disorders, Dr. Beckson has evaluated and treated adult victims of childhood sexual abuse. He maintains a private psychotherapy practice specializing in chemical and sexual addictions. Dr. Beckson has consulted and testified in criminal and civil cases, including internet pornography, sexual addiction, rape, and child molestation. He is experienced in the ethical issues involving boundary management in addiction treatment and psychotherapy, and he has lectured on these topics to the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. Dr. Beckson has consulted in cases before professional licensing boards. Dr. Beckson is a member of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers and the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality.
IMPAIRED PHYSICIANS
As an Expert Reviewer for the California Medical Board, Dr. Beckson has consulted in cases involving the functional impairment of physicians and other health care professionals, usually in conjunction with addictions. In addition, he has served as consultant to the Committee of Bar Examiners in California, and has conducted independent evaluations of physician disability for insurance purposes.
BRAIN INJURY/NEUROPSYCHIATRY
A graduate of the two year fellowship in behavioral neurology at UCLA, Dr. Beckson has conducted hundreds of evaluations of behavioral problems associated with brain disease or injury. He has also conducted research in brain abnormalities and injury, particularly in relation to drug abuse, and has contributed to numerous published scientific articles. Dr. Beckson is lead author of the chapter on brain disease and forensic neuropsychiatric issues in the current edition of the text, Principles and Practice of Forensic Psychiatry. He has worked closely with neurologists and neuropsychologists. While a fellow in the UCLA Neurobehavior Clinic, Dr. Beckson helped establish regular neuropsychiatric evaluations in death penalty cases for the Superior Court for the County of Los Angeles.