G. Andrew H. Benjamin
University of Washington, Psychology, Faculty Member
- A colleague wrote the following description for a workshop that I present: While working with families engaged in hi... moreA colleague wrote the following description for a workshop that I present:
While working with families engaged in high-conflict litigation and lawyers suffering from various mental health and drug abuse problems, Dr. 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" that is given to a colleague for similar services on an annual basis. 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. After being elected as a representative of the great state of Washington to the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Council for two terms, he was appointed the Council’s Parliamentarian, and served four terms. The APA conferred the Heiser Award on Dr. Benjamin in recognition of his record of public service and advocacy in numerous areas of professional activity.
Dr. Benjamin has published 57 peer reviewed articles in Psychology, Law, and Psychiatry journals. He is the author of three books published by APA: Law and Mental Health Professionals (1995,1998); Family Evaluation in Custody Litigation: Reducing Risks of Ethical Infractions and Malpractice (2003); and The Duty to Protect: Ethical, Legal, and Professional Considerations in Risk Assessment and Intervention (2009).
Dr. Benjamin lives in Seattle with his wife of 34 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 2004 and happily reports that both kids’ teams exceeded his skills by the time team members were 12 years of age.
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A specialty not mentioned in the description above is my work with families that are passing their business down to a younger generation. Not only must families resolve psychosocial issues, but also strategic business and legal decisions must be made to further the best interests of all family members. My background and experience can assist families in reaching great outcomes.edit
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This article covers the relatively new topic of writing an ethical will as part of conveying the testator’s values, beliefs, and lessons learned in living to one’s relatives, particularly one’s beneficiaries. It addresses how the ethical... more
This article covers the relatively new topic of writing an ethical will as part of conveying the testator’s values, beliefs, and lessons learned in living to one’s relatives, particularly one’s beneficiaries. It addresses how the ethical will may become an addendum or codicil to one’s legal/financial will or be crafted as a separate document. The meaning of and reasons for ethical wills are highlighted as are its value to the progenitor and those who will be affected by the document. We consider how and when to broach this topic with clients, when one may be serving as a consultant, coach or therapist, as well as some of the reasons people who learn about the possibility of writing an ethical will may decide against it. When beneficiaries (and would-be beneficiaries) first learn the contents of a recently deceased person’s will when it is read at probate, surprise can lead to negative consequences such as turning them against one another. An ethical will can temper the surprise and remind the beneficiaries of the testator’s values, beliefs, and lessons. Five brief case vignettes, each based on the combining of several real life situations, are recounted. The concluding section summarizes the efficacy of promulgating (and even self-authoring), and discussing one’s ethical will with the intended beneficiaries as well as some of the reasons posited by those, including many estate attorneys, who are not in favor of such documents. Our clinical and consulting experiences with those who have drawn up ethical wills have been predominantly positive; perhaps this reflects the self-selective nature of those who choose to engage in this process.
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... by Cynthia L. Alexander and G. Andrew H. Benjamin Shake not the head, feet, or legs; roll not the eyes; lift not one eyebrow higher than the other; wry not the mouth, and bedew no man's face with your spittle by ap-proaching... more
... by Cynthia L. Alexander and G. Andrew H. Benjamin Shake not the head, feet, or legs; roll not the eyes; lift not one eyebrow higher than the other; wry not the mouth, and bedew no man's face with your spittle by ap-proaching too near him when you speak. ...
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Family Law litigant dissatisfaction with psychological evaluations during high-conflict cases is common and can activate litigants to file ethics complaints or malpractice lawsuits. The most critical aspects of a standardized evaluation... more
Family Law litigant dissatisfaction with psychological evaluations during high-conflict cases is common and can activate litigants to file ethics complaints or malpractice lawsuits. The most critical aspects of a standardized evaluation protocol that lead to litigants believing that they have been fairly and thoroughly evaluated are discussed specifically.
Research Interests: Psychology and Law
Psychologists and other mental health professionals rightfully experience significant anxiety regarding their duty to protect when working with potentially dangerous individuals who are at risk of harming others or themselves. In fact, a... more
Psychologists and other mental health professionals rightfully experience significant anxiety regarding their duty to protect when working with potentially dangerous individuals who are at risk of harming others or themselves. In fact, a recent study suggests that 75 per cent are ...
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ABSTRACT
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APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser configuration. - alerts user that their session is about to expire - display, print, save, export, and email selected records - get My ...
This article fills a need in the theoretical and clinical literature by presenting a set of guidelines for assessing mental capacity and impaired judgment when a person makes a request to have physician-assisted death. Because Oregon is... more
This article fills a need in the theoretical and clinical literature by presenting a set of guidelines for assessing mental capacity and impaired judgment when a person makes a request to have physician-assisted death. Because Oregon is the only state to have a law allowing physician-assisted death, the guidelines are placed within the context of the Oregon Death with Dignity Act. A comprehensive overview of the legal and ethical issues associated with the assessment of capacity precedes the actual guidelines.
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In this short article, the authors respond to the critiques of the four commentators on the original "Guidelines" article. They highlight areas of agreement and disagreement with the other authors in an... more
In this short article, the authors respond to the critiques of the four commentators on the original "Guidelines" article. They highlight areas of agreement and disagreement with the other authors in an effort to move the discussion forward.
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Oregon's Death with Dignity Act has changed the nature of the discussion and debate surrounding hastened death. After considering how the Act has been implemented, the clinical, policy, and research implications of... more
Oregon's Death with Dignity Act has changed the nature of the discussion and debate surrounding hastened death. After considering how the Act has been implemented, the clinical, policy, and research implications of physician-assisted suicide or physician-assisted death are introduced. This brief article, and the special theme issue of Psychology, Public Policy, and the Law, present the opposing viewpoints on this issue.
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PARENTS' RESPONSES TO THE DEATH OF ADULT CHILDREN FROM ACCIDENTS AND CANCER: A COMPARISON* ... BARBARA J. SWAIN, MA New Haven, Connecticut ... G. ANDREW H. BENJAMIN, JD, PHD. University of Washington ... ABSTRACT Parents who lose... more
PARENTS' RESPONSES TO THE DEATH OF ADULT CHILDREN FROM ACCIDENTS AND CANCER: A COMPARISON* ... BARBARA J. SWAIN, MA New Haven, Connecticut ... G. ANDREW H. BENJAMIN, JD, PHD. University of Washington ... ABSTRACT Parents who lose adult ...
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The anecdotal literature suggests that the process of legal education impairs the maintenance of emotional well-being in law students. The purpose of this article is to present the results of a cross-sequential research design that... more
The anecdotal literature suggests that the process of legal education impairs the maintenance of emotional well-being in law students. The purpose of this article is to present the results of a cross-sequential research design that empirically assessed the validity of this hypothesis. Data were collected, using four standardized self-report instruments (Brief Symptom Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist, and Hassle Scale) on subjects before and during law school and after graduation. Before law school, subjects expressed psychopathological symptom responses that were similar to the normal population. Yet during law school and after graduation symptom levels were significantly elevated. The implications of these results are presented.
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The aim of this study was to determine whether hostility and perceived availability of social support are related to perceptions of the work environment. The W.W. Cook and D.M. Medley (1954) Hostility (Ho) scale; the Interpersonal Support... more
The aim of this study was to determine whether hostility and perceived availability of social support are related to perceptions of the work environment. The W.W. Cook and D.M. Medley (1954) Hostility (Ho) scale; the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (S. Cohen, R. Mermelstein, T. Kamarck, & H. Hoberman, 1985); and measures of collegiality, time pressure, and job dissatisfaction were completed by 204 attorneys (159 men and 45 women). After controlling for age, gender, and other job characteristics, high Ho scores were related to lower perceived supportive collegiality at work. Low perceived availability of social support was related to greater job dissatisfaction. Neither hostility nor social support was associated with perceptions of time pressure at work. These findings suggest that hostility and availability of social support may be an important pathway linking certain job characteristics to cardiovascular disease and other illnesses.
Research Interests: Psychology, Jurisprudence, Occupational Health, Job Satisfaction, Social Support, and 15 moreCardiovascular disease, Occupational Health Psychology, Humans, Business and Management, Female, Male, Risk factors, Middle Aged, Occupational, Adult, Hostility, Risk Factors, Occupational Diseases, Time pressure, and Personality Inventory
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To the Editor: In their discussion of responding to patients' requests for physician-assisted suicide (PAS), Drs Bascom and Tolle 1 did not cite any of the vast psychological or social work literature related to end-of-life issues,... more
To the Editor: In their discussion of responding to patients' requests for physician-assisted suicide (PAS), Drs Bascom and Tolle 1 did not cite any of the vast psychological or social work literature related to end-of-life issues, some of which could have strengthened and supported their ...
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Abstract 1. Surveyed 801 lawyers from Washington state and stratified them by years of practice. Also, a subsample of 184 lawyers in practice for 2 yrs was compared with 96 Arizona lawyers who participated in an earlier study by GA... more
Abstract 1. Surveyed 801 lawyers from Washington state and stratified them by years of practice. Also, a subsample of 184 lawyers in practice for 2 yrs was compared with 96 Arizona lawyers who participated in an earlier study by GA Benjamin et al (1986). ...
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The development of United States citizen infants with undocumented alien parents (UDOC, N = 24) was compared with the development of infants with documented alien or Hispanic American parents (DOC, N = 47). To assess the developmental... more
The development of United States citizen infants with undocumented alien parents (UDOC, N = 24) was compared with the development of infants with documented alien or Hispanic American parents (DOC, N = 47). To assess the developmental differences, a closed-end demographic and environmental variab-le questionnaire and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID) were used. Most of the demographic and environmental variables which could have influenced development remained essentially equivalent for both groups of subjects. Yet, UDOC infants scored significantly lower than DOC infants on the BSID mental and psychomotor scales, and behavior record items highly correlated with cognitive development. These results lend support to the conclusions of the Select Commission on Immigration and Refuge Policy that the illegal status of undocumented aliens may have negative consequences on their families.
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Eight-hundred two lawyers, a random sample of the Washington State Bar, were surveyed to determine the prevalence of medical and psychological distress. Approximately 15% of this group reported current cigarette use. Greater levels of... more
Eight-hundred two lawyers, a random sample of the Washington State Bar, were surveyed to determine the prevalence of medical and psychological distress. Approximately 15% of this group reported current cigarette use. Greater levels of dysphoric symptoms and greater misuse of alcohol differentiated male smokers from male nonsmokers, whereas no differences were found for females. The implications of these findings for pharmacologic and counseling strategies to further promote smoking cessation are discussed.