Dr. Renata Pleshchuk is a licensed psychologist specializing in forensic psychology, psychological assessment, and consultation in legal and high-stakes settings. She is licensed in California and New Hampshire and is the founder and owner of RPK Forensic Psychological and Consultation Services, Inc. Dr. Pleshchuk’s work integrates extensive forensic training and continuing education with years of experience in emergency departments, correctional mental health, and court-appointed forensic evaluations.

Dr. Pleshchuk earned her Ph.D. in Forensic Psychology from Alliant International University, California School of Forensic Studies, where she completed the Clinical Licensure Track. She obtained postgraduate certifications in Criminal Forensic Assessment and Juvenile Forensic Assessment Certification and is currently working on a Threat Assessment Certification. Her doctoral dissertation examined Victim Impact Statements in cases of domestic violence. She also earned a B.A. in Psychology with an emphasis in Biology from the University of California, Davis.

Dr. Pleshchuk’s forensic training began early in her professional career and has included extensive experience with individuals involved in the criminal justice system. Her pre-doctoral clinical training included work with a court-ordered Batterer’s Intervention Program in Fresno, California; California’s Valley State Prison for Women (now Valley State Prison); and a Level 11 residential sex offender treatment program for adolescents. She subsequently completed an APPIC-approved pre-doctoral internship at South Florida Evaluation and Treatment Center, a forensic psychiatric facility serving individuals committed by the courts as Incompetent to Proceed or Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity. During her internship, she conducted forensic psychological evaluations, competency assessments, violence risk assessments, malingering assessments, and evaluations involving serious mental illness and complex clinical presentations.

Dr. Pleshchuk has more than a decade of professional experience with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. She served as a Staff Psychologist at California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran, and later as a Senior Psychologist Specialist and Senior Psychologist Supervisor at California State Prison, Sacramento, and Mule Creek State Prison. In these settings, she provided psychological assessment and treatment to individuals with significant mental illness, extensive criminal histories, aggressive or violent behavior, and complex behavioral and psychiatric needs.

At California State Prison, Sacramento, Dr. Pleshchuk served as a Senior Psychologist Supervisor within the Psychiatric Services Unit, a highly specialized setting that housed some of the institution’s most psychiatrically impaired and behaviorally challenging incarcerated individuals. Her responsibilities included psychological assessment, crisis intervention, risk assessment, treatment planning, behavioral intervention, interdisciplinary consultation, and clinical supervision. She provided consultation regarding disruptive and aggressive behavior, completed crisis and self-harm assessments, addressed threats involving identifiable individuals, and worked collaboratively with mental health, medical, and custody personnel. As a Senior Psychologist Supervisor at Mule Creek State Prison, she provided clinical and administrative leadership to multidisciplinary teams and served as a department-wide psychology consultant. She supervised and mentored psychologists and other mental health professionals, participated in quality-management initiatives, developed and implemented treatment programs, addressed aggressive and disruptive behavior, and helped ensure compliance with professional, regulatory, and institutional standards.

This extensive correctional experience has provided Dr. Pleshchuk with a unique understanding of the intersection between mental illness, behavior, criminal conduct, institutional environments, and public safety. Her work has included individuals with serious mental illness, personality disorders, substance use disorders, histories of violence, sexual offenses, and other complex clinical and forensic presentations.