Dr. Beth Walters

Finding the right therapist can be as hard as finding a good fitting pair of jeans. Learn more about Dr. Walters to see if she will be a good fit for you. 

Dr. Walters is a licensed psychologist who lives in Los Angeles and provides mental health services to California clients. She specializes in helping individuals manage their stress and anxiety and often works with industry professionals and college students. Additionally, she provides psychological testing to help individuals with a number of issues, such as differential diagnosis, academic accommodations, and worker’s compensation. Walters also assists in forensic cases. 

Dr. Walters describes herself as a realistic pragmatist and this carries into her therapy style. She utilizes empirical, data-driven treatments to quickly address clients’ issues. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and psychoeducation are typically utilized so that a client not only experiences a decrease in their symptoms, but learns what the therapeutic techniques they are using and why it works, so they will have the tools to use these skills long after therapy ends. Her therapeutic style includes using humor and a warm, non-judgmental, collaborative approach with clients. Rather than laying on a couch and having a therapist ask you how you feel, Dr. Walters’ training and experience allows her to have a naturally flowing conversation with clients to elicit the changes they seek, and these conversations may include laughing, crying, and sometimes colorful language.  

Education

Dr. Walters received her Master and Doctoral degrees in Clinical Forensic Psychology from Alliant International University, under the mentorship of serial murderer expert Dr. Eric Hickey. She previously earned her Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Psychology from Florida State University, where she worked with world renowned psychopathy researcher Dr. Christopher Patrick, and the prestigious Biosocial Criminology professor Dr. Kevin Beaver. 

Clinical Training

During her clinical program and post-doctoral work Dr. Walters provided integrative psychological evaluations and treatment for a variety of different inpatient and outpatient populations. This included working with clients who work in the entertainment industry, college students, and business professionals. She has worked with individuals, couples, and families, from diverse backgrounds. These include minorities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, persons with disabilities, etc. During her training she worked with patients with a number of different psychological disorders ranging from anxiety and depression, trauma related disorders (PTSD), substance abuse, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, dissociative identity disorder, sexual disorders, intellectual disorders, phobias, and ADHD. She is well trained on a number of different clinical tests to provide a variety of psychological evaluations, including objective and projective measures. 

Relevant areas of training and specialization for clinical work include: Neuropsychology, Psychopharmacology, Health Psychology, Diversity and Cultural Competence, & LGBTQIA+

Forensic Training 

Dr. Walters' forensic training and experience included providing psychological treatment to adult male offenders within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) for both incarcerated individuals (level IV prison) and individuals on parole or probation, providing treatment and assessments to juvenile sex offenders, providing intervention for men convicted of intimate partner violence (IPV), conducting mental health and risk assessments for attorneys in California, including the Major Crimes Division for the Fresno Public Defender's Office, behavioral health court, and Veteran's Affairs (VA). She also received training abroad in serial murder investigation in South Africa and a range of criminal investigations in Italy, including domestic violence and mafia related crimes. She received certification in the administration of the Psychopathy-Check-List-R and its various forms from its creator, Dr. Robert Hare. Dr. Walters is also trained in a number of other forensic instruments, including risk, malingering, and competency measures. 

Relevant areas of training and specialization for forensic work include: Psychopathy, Personality Disorders, Risk Assessment, Malingering, Sexual Offending, Criminal Paraphilia, Serial Murder, Homicide, Stalking, Domestic Violence, & Victimology.

Experience

Dr. Walters has over 12 years of training and experience in clinical and forensic work. 

Private Practice

Dr. Walters is a licensed psychologist in California (PSY34942) and formed her private practice, F.A.C.T. Psychology, Inc. in 2024 with the intention of being able to provide services in Forensics, Assessments, Consultations, and Treatments (F.A.C.T.) to her community and the greater state of California. 

Teaching

Dr. Walters has taught at both the undergraduate and graduate level in psychology and forensic psychology. She has served as both chair and second committee member on a number of student dissertations, and was a member of the institutional review board (IRB) where she focused on ethical issues within the college's research for both students and faculty. Dr. Walters' areas of research focus primarily on psychopathy, homicide, serial, and sexual offenders.  

Publications

• Hickey, E. W., Walters, B. K., Drislane, L. E., Palumbo, I. M., & Patrick, C. J. (2018). Deviance at its Darkest: Psychopathy and Serial Murder. In Patrick, C. J. (Ed.), Handbook of psychopathy, 2nd Edition (pp. 570-584). Guilford Press.

• Walters, B. K., & Hickey, E. W. (2016). The Development of Homicidal Necrophilia in Jeffrey Dahmer. In Mellor, L. P., Aggrawl, A., & Hickey, E. W. (Eds.), Understanding Necrophilia: A Global Multidisciplinary Approach (pp. 399-410). Cognella.

• Walters, B. K., Hickey, E. W., & Rhine, R. (2016). Pseudonecrophilia and Popular Print Media. In Mellor, L. P., Aggrawl, A., & Hickey, E. W. (Eds.), Understanding Necrophilia: A Global Multidisciplinary Approach (pp. 151-158). Cognella.

• Walters, B. K., & Hickey, E. W. (2016). Crime and the Canvas: Depicting Criminals and Their Punishments in the Visual Arts, from Antiquity to Present. In Arntfield, M., & Danesi,  M., (Eds.), The Criminal Humanities: An Introduction (pp. 207-228). Peter Lang Publishing. 

• Walters, B. K., Drislane, L. E., Patrick, C. J., & Hickey, E. (2015). Serial murder: Facts and misconceptions. Science and the Courts, 1(5), 32-41.

• Walters, B. K., & Hickey, E.W. (2014). Homicide: A National and Global Perspective. In C. A. Pietz & C. A. Mattson (Eds.), Violent Offenders: Understanding and Assessment (pp. 172-185). Oxford University Press.

Lectures, Trainings, and Conferences

Dr. Walters has provided training and lectures to students and professionals both within the United States and abroad, on a variety of clinical and forensic topics, such as malingering and psychopathy.

Dr. Walters Curriculum Vitae (CV) is available upon request.