Analyst – South Africa

Dr. Joan Swart is a South African psychologist, author, consultant and researcher. Dr. Swart has completed Masters in Forensic Psychology at the HLC-accredited Walden University and a doctorate at the BPPE-approved Eisner Institute for Professional Studies, based in Encino, California. She is currently a consultant and researcher at the Apsche Institute, based in Leesburg, Virginia.

Swart is affiliated with the Apsche Institute where she conducts research and consultation. The Apsche Centre specializes in Mode Deactivation Therapy, a third-wave cognitive-behavioural therapy approach that was developed to treat adolescents with behavioural problems. She is an expert in behavioural analysis, especially in the field of criminal and violent behaviour, extremism, and personality disorders.

She is also a consulting committee member at the American Investigative Society of Cold Cases (AISOCC), which is a multidisciplinary group of scholar/practitioners, investigators, and others whose goal is to review cold cases in order to develop new leads/information and/or investigative strategies for the requesting agencies. She is a member of the AISOCC Behavioural Sciences Committee and Social Media Committee.

Swart is an editorial board member of the peer-reviewed journal, International Journal of Behavioural Consultation and Therapy (IJBCT), that is published by the American Psychological Association (APA).

Dr Joan has authored many books including: 

  1. Social Media & Mental Health: Depression, Predators, and Personality Disorders (Cognella Academic Publishing, 2018)
  2. Homicide: A Forensic Psychology Casebook (CRC Press, 2017)
  3. Treating Adolescents with Family-Based Mindfulness (Springer, 2015)