About Dr. Gary Zinik

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Dr. Zinik is a clinical forensic psychologist in private practice since 1987.  

Dr. Zinik serves as a consultant for attorneys and judges and performs psycholegal evaluations and risk/threat assessments of criminal offenders.  He has performed hundreds of evaluations assessing risk of future dangerous behavior, including juvenile and adult sex offenders.  He frequently testifies in court as an expert witness.  

In his clinical practice, Dr. Zinik has been devoted to helping people who are troubled by their sexual feelings and behaviors. He specializes in working with men who are concerned about sexual compulsions and "sexual addiction".  He also has extensive experience working with gay and bisexual men and individuals dealing with questions of sexual identity and erotic orientation.

Dr. Zinik has academic degrees in psychology from Stanford, Harvard, and the University of California at Santa Barbara.  For over 30 years he has been a member of the American Psychological Association and the Association for Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA) and has researched and taught the subject of human sexuality from a variety of standpoints, including serving as a professor at Santa Barbara City College for six years, and presenting to groups as diverse as high school students, law enforcement groups, and attorneys.

Dr. Zinik has conducted original research in the areas of threat assessment, sex offenders, paraphilias, and sexual identity development.  He has published articles and book chapters on subjects such as the psychology of sexual assault, sexual deviance, and gay and bisexual sexual identity development.  To download Dr. Gary Zinik's full resumé, please CLICK HERE.

Resume At-A-Glance

Psychology License: PSY-10232

Education: 
  • Stanford University, BA in Psychology, 1976.
  • Harvard University, Masters Degree in Counseling & Consulting Psychology, 1979.
  • University of California at Santa Barbara, PhD. in Counseling Psychology and Education, 1983.

Professional Experience  
Risk/Threat Assessment of dangerous behavior, evaluation and treatment of sexual disorders, performed hundreds of forensic evaluations of criminal offenders for state and federal courts, provides expert witness testimony.   

Professional Presentations 
“Sex Offenders: What We Need to Know”, presentations made to various law enforcement agencies, probation departments, and attorney groups.

Administrative Experience
  • Member of the Ventura County Sex Offender Management Team
  • Director of the Ventura Chapter of PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays)​

Publications and Research Interests 
  • "Rape and Paraphilic Coercive Disorder" (book chapter), 2015.
  • Threat Assessment Checklist, evaluating risk of future violent behavior

Member of the American Psychological Association, Association for Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA), California Coalition on Sexual Offending (CCOSO), and Ventura County Psychological Association