National Psychology Training Consortium

Introductory --- Designed for psychologists who may have little to no background in a specialized skill or content area. The learner can become acquainted with the theoretical underpinnings, principles, methods, and perspectives of a content area. Although it can be used as a foundation for more advanced learning, a program may simply focus on breadth, enrichment or general knowledge.

Course Description and Target Audience

While the focus will be on treatment of forensic populations, this remains a broad topic. The presentation will provide an overview of the field of forensic psychology, the populations we work with, the type of work we do, and what exactly treatment with such populations look like. This will include diving into our legal system, the role of technology and bias, the unique legal and ethical considerations, and what research tells us about outcome data. Several special topics within the treatment of forensic populations will be discussed through the lens of research, including juvenile offenders, intimate partner violence, and substance use concerns. Finally, introductory information regarding forensic careers will be provided, such as APA board certification in forensic psychology. This presentation is intended for graduate level psychology and mental health trainees, early career psychologists, and psychologists with little to no knowledge of the forensic psychology subfield.

While forensic psychology is not a field of interest for many mental health providers, there is much indication for any such providers to gain awareness into the work, research, and impact of our legal system. It is very likely that a majority of mental health providers will, at some point, work with clients who are currently or have previously been involved with the legal system or seek services for problems such as anger, adolescent misbehavior, or intimate partner violence. It is important for all mental health service providers to have at least a baseline understanding of what this legal involvement looks like from a psychological perspective. Recent and empirical research is a backbone of forensic psychology, given it's legal nature, and will be used to support all of the above information. Research continues to work against bias in the field and the country's flawed legal system. Further, research within forensic settings is very difficult to have approved, limiting scientific opportunities. As such, this is a field with very active ongoing research that is attempting to fill many holes within our current knowledge base. These limitations will discussed along with studies addressing these concerns and related theories. Some people may find some of the topics in this presentation to be difficult, as topics related to violence, murder, sexual harm, and more will be covered. However, these topics will focus on treatment approaches and research trends within the topics with less detail about the actual crimes. Additionally, some attendees may struggle with the focus being on the offenders of harm rather than victims.

Unequal treatment and bias is a key consideration within forensic psychology, and certainly a strong topic within the research. Much of this unequal treatment and bias relates to minority populations. As such, diverse considerations across race, religion, immigrant status, SES and more are incorporated throughout the presentation. Further, this will include statistics and trends, theories, and the harm done to minority populations within our legal system that forensic psychologists must acknowledge and be mindful about in their work.

Learning Objectives

• Participants will be able to describe the various roles within forensic psychology.
• Participants will be able to describe the role of bias within forensic psychology.
• Participants will be able to describe positive and negative outcomes of incarceration and rehabilitation.
• Participants will be able to describe at least three treatment approaches for legally involved clients.

Presenter Information

A recent graduate of the University of Indianapolis' Doctor of Psychology program and NPTC Great Lakes Region internship in 2024, Dr. Cassie Douglas has just completed an informal postdoctoral year at Connections, Inc. in Indianapolis, IN. Having recently obtained my professional license, I am transitioning into a contract psychologist position at Connections, Inc. where I will continue to begin my early career. I enjoy my current position of administering comprehensive assessments to individuals across the lifespan involved with probation and child protective services, as well as supervising practicum students. My primary interest areas include serious mental illness, personality disorders, and those with legal involvement, of which I enjoy providing individual and group therapy and especially assessments. In my free time, I enjoy spoiling my two cats and reading an excessive amount of books.

Video Homestudy Format

CE’s for this homestudy training will be earned through completing the following tasks:

• Watch the presentation video and review all provided documents in their entirety.
• Pass the post-test questionnaire with at least 80% correct.

A program evaluation form will be provided to all who registered following the training. Please be sure to complete this form since your feedback helps direct future CE programming from our organization.

Registration Cost

This cost includes video links, materials, and tests required to obtain CE’s. Your CE certificate will be made available to you upon successful completion of the training (80% or higher on exam).

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Training Support - Ember Serencko at [email protected].

National Psychology Training Consortium (NPTC) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. NPTC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.