Forensic Mental Health 101

Date & Time
October 25, 2021
9:00am - 4:15pm

Location
Live Webinar

Summary

Each day, new clinicians and evaluators are hired by agencies providing services to justice-involved individuals with mental health disorders and/or tasked with keeping patients and the community safe. These new hires are well-qualified and have a solid understanding of psychosocial assessment and clinical treatment. Forensic evaluation and treatment, however, differ in important ways from purely clinical treatment, and there are numerous factors to consider in addition to the patient’s well-being and risk of imminent harm to himself or others.

This training, Forensic Mental Health 101, seeks to address these differences with the goal of preparing those with clinical and/or community mental health backgrounds to evaluate, treat, and supervise justice-involved individuals with mental health disorders in locked and unlocked settings. It is intended for those who are new to forensic mental health or early in their forensic mental health careers, as well as those who are seeking to re-focus their efforts and ensure they are performing their duties in accordance with the law and the best interests of the treated individual and the community.

Presented By

Anna Kafka, Psy.D., is a licensed forensic psychologist in California with over 10 years of experience conducting forensic evaluations. From 2009 to 2015, she worked for the Gateways Hospital Conditional Release Program (CONREP), serving both Los Angeles and San Diego counties. She began her work with Gateways CONREP as a forensic clinician and was promoted to Evaluation Manager in 2010. In 2014, she assumed the role of Director of Evaluations, with job duties including conducting and overseeing the forensic evaluations of nearly 900 individuals housed in state hospitals across the state and contributing to decisions regarding patients’ readiness for placement in community outpatient treatment. After leaving Gateways CONREP, she conducted evaluations of competency to stand trial for the Liberty Healthcare Jail-Based Competency Treatment Program. In 2017, Dr. Kafka joined the Los Angeles County Superior Court Panel of Psychiatrists and Psychologists and continues to serve on the Panel, conducting evaluations pertaining to legal insanity, competency to stand trial, violence risk, sexual violence risk, sentence mitigation, Franklin proceedings, suitability for probation, and other issues. In addition to her Panel work, Dr. Kafka teaches courses within the San Diego State University Global Campus Certificate in Forensic Psychology program and most recently began a contract with the State of California in which she performs evaluations of Offender with Mental Health Disorder (OMD) criteria. Dr. Kafka is passionate about elevating the quality of forensic evaluations performed in the field and enjoys training others in forensic evaluation and report writing, as well as in providing expert witness testimony.

Nicole L. Paglione, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist (California) and clinical director of Gateways CONREP, Los Angeles and San Diego Counties’ conditional release program for individuals committed under PC 1026, Guilty, but Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity; PC 2962, Offenders with a Mental Health Disorder, Parolee; and PC 2972, Offenders with a Mental Health Disorder, Former Parolee. She began her training within the state hospital system but left the state to work for CONREP in 2011, where she began as Los Angeles County’s only full-time forensic evaluator for the aforementioned commitments. In 2015, Dr. Paglione became the Director of Evaluations, overseeing the evaluations of approximately 900 individuals treated within the state hospital system, as well as conducting various risk assessments with a focus on suitability for release to a lower level of care and readiness for unconditional release from forensic treatment and supervision. As Clinical Director, Dr. Paglione now oversees the treatment and supervision of these offenders with mentally illness in the community, as well as the work of CONREP’s Evaluation Unit. She is frequently called to provide expert testimony with regard to the assessment of violence risk, and she is responsible for training Gateways CONREP’s clinical staff in the administration of risk assessment tools, court report writing, and the provision of forensic treatment. Outside of Gateways CONREP, Dr. Paglione is a member of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (LA Chapter). She contracts with agencies/institutions to conduct threat assessments and provide threat assessment training to school districts throughout the country, and she conducts violence risk assessments in private practice for the purpose of sentence mitigation in criminal courts.

Learning Objectives

Topics Include

Describe the laws governing the evaluation, treatment, and supervision of justice-involved individuals with mental health disorders in California
Describe various inpatient and outpatient treatment settings for justice-involved individuals with mental health disorders in California
Describe key differences between forensic evaluation and clinical evaluation
Describe the components of a forensic report
Describe key differences between forensic treatment and community mental health treatment
Describe issues unique to certain special populations
Describe how to communicate with attorneys and courts regarding reports, subpoenas, etc
Describe the steps in preparing for testimony and the basics of testifying in court

Relevant mental health laws and terminology
Key players in the California forensic mental health system
Differences between forensic evaluation and clinical evaluation
Basics of forensic report writing
Basics of violence and sex offender risk assessment
Differences between forensic treatment and community mental health treatment
Communicating with attorneys and courts, including responding to subpoenas and the basics of testimony

CE Credit

Intended Audience

Experience Level

6 CE Available for CPA, BBS, BRN
Additional Continuing Education Information

This training is intended for mental health and related professionals.

This training is appropriate for beginner level clinicians.

Complaint & Cancellation Policy
Refunds are not guaranteed due to the cancellation of an FMHAC event, including those that are cancelled due to COVID-19 or other State Order.

All other cancellation will follow standard FMHAC cancelation policies noted below.
Cancellation Policy:
- Cancellation requests must be submitted in writing to morgan@fmhac.net.
- $50 cancellation fee if request is received 8+ days prior to event date.
- Cancellations are non-refundable starting 7 days prior to event date.

Complaints regarding instructors and/or presentation content can be sent to the FMHAC Executive Director at catherina@fmhac.net and will be addressed in conjunction with the Director of Education within 14 days.