7 Hours / 7 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Cultural Considerations in Forensic Psychology is presented by Michelle Guyton, PhD, ABPP, in partnership with The American Academy of Forensic Psychology. 

This program reviews the impact of culture, ethnicity, and language on interviewing, assessment, and diagnosis in the forensic context. Cognitive psychology, as it relates to implicit bias and decision-making, is also discussed. This program focuses on understanding this literature, how it relates to forensic practice, and expanding skills for conducting forensic mental health evaluations with culturally and linguistically diverse individuals. Topics described include cultural expressions of psychopathology, interviewing strategies, working with interpreters, and ethical considerations.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

  • 1 Describe patterns of overrepresentation within the criminal justice system for individuals from non-dominant cultures
  • 2 Describe how models of cognitive processing link to implicit bias
  • 3 Describe cultural expressions of psychopathology
  • 4 Describe professional resources that can facilitate understanding of an examinee’s culture and heritage
  • 5 Describe strategies for working effectively with language interpreters
  • 6 Describe how to consider culture and at what stage of the legal process based on referral question
  • 7 Describe and respond to ethical conflicts that arise when psychologists evaluate people from cultures and backgrounds different from their own
  • 8 Describe and use APA guidelines to assist when evaluating culturally and linguistically diverse individuals

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for mental health and allied professionals who want to develop and enhance their skills in culturally and linguistically competent forensic assessment and evaluation. It is particularly relevant for those specializing in forensic psychology, clinical psychology, or related mental health fields, and who focus on assessment and diagnosis in diverse populations.

    • Mental Health Professional
    • Psychologist
    • Counselor
    • Social Worker
    • Psychiatrist
    • Case Manager
    • Probation Officer
    • Legal Advocate

  • Experience Level

    This program is appropriate for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at various stages of experience in forensic practice with culturally and linguistically diverse individuals.

    Beginner:
    New to forensic mental health evaluation or with limited experience considering culture, ethnicity, and language in assessment and diagnosis; seeking foundational knowledge of implicit bias, cultural expressions of psychopathology, and ethical considerations.

    Intermediate:
    Some experience conducting forensic evaluations with diverse populations; familiar with basic concepts and seeking to deepen skills in applying cognitive psychology models, working with interpreters, and integrating APA guidelines.

    Advanced:
    Extensive experience in forensic mental health settings; seeking advanced strategies for addressing complex cultural and ethical issues, consulting professional resources, and refining approaches to overrepresentation and bias in the criminal justice system.

  • Practice Setting

    Practice settings for professionals engaged in culturally and linguistically competent forensic assessment and evaluation are typically multidisciplinary environments where legal and mental health systems intersect. These settings require sensitivity to cultural, ethnic, and linguistic diversity, and often involve collaboration with legal professionals, interpreters, and community agencies. The work environment may be structured, such as in hospitals or correctional facilities, or community-based, such as outpatient clinics or advocacy organizations. Professionals may conduct interviews, assessments, and evaluations in person or via telehealth, often serving individuals from diverse backgrounds involved in legal proceedings.

    • Forensic psychiatric hospitals
    • Correctional facilities (jails, prisons, juvenile detention centers)
    • Community mental health centers
    • Court clinics or court-mandated evaluation programs
    • Private forensic assessment practices
    • Social service agencies
    • Probation and parole offices
    • Legal aid organizations or advocacy groups
    • Academic or research institutions specializing in forensic mental health

Presented By

Michelle R. Guyton, PhD, ABPP

Michelle Guyton co-owns the Northwest Forensic Institute, providing evaluations and education in forensic psychology since 2008. She is a licensed psychologist and certified forensic evaluator in Oregon. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree in psychology at Sam Houston State University and her doctorate at the University of Utah. She is one of five board-certified forensic psychologists in the state and the first female to hold this status. In Oregon since 2005, Dr. Guyton worked at the School of Graduate Psychology at Pacific University in Hillsboro, Oregon for ten years. There she functioned as an assistant then tenured associate professor, director of the forensic track, and in other administrative capacities. She and her students presented papers and posters at a variety of regional, national, and international conferences focused on forensic and correctional psychology. She has published in the area of violence risk assessment, inmates’ adjustment to prison, and forensic assessment instruments. Dr. Guyton also worked at the Oregon Department of Corrections where she provided treatment and assessment services to male and female inmates with serious mental illnesses. Dr. Guyton is the director of the Oregon Forensic Evaluator Training Program since its inception in 2012, a state-contracted program that provides initial and recertification trainings for evaluators conducting competency and criminal responsibility evaluations. She is the training director for NWFI’s postdoctoral fellowship and practicum student programs. Dr. Guyton also provides trainings to forensic mental health professionals, lawyers, judges, and other justice-related agencies. She provides consultation to attorneys, government agencies, and other psychologists. In the criminal forensic domain, she conducts evaluations that focus on fitness to proceed, criminal responsibility, sentencing, other competency issues, violence and psychosexual risk assessments. Dr. Guyton also conducts evaluations in the civil domain, including IMEs, personal injury, testamentary capacity, and fitness-for-duty evaluations.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Michelle R. Guyton, PhD, ABPP

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Review the impact of culture, ethnicity, and language on interviewing, assessment, and diagnosis in the forensic context

  • Cognitive psychology, as it relates to implicit bias and decision-making

  • Discuss cultural expressions of psychopathology, interviewing strategies, working with interpreters, and ethical considerations

We are proud to partner with

American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP)

American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP)

We are proud to partner with the American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP) for this training. AAFP is a non-profit organization of board-certified forensic psychologists whose mission is to contribute to the development and maintenance of forensic psychology as a specialized field of study, research, and practice. The Academy does this by providing high-quality continuing education workshops, providing a forum for the exchange of scientific information among its members, and conferring awards upon outstanding students and practitioners in the field of forensic psychology.

Learn More About Our Partner

CE Sponsorship Information

Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by, recognized by, or maintains sponsorship provider status with the following boards and agencies. We maintain responsibility for all content in our CE/CPD programs. For more information, visit here. 

  1. American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.

  2. Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.

  3. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

  4. National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).



Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0356 and the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0073. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6811. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CONCEPT Professional Training, #1480, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. CONCEPT Professional Training maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 11/22/23-11/22/26. Social workers completing this course receive (clinical or social work ethics) continuing education credits.