4 Hours | 4 CEs

This self-paced training program on Malingering in Forensic Evaluations is presented by Michael Vitacco, PhD, ABPP

This training program offers guidance on legal and practical implications of evaluating response styles in forensic evaluations. Several key aspects of evaluating for malingering in forensic evaluations are reviewed. Specific issues including a critical review of diagnostic criteria for malingering from DSM-5, how courts have dealt with malingering and reviewing several commonly used instruments designed to detect feigning. When reviewing the instruments pros and cons of each is discussed with an overview of their psychometric properties. Ethical and cultural considerations are integrated throughout the training with relevance to civil and criminal forensic work.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course you will be able to:

  • Describe malingering and the criteria in the DSM-5

  • Describe legal and clinical implications of malingering, including recent court cases that addressed malingering

  • Describe at least two instruments and scales designed to detect feigning and their psychometric properties

  • Describe research on potential cultural differences with respect to symptom presentation

  • Describe the research for detecting malingering in special populations, including individuals with intellectual disabilities

Presented By

Michael Vitacco, PhD, ABPP

Michael Vitacco, PhD, ABPP is a board-certified forensic psychologist who is currently a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at Augusta University in Georgia. He earned his psychology doctorate at the University of North Texas, completed an internship at a program sponsored by the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and the Department of Justice, and was a forensic fellow at the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine.

  • Intended Audience

    This self-paced course is intended for mental health and other allied professionals.

  • Experience Level

    This self-paced course is appropriate for beginner, intermediate, and advanced level clinicians.

  • CE / CPD Credit

    APA, ASWB, CPA, NBCC Click here for state and other regional board approvals.

Curriculum

  • 1

    Welcome

    • Review Before Proceeding

  • 2

    Introduction

    • Lesson 1 Video

    • Malingering and PTSD

    • Lesson Quiz

  • 3

    Diagnoses, Deception, & Malingering

    • Lesson 2 Video

    • Estimated Costs of Malingered Disability

    • Lesson Quiz

  • 4

    Malingering & Law

    • Lesson 3 Video

    • Lesson Quiz

  • 5

    Malingering and Clinical Practice

    • Lesson 4 Video

    • Guidelines for the Forensic Psychiatric Evaluation of Competence to Stand Trial

    • Lesson Quiz

  • 6

    Detection Strategies for Psychopathology

    • Lesson 5 Video

    • Lesson Quiz

  • 7

    Detecting Malingering

    • Lesson 6 Video

    • References

    • Lesson Quiz

  • 8

    Course Evaluation

    • Course Evaluation

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  • CE Credit

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