4 Hours | 4 CEs

This on-demand professional training program on Malingering in Forensic Evaluations is presented by Michael Vitacco, Ph.D., ABPP, in partnership with The American Academy of Forensic Psychology.

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

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this program 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 program is intended for mental health and other allied professionals.

  • Experience Level

    This self-paced program 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

    Evaluation

    • Instructions

    • Evaluation

    • Submission Verification

Develop a Specialty Area of Practice

Transforming mental health professionals into experts

  • Expert Instructors

    Professional training developed and delivered by the field's leading experts

  • CE Credit

    Earn CE credit for meaningful professional training that will elevate your practice

  • Convenience & Flexibility

    Learn at your own pace, from wherever you might be!

American Academy of Forensic Psychology

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.
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