4 Hours / 4 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on AAFP: The Art and Science of Expert Witness Testimony is presented by Karen Postal, PhD, ABPP in partnership with the American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP).

This program shares the fruits of a multiyear research project with in-depth interviews of attorneys, judges, and seasoned forensic experts from multiple disciplines (including psychology, neuropsychology, medicine, and economics), highlighting and offering bridges for the areas where the needs and expectations of the courtroom collide with experts’ communication habits developed over years of academic and professional training. Rather than seeing testimony as a one-way download from expert to jurors, the program focuses on the direct, dynamic, unique communication relationship that develops as each juror’s lived experience interacts with the words experts speak. 

The academic tradition of “methods-centered credibility” is expanded to also include “person-centered credibility,” where warmth, confidence, and relentless attention to detail build trust with jurors. Strategies and techniques are shared for disrupting traditional academic communication and creating access to expert opinions with vivid, clear language and strong visuals. The difficult but necessary emotional work of the courtroom is addressed with specific techniques to regulate emotions in order to maintain person-centered credibility and keep the needs of jurors front and center through cross-examination. Rather than advice on testifying from a single expert, the research paradigm shared in the program offers a unique experience: like being personally mentored by over 85 attorneys, judges, and seasoned experts as they share their observations, insights, and strategies: not “win” as a defense, prosecution, or plaintiff expert, but to be productive in helping jurors and other triers of fact do their difficult intellectual job in deciding a case.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe the challenges and benefits of recognizing the unique, direct, dynamic communication partnership that develops with jurors during testimony in our increasingly diverse society.
  • 2 Describe person-centered credibility (how judges, attorneys, and jurors typically understand credibility) from methods-centered credibility (how academically trained experts to understand credibility).
  • 3 Describe specific ways that traditional academic communication patterns prevent jurors from accessing expert witness opinions and diminish our person-centered credibility.
  • 4 Describe and use several disruptive communication strategies on both direct and cross-examination that allow us to create moments of access and engagement with jurors.

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for psychologists, neuropsychologists, and other mental health professionals who are involved or interested in forensic assessment and expert testimony. It is ideal for those seeking to enhance their expertise in providing expert opinions, legal consultation, and testimony to assist jurors, judges, and attorneys in understanding psychological and neuropsychological issues relevant to legal cases.

    • Psychologist
    • Neuropsychologist
    • Mental Health Professional
    • Forensic Assessment Specialist
    • Expert Witness

  • Experience Level

    This training is applicable for all career stages: entry-level, mid-career, and experienced professionals.

    • Beginner: New to expert witness testimony or with limited courtroom experience; seeking foundational understanding of the unique communication dynamics with jurors and the distinction between methods-centered and person-centered credibility.
    • Intermediate: Some experience providing expert testimony; interested in refining communication strategies, addressing challenges in diverse jury settings, and improving emotional regulation during direct and cross-examination.
    • Advanced: Extensive experience as an expert witness; aiming to deepen skills in disrupting traditional academic communication patterns, mentoring others, and integrating advanced techniques for building trust and engagement with jurors.

  • Practice Setting

    Professionals who complete this training typically work in environments where legal and psychological expertise intersect. They may practice in private clinics, hospitals, academic medical centers, or government agencies, and are frequently called upon to provide forensic assessments, expert opinions, and testimony in legal proceedings. Their work often involves close collaboration with attorneys, judges, and other legal professionals, and may require travel to courthouses, law offices, or correctional facilities. These settings demand a high level of professionalism, adaptability, and the ability to communicate complex psychological or neuropsychological concepts clearly to non-expert audiences such as jurors and judges.

    • Private forensic psychology or neuropsychology practices
    • Hospital-based forensic assessment units
    • Academic medical centers with forensic consultation services
    • Government agencies (e.g., court clinics, correctional mental health services)
    • Law firms or legal consulting groups specializing in mental health issues
    • Courtrooms and legal proceedings as expert witnesses
    • University or research settings with a focus on forensic evaluation and testimony

Presented By

Karen Postal, PhD, ABPP, Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School

Karen Postal is a past president of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology and a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School. Her research focuses on improving communication about neuroscience with patients and the general public. She is the author of Feedback That Sticks: The Art of Communicating Neuropsychological Assessment Results, Testimony That Sticks: The Art of Communicating Psychology

View More Programs from this Presenter
Karen Postal, PhD, ABPP

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Jury, testimony, and the diverse society

  • Method centered credibility

  • Academic communication patterns

  • Expert witness opinions

  • Communication strategies on both direct and cross-examination

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.