3 Hours / 3 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Advanced Training in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): A Comprehensive Review for Criminal Justice, Forensic Mental Health, and Legal Professionals is presented by Jerrod Brown, Ph.D.

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are temporary or permanent alterations in brain functioning resulting from an open or closed wound to the head. Such an injury could be the result of an automobile accident, a sports-related impact, or victimization of violence like being punched in the head. TBIs can range from mild to severe in nature and may result in a host of short and long-term impairments. Symptoms associated with TBI can be cognitive (e.g., confusion, language production and processing difficulties, irritability, and impulsivity) or physical (e.g., insomnia, headaches, nausea, and loss of consciousness). Deficits associated with TBI can also place an impacted individual at elevated risk for an array of mental health (e.g., anxiety and mood disorders), substance abuse, and education and employment problems. In particular, individuals with TBIs are disproportionately likely to become entangled in the criminal justice system as either victims or perpetrators of crime. Once involved in the criminal justice system, individuals with TBIs are often ill-equipped to (a) make important legal decisions during police interviews and trials, (b) assist in developing and mounting a legal defense, and (c) comply with the conditions of sentences in confined and community settings. These difficulties place individuals with TBIs at risk for miscarriages of justice, like false confessions and wrongful convictions, as well as an increase in vulnerability and victimization. In light of these consequences, there is an immediate need to improve the identification of individuals with TBI through better screening and assessment practices in criminal justice, forensic mental health, and legal settings. Once identified, evidence-based interventions have the potential to minimize the short- and long-term consequences of TBI. This advanced-level training is intended for professionals who work within the criminal justice, forensic mental health, and legal systems.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe the causes, symptoms, red flag indicators, and consequences of TBIs
  • 2 Describe the implications that TBIs have on functioning within criminal justice, forensic mental health, and legal processes
  • 3 Describe how TBIs increase the risk of criminal justice-involvement, including victimization and vulnerability
  • 4 Describe evidence-based practices for the screening and intervention of TBIs
  • 5 Describe interviewing approaches most appropriate for individuals with TBI who are involved in criminal justice, forensic mental health, and legal settings
  • 6 Describe key research findings associated with TBIs in criminal justice, forensic mental health, and legal settings

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for mental health and allied professionals who support individuals with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), especially within criminal justice, forensic mental health, and legal settings. The program focuses on equipping participants with the knowledge and skills to assess, manage, and support the cognitive, behavioral, and physical challenges associated with TBI. It is tailored for those working in environments such as correctional facilities, forensic hospitals, community mental health centers, and legal systems.

  • Experience Level

    This training is applicable for mid-career and experienced professionals.

    • Those with experience or interest in neuropsychology, forensic psychology, or rehabilitation
    • Practitioners seeking specialized knowledge in TBI assessment and management within justice or forensic contexts

  • Practice Setting

    • Mental health professionals (psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, social workers)
    • Neuropsychologists and forensic psychologists
    • Rehabilitation counselors and case managers
    • Allied health professionals (occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists)

    • Professionals working in:
    • Correctional facilities and prisons
    • Forensic hospitals and secure treatment centers
    • Community mental health centers
    • Courts and legal systems

Presented By

Jerrod Brown, PhD

Jerrod Brown, PhD, is the Treatment Director for Pathways Counseling Center, Inc., the lead developer of an online Master of Arts degree in Human Services with an emphasis in Forensic Behavioral Health from Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota, the founder and CEO of the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS), and the Editor-in-Chief of Forensic Scholars Today (FST) and the Journal of Special Populations (JSP).

View More Programs from this Presenter
Jerrod Brown, PhD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Cognitive, Language, and Neurodevelopmental Factors
    Overviews adaptive functioning, executive functioning, language disorders, memory impairment, theory of mind, and confabulation.

  • Behavioral and Psychological Challenges
    Overviews disruptive behaviors, maladaptive coping skills, sleep disorders, substance misuse, sexually inappropriate behaviors, psychiatric comorbidity, and sensory processing disorders.

  • Legal, Correctional, and Forensic Considerations
    Overviews competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, court-ordered treatment, courtroom/legal considerations, confinement settings, community supervision, law enforcement perspectives, and juvenile offender populations.

  • Risk, Trauma, and Clinical Assessment Issues
    Overviews suicide risk, trauma, suggestibility, anger/aggression, family conflict, physical health, interviewing, screening considerations, and myths/misconceptions.

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.