20 Hours / 20 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Best Practices in the Evaluation of Competence to Stand Trial is presented by Patricia A. Zapf, PhD. This badge-earning program can be shared digitally on platforms like LinkedIn or your resume and counts towards a certificate. Enroll in this program to earn credit towards Criminal Forensic Assessment Certificate and share your new digital credentials with prospective employers and colleagues.

One of the primary foundations of criminal law is that all defendants have a right to a fair trial. Towards this end, upwards of 60,000 evaluations of competency to stand trial are conducted annually in the USA. Research has shown that the opinion of the evaluator in these evaluations is accepted by the courts upwards of 95% of the time. Thus, it is imperative that these evaluations be conducted using best practices. Two important sources have recently been recognized as setting the foundation for best practices in competency evaluation. This program provides a strong foundation for any mental health professional involved in or wishing to become involved in the evaluation of adjudicative competence.

This program covers the legal foundations for adjudicative competence, including new developments in the conceptualization of the Dusky standard, as well as practical and theoretical issues in competency evaluation. Competency assessment instruments are reviewed in depth, as are report writing and expert testimony. The trainee is taken through the foundations for competency evaluation, the specific abilities to be evaluated, how to formulate a case conceptualization and ultimate opinion regarding a defendant’s adjudicative competence, and how to communicate opinions about competence in the written report and through expert testimony.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe important legal cases that deal with issues relevant to the interpretation of adjudicative competence standards and statutes
  • 2 Describe the developments in the conceptualization of the Dusky Standard
  • 3 Describe the research on evaluations of adjudicative competence
  • 4 Describe theoretical issues in competency evaluation
  • 5 Describe the most recent clinical guidance on competency evaluation & best practices model
  • 6 Describe the administration procedures for various competency assessment instruments
  • 7 Describe the psychometric properties of CAIs
  • 8 Describe the process for the case and opinion formulation
  • 9 Describe the process of communicating opinions regarding criminal competence
  • 10 Describe required, appropriate, and inappropriate report contents
  • 11 Describe opinions about competence in the written report and through expert testimony

  • Intended Audience

    This comprehensive training program is designed for psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and other mental health professionals seeking to develop or enhance their expertise in evaluating adjudicative competence. The program is suitable for clinicians at all experience levels—beginner, intermediate, and advanced—who currently conduct or wish to expand their practice to include competency evaluations for criminal courts. Participants typically work in forensic, clinical, or legal-psychology settings such as criminal courts, forensic evaluation centers, and legal consulting environments.

  • Experience Level

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

  • Practice Setting

    • Practice settings may include:

    • Criminal courts

    • Forensic evaluation centers

    • Legal consulting settings

Presented By

Patricia A. Zapf, PhD, Vice President, Division of Innovation, Palo Alto University

Patricia A. Zapf, Ph.D. is Vice President for Continuing & Professional Studies at Palo Alto University (PAU). Prior to coming to PAU she was a professor of psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York (CUNY) for 16 years, during which time she was instrumental in the development of a new doctoral program in clinical psychology with an emphasis in forensic psychology and served as the program’s first Director of Clinical Training. Prior to her time at CUNY, she was on the psychology and law faculty at the University of Alabama. In 2009, Dr. Zapf founded CONCEPT Professional Training with the mission of elevating the level of practice in psychology and related professions.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Patricia A. Zapf, PhD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Cover the legal foundations for adjudicative competence and new developments in the conceptualization of the Dusky standard + practical and theoretical issues in competency evaluation

  • Competency assessment instruments are reviewed, and report writing and expert testimony

  • The foundations for competency evaluation, the specific abilities to be evaluated, how to formulate a case conceptualization and ultimate opinion regarding a defendant’s adjudicative competence, and how to communicate opinions about competence in the written report and through expert testimony are reviewed

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.