1.5 Hours / 1.5 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Confabulation and the Criminal Justice System: A Review for Forensic Professionals is presented by Jerrod Brown, Ph.D.

Confabulation is one of the most problematic memory phenomena impacting criminal justice, forensic, and legal systems. This phenomenon occurs when an individual creates or backfills a gap in their memory with a fictitious or imagined memory that may be partially based on real events but taken out of chronological context (e.g., believing the memory occurred yesterday when in reality, the memory took place many years prior). Confabulation is done without intent or motivation to deceive or lie. This can range from a slight distortion of an actual event to the nuanced generation of an intricate event.

The causal origins of confabulation are unclear, but the combination of cognitive impairments of several disorders (e.g., fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, schizophrenia, traumatic brain injury, and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome) and a predisposition to suggestion could be integral in eliciting this phenomenon. Confabulation can also occur among individuals with no known history of neurocognitive impairment, resulting from an investigative interview or cross-examination by a legal professional. This can be particularly dangerous in the criminal justice and the legal system because information elicited (and possibly confabulated) during police interviews and interrogations may be used to prosecute and convict a defendant. As such, training and education related to the impact confabulation has on criminal justice, forensic, and legal populations is a priority.

The program clearly distinguishes confabulation from other potentially related constructs (e.g., suggestibility, delusions, and malingering), review important background information and warning signs for confabulation, and identify strategies and techniques to decrease the likelihood of confabulation during legal processes.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe different types of confabulation and distinguish these constructs from other important topics that can impact the validity of information acquired from suspects, witnesses, and defendants
  • 2 Analyze risk factors and warning signs for confabulation in criminal justice and forensic settings
  • 3 Describe a basic understanding of how to minimize the likelihood of confabulation during legal processes
  • 4 Describe the latest empirical findings and discuss directions for future research on confabulation

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for mental health and allied professionals who seek to deepen their expertise in confabulation, threat assessment, and risk management within legal, forensic, and related contexts. It is particularly relevant for those specializing in forensic assessment, clinical psychology, neuropsychology, legal psychology, and other roles that intersect with legal and forensic issues.


    Examples of Relevant Professionals:
    • Mental health professionals (e.g., psychologists, clinical social workers, counselors)
    • Forensic psychologists
    • Neuropsychologists
    • Legal psychologists
    • Threat assessment specialists
    • Risk management professionals
    • Allied health professionals involved in forensic or legal cases

  • Experience Level

    This training is appropriate for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at various stages of experience with confabulation in forensic and legal contexts.

    • Beginner: Participants are new to the topic of confabulation and seek foundational knowledge about its definition, types, and differentiation from related constructs such as suggestibility, delusions, and malingering.

    • Intermediate: Participants have some familiarity with confabulation and are looking to deepen their understanding of risk factors, warning signs, and strategies to minimize confabulation during legal processes.

  • Practice Setting

    Practitioners operate at the interface of mental health, law, and public safety, working in structured, high-stakes environments where findings inform legal and administrative decisions. Their work centers on investigative interviewing, forensic assessment, and risk management, requiring careful detection and mitigation of confabulation within multidisciplinary, protocol-driven systems. Collaboration, rigorous documentation, and adherence to evidentiary standards are central to practice.


    Examples of Practice Settings:
    • Forensic hospitals and secure psychiatric units
    • Correctional facilities and detention centers
    • Law enforcement interview units and investigative bureaus
    • Threat assessment and behavioral intervention teams
    • Civil and criminal forensic practices, medico-legal clinics, and expert witness services
    • Neuropsychological and psychological assessment services in hospital or outpatient settings

Presented By

Jerrod Brown, PhD Pathways Counseling Center, Inc.

Jerrod Brown, Ph.D., M.A., M.S., M.S., M.S., is a professor, trainer, researcher, and consultant with multiple years of experience teaching collegiate courses. Jerrod is also the founder and CEO of the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS). Jerrod has also provided consultation services to a number of caregivers, professionals, and organizations pertaining to topics related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), confabulation, suggestibility, trauma, and other life adversities, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and youth firesetting. Jerrod has completed four separate master’s degree programs and holds graduate certificates in Neuropsychology, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Other Health Disabilities (OHD), and Traumatic-Brain Injuries (TBI). Jerrod has also conducted over 200 workshops, webinars, and on-demand training for various organizations and professional and student audiences. In 2021, Jerrod completed a post-doctoral certificate in Leadership and Organizational Strategy from Walden University and a Professional Certificate in Forensic Psychology from San Diego State University Global Campus. Currently, Jerrod is pursuing a graduate certificate in Neuroscience and Law from Michigan State University. Jerrod has published several articles and book chapters and recently co-edited the book Forensic Mental Health: A Source Guide for Professionals (Brown & Weinkauf, 2018) with Erv Weinkauf. Jerrod is also regularly featured on several national and international podcast programs.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Jerrod Brown, PhD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Provide an overview of background information and warning signs for confabulation

  • Discuss the implications of confabulation during police interviews and interrogations

  • Clearly distinguish Confabulation from other potentially related constructs.

  • Identify strategies and techniques to decrease the likelihood of confabulation during the legal process.

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.