Continuing & Professional Studies, Palo Alto University

Dr. Christopher Weaver is an Associate Professor at Palo Alto University, and Director of PAU’s Forensic Psychology Program. Dr. Weaver received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Louisville, and has held research and clinical positions (pre- and postdoctoral) at the University of California, San Francisco and Stanford University. He has published in the areas of psychopathy and violence risk assessment, and more recently in the areas of substance abuse and psychological trauma. His publications also include co-authored books in law & mental health and psychopathology. Dr. Weaver’s current research focuses on the role that trauma and substance use play in criminal offending, the assessment of dissimulation in PTSD assessment. He is also conducting a funded training and research program designed to increase police officer effectiveness in working with people with mental illness.

Sgt. Payne has spent 29 years with the San Jose Police Dept. There, she served numerous roles, including patrol officer, Sexual Assaults Investigations Detective, and on the Internal Affairs and School Liaison Units. She also worked on the Threat Management and Domestic Violence teams of the Family Violence Unit. For the past 8 years, Sgt. Payne has headed the Crisis Management Unit tasked with coordinating and conducting SJPD's extensive CIT training program. There, Sgt. Payne worked to curate the CIT curriculum and to mentor and optimize the impact of health and mental health professionals' trainings on police officer trainees.