10 Hours / 10 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on the Effective Expert Testimony for Forensic Evaluation is presented by Randy Otto, PhD, ABPP.

This badge-earning program can be shared digitally on platforms like LinkedIn or your resume and counts towards various certificates. Enroll to earn credit and share your new digital credentials with prospective employers and colleagues. This program counts as a foundational program in the certificates:

  1. Criminal Forensic Assessment Certificate
  2. Child Custody Evaluation Certificate
  3. Civil Forensic Assessment Certificate
  4. Juvenile Forensic Assessment Certificate
  5. Violence Risk Assessment Certificate


This program should be of interest to all mental health professionals who testify in legal proceedings, regardless of their discipline (e.g., medicine, social work, psychology) or sub-specialty (e.g., criminal, personal injury, disability, guardianship/conservatorship, dependency, custody). The focus of this program is on oral communication of one’s activities and opinions. Thus, preparation of interrogatories, affidavits, and reports is not addressed.

After a review of the research examining the critical components of effective expert testimony, two tools that can be used to gauge a witness’s efficacy are introduced, discussed, and employed. Next addressed are the two primary contexts in which expert witnesses testify (depositions and trials/hearings), their similarities, and differences.

Considerable attention is devoted to nuts-and-bolts strategies that witnesses can employ on the witness stand, followed by a discussion of direct and cross-examination techniques and strategies that attorneys often employ, as well as potential responses that witnesses can use.

Throughout the program, how professional ethics, practice guidelines, and rules of evidence and procedure shape expert testimony is addressed. Considerable use is made of case examples, using excerpts from trial and deposition transcripts and video recordings of experts testifying. 

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe the component and qualities of effective communication on the witness stand
  • 2 Describe two tools that can be used to rate an expert witness’s efficacy
  • 3 Describe key similarities and differences between testifying at depositions and trials
  • 4 Describe and employ strategies for communicating one’s credibility at trial
  • 5 Describe and employ strategies for communicating one’s expertise at trial
  • 6 Describe common rules of evidence and how they impact the expert witness’s testimony
  • 7 Describe how ethical obligations impact the expert witness’s testimony
  • 8 Describe common cross-examination gambits attorneys employ and effective strategies for responding

  • Intended Audience

    This course is designed for individuals in mental health and allied professions who may be called upon to provide expert opinions in legal or forensic contexts, including those with an interest or specialization in forensic psychology and related fields.

    Examples of Relevant Professionals:

    • Mental Health Professional
    • Psychologist
    • Psychiatrist
    • Social Worker
    • Counselor
    • Nurse
    • Occupational Therapist
    • Case Manager
    • Student or Trainee in mental health or related fields
    • Forensic Psychology Specialist

  • Experience Level

    This foundational program is designed for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at all experience levels who provide expert testimony in legal proceedings.

    • Beginner: New to providing expert testimony or with limited experience testifying in depositions or trials; seeking foundational knowledge of effective oral communication, ethical considerations, and courtroom procedures.

    • Intermediate: Some experience testifying as an expert witness; looking to enhance testimony skills, deepen understanding of direct and cross-examination strategies, and apply research-based tools to assess and improve witness efficacy.

    • Advanced: Extensive experience as an expert witness; interested in refining advanced communication strategies, navigating complex legal and ethical scenarios, and mentoring others in effective expert testimony.

  • Practice Setting

    Professionals who provide expert opinions in legal or forensic contexts typically work in environments where mental health and the law intersect. These settings may include hospitals, private practices, forensic units, correctional facilities, government agencies, academic institutions, and courtrooms. Their work often involves conducting assessments, preparing for and delivering expert testimony, and collaborating with legal professionals. The environment is often multidisciplinary, requiring interaction with attorneys, judges, law enforcement, and other professionals involved in legal proceedings.

    Examples of Practice Settings:

    • Forensic psychiatric or psychological units within hospitals
    • Private practices specializing in forensic assessment or consultation
    • Correctional facilities or juvenile detention centers
    • Government agencies (e.g., child protective services, disability determination)
    • Court clinics or court-appointed evaluation services
    • Academic or research institutions with forensic psychology programs
    • Community mental health centers with forensic services
    • Law enforcement agencies or legal consultation teams
    • Telehealth or remote forensic assessment services
Presented By

Randy Otto, PhD, ABPP

Randy K. Otto, PhD, MLS, joined the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in May 2025, where he serves as Professor and Chief of the Division of Forensic Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Otto was a member of the faculty at the University of South Florida between 1989 and 2022, and Nova Southeastern University between 2022 and 2025.

Dr. Otto, licensed to practice psychology in New Mexico and Florida, is board certified in clinical psychology and forensic psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Rochester, and master's and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from Florida State University. After serving as a clinical psychology intern at the Medical University of South Carolina, he completed a two-year, NIMH-funded fellowship in the College of Law and Department of Psychology at the University of Nebraska, where he was awarded a master’s degree in legal studies.

Dr. Otto’s research, writing, and practice is devoted to matters of forensic psychological assessment. In press is the fifth edition of Psychological Evaluations for the Courts: A Handbook for Mental Health Professionals and Lawyers, which he co-authored with co-authors Chris Slobogin, John Petrila, and Lois Oberlander. With Irv Weiner, he edited the fourth edition of the Handbook of Forensic Psychology, and he is also the lead author of books devoted to forensic practice ethics and forensic report writing and testimony. Dr. Otto chaired the APA committee that revised the Specialty Guidelines on Forensic Psychology that were adopted in 2013. He serves as a consultant to the committee that is working on the current revision. He chaired APA's Committee on Legal Issues and served on the ABA committee that revised the Criminal Justice Mental Health Standards. He was the lead author of the book, Ethics in Forensic Psychology Practice.   


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Training Outline
Key Topics Covered in this Training Include:

  • Program Overview

    - For mental health professionals who testify in legal proceedings across all disciplines and specialties.

    - Focus on oral communication of expert opinions—not written interrogatories, affidavits, or reports.

  • Foundations of Effective Testimony

    - Review of research on what makes expert testimony effective.

    - Introduction and use of two tools to assess witness effectiveness.

  • Testimony Settings

    - Overview of depositions and trials/hearings.

    - Key similarities and differences in how experts testify in each context.

  • Practical Strategies for the Stand

    - Essential “nuts and bolts” techniques for testifying.

    - How to navigate direct and cross-examination, including common attorney strategies and effective witness responses.

  • Ethical and Legal Framework

    - Influence of professional ethics, practice guidelines, and rules of evidence and procedure on expert testimony.

  • Case-Based Learning

    - Case examples using transcript excerpts and video recordings of experts testifying.

Earning a Certificate

This is a badge-earning program, which means it will help you earn a certificate that can be showcased on digital platforms like LinkedIn.
View Certificates

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).


Sponsorship Approval Statements

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), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7190. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Palo Alto University, #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. Palo Alto University 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. Continuing and Professional Studies, Palo Alto University, is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0103. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT), 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. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies, is recognized by 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.