10 Hours / 10 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on 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

It is devoted to expert testimony that mental health professionals provide in depositions, trials, and administrative hearings. As such, this program should be of interest to all mental health professionals who testify in legal proceedings, regardless of their sub-specialty.

 The focus is on oral communication of one’s activities and opinions. Thus, the preparation of interrogatories, affidavits, and reports is not addressed. First reviewed are the research examining and the general principles of effective communication in legal proceedings. This is followed by a discussion of the two primary contexts in which expert witnesses testify (depositions and trials/hearings), their similarities, and their differences. Next reviewed are nuts and bolts strategies witnesses should employ, followed by an extended discussion of direct and cross-examination techniques and strategies. 

Throughout the program, how professional ethics, practice guidelines, and rules of evidence and procedure shape expert testimony are discussed. 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 components/qualities of effective communication generally, and effective testimony specifically
  • 2 Describe the differences between testifying at depositions and at trial and testify more effectively in each setting
  • 3 Describe various ways in which credibility and expertise can be communicated when testifying
  • 4 Communicate one’s expertise and credibility more effectively
  • 5 Describe ethical requirements and practice guidelines that impact expert testimony and testify in accordance with them
  • 6 Describe common/typical rules of evidence and procedure shape presentation of expert testimony and testify in a manner that is consistent with these rules
  • 7 Describe and employ pre-testimony preparation strategies that will reduce anxiety
  • 8 Describe an approach for effectively communicating their work and opinions to the legal decision-maker during direct examination
  • 9 Describe and effectively respond to common cross-examination gambits

  • Intended Audience

    This course is intended for mental health and allied professionals at any stage of their careers who wish to develop or enhance their expert testimony skills, which are valuable throughout a mental health professional’s development. It is suitable for those specializing in or interested in forensic psychology or other areas where their expertise may be called upon in legal or forensic contexts.

    • Mental Health Professional
    • Psychologist
    • Psychiatrist
    • Social Worker
    • Counselor
    • Nurse
    • Occupational Therapist
    • Case Manager
    • Student or Trainee in mental health or related fields
    • Professional specializing in forensic psychology

  • Experience Level

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

    • Beginner: Little or no prior experience testifying as an expert witness; seeking foundational knowledge of effective oral communication, legal procedures, and ethical requirements in depositions and trials.
    • Intermediate: Some experience providing expert testimony; seeking to enhance skills in direct and cross-examination, credibility communication, and application of professional guidelines and rules of evidence.
    • Advanced: Extensive experience testifying in legal settings; seeking advanced strategies for complex testimony, nuanced ethical considerations, and mastery of communication techniques under challenging legal scrutiny.

  • Practice Setting

    Professionals who provide expert testimony in legal proceedings typically work in environments where mental health and law intersect. These settings may include hospitals, private practices, forensic units, correctional facilities, community mental health centers, academic institutions, and government agencies. Their work often involves collaborating with legal professionals, participating in court proceedings, and conducting assessments or evaluations relevant to legal cases. The environment is characterized by a need for clear, ethical, and effective oral communication, especially during depositions, trials, and administrative hearings.

    • Forensic psychiatric hospitals or units
    • Private practice specializing in forensic evaluations
    • Correctional facilities (jails, prisons)
    • Community mental health centers with forensic services
    • Court clinics or court-appointed expert panels
    • Academic or research institutions with forensic psychology programs
    • Government agencies (e.g., child protective services, disability determination)
    • Law enforcement agencies (consultation roles)
    • Hospitals with consultation-liaison psychiatry services
    • Legal consulting firms specializing in mental health issues

Presented By

Randy Otto, PhD, ABPP

Randy Otto, Ph.D., ABPP is an Associate Professor in the NSU Department of Clinical and School Psychology. Previously, he was a faculty member in the Department of Mental Health Law & Policy at the University of South Florida, where he served for 33 years. Dr. Otto was awarded doctoral and master’s degrees in clinical psychology from Florida State University, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Rochester. Dr. Otto’s research and writing focus on forensic psychological assessment. He has developed two psychological tests that are used in forensic assessment settings, and he has authored and edited books on forensic psychological evaluation, expert testimony and report writing, ethics in forensic psychology practice, assessment of trial competence, violence risk assessment and Florida mental health law. Dr. Otto has served as president of the American Psychology-Law Society, the American Board of Forensic Psychology, and the Board of Trustees of the American Board of Professional Psychology. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 41) and has received awards for his professional contributions from the American Academy of Forensic Psychology, the American Psychology-Law Society, the Society for Personality Assessment, the New York State Psychological Association, the University of Nebraska, and the University of California, San Francisco. He currently serves as Executive Director of the American Board of Forensic Psychology. Dr. Otto shares that his daughter is continually amazed that some are actually willing to pay to hear him speak, when she regularly volunteers to pay to have him shut up. When not at work or with his wife and daughter, Dr. Otto is likely to be found at a poker table or on a motorcycle.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Randy Otto, PhD, ABPP

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • First, reviewed are the general principles and research related to effective communication in legal proceedings

  • Second, a discussion of the two primary contexts in which expert witnesses testify (depositions and trials/hearing), their similarities, and differences

  • Next reviewed are nuts and bolts strategies witnesses should employ

  • Last is an extended discussion of direct and cross-examination techniques and strategies

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).



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.