10 Hours / 10 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on the  Ethics in Forensic Psychology Practice is presented by Randy Otto, Phd, ABP.

This badge-earning program can be shared digitally on platforms like LinkedIn or your resume and counts toward a certificate. Enroll in this program to earn credit towards the Criminal Forensic Certificate, Child Custody Evaluation Certificate, Civil Forensic Assessment Certificate, Juvenile Forensic Assessment Certificate, and Violence Risk Assessment Certificate and share your new digital credentials.

This training uses a case study approach to discuss ethical challenges forensic psychologists commonly encounter. After providing an ethical decision-making framework and identifying various sources of authority that can impose obligations on psychologists when providing forensic services, the following challenges are covered:

Multiple roles and conflicts of interest;

  • Distinguishing between informed consent, assent, and notification;
  • Documenting and communicating findings, writing reports, and keeping records;
  • Privacy, confidentiality, and privilege in forensic settings;
  • Recording of, or third-party presence during, forensic evaluations;
  • Providing services via videoconferencing platforms;
  • Providing services in jurisdictions in which one is not licensed;
  • Releasing reports, records, and test data;
  • Examination billing and reimbursement practices;
  • Editing and altering reports;
  • Offering opinions about persons not examined;
  • Taking into account issues of diversity in forensic evaluation contexts;
  • Accessing and relying on social media and other data in forensic examination contexts; and
  • Addressing substandard practice by peers.

This program is intended for professionals who want to develop or strengthen skills in forensic evaluation, including those involved in civil and criminal forensic mental health assessment, forensic inpatient care, human resources, and community settings, as well as those who work at the intersection of clinical psychology and law. This training program is for beginner, intermediate, and advanced-level clinicians.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe a 7-step problem-solving process to respond to ethical/legal dilemmas
  • 2 Describe and locate key sources of authority for forensic psychology practice
  • 3 Describe the circumstances under which multiple roles/relationships are permitted, prohibited, and discouraged
  • 4 Describe circumstances when consent must and need not be obtained from forensic examinees
  • 5 Describe strategies to consider employing when asked to record, or allow a third party to observe, a forensic evaluation
  • 6 Describe the circumstances/conditions under which psychologists are permitted to offer opinions about persons not examined
  • 7 Describe the relationship between privacy, confidentiality, and privilege in forensic evaluation contexts
  • 8 Describe obligations psychologists have to address the substandard work of colleagues and identify how they can meet them in forensic settings
  • 9 Describe the obligations psychologists have when contemplating using tests with persons who differ in significant ways from groups on which the tests were used
  • 10 Describe and employ strategies for accessing and considering social media data when conducting forensic examinations

  • Intended Audience

    This program is designed for professionals seeking to develop or enhance their expertise in forensic evaluation, particularly those engaged in civil and criminal forensic mental health assessment, forensic inpatient care, human resources, community settings, and those working at the intersection of clinical psychology and law.

    Examples of Relevant Professionals:

    • Mental Health Professional
    • Forensic Psychologist
    • Clinical Psychologist
    • Human Resources Specialist
    • Forensic Inpatient Clinician
    • Community Mental Health Worker
    • Legal Consultant in Psychology
    • Forensic Social Worker

  • Experience Level

    This training is designed for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at all experience levels who wish to develop or strengthen their skills in addressing ethical challenges in forensic psychology practice.

    • Beginner: Participants new to forensic psychology or ethical decision-making frameworks, seeking foundational knowledge of ethical, legal, and regulatory standards in forensic contexts.

    • Intermediate: Clinicians with some experience in forensic settings who wish to deepen their understanding of complex ethical dilemmas, such as managing multiple roles, informed consent, and documentation practices.

    • Advanced: Experienced forensic practitioners aiming to refine their ethical decision-making, address emerging issues (e.g., telehealth, cross-jurisdictional practice), and integrate advanced considerations of diversity, test fairness, and peer accountability.

  • Practice Setting

    Professionals who complete this program typically work in environments where mental health, law, and organizational processes intersect. These settings may include secure forensic hospitals, correctional facilities, community mental health centers, law firms, government agencies, private practices, and corporate human resources departments. Their work often involves conducting assessments, providing expert opinions, consulting on legal or organizational matters, and navigating complex ethical and legal standards.

    Examples of Practice Settings:

    • Forensic psychiatric hospitals and inpatient units
    • Correctional facilities and juvenile detention centers
    • Community mental health agencies
    • Private forensic or clinical psychology practices
    • Law firms and legal consultancies
    • Government agencies (e.g., courts, probation, child protective services)
    • Corporate human resources departments
    • Social service organizations
    • Telehealth and remote assessment platforms
Presented By

Randy Otto, PhD, ABPP

Randy K. Otto, PhD, ABPP, 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 masters 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:

  • Ethical Challenges in Forensic Psychology

  • Ethical Decision-Making Framework

  • Sources of Ethical and Legal Authority

  • Roles, Consent, and Boundaries

  • Documentation, Communication, and Records

  • Privacy, Evaluation Procedures, and Technology

  • Emerging and Professional Practice Issues

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.
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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.