1 Hour / 1 CE

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Forensic Aspects of Suggestibility is presented by Jerrod Brown, Ph.D.

Suggestibility can be defined as the proneness of an individual to accept and adopt the views of another person as truth. For example, when confronted by someone else’s explanation of an event, individuals prone to suggestibility may adopt this alternate explanation as their own memory of the event. Although the behavioral and environmental etiological origins of vulnerability to suggestibility are dynamic and complex, suggestions can be inspired by a range of stimuli, from verbal and non-verbal communication with another person to reading text or exposure to various forms of media. Suggestibility can also occur in individuals involved in high-stress situations. For example, in a courtroom setting, the use of repetitious lines of questioning may exacerbate the likelihood of suggestibility, false confessions, and wrongful convictions. Awareness of suggestibility is of paramount concern in settings such as the criminal justice system, where self-reported information is used to make life-altering decisions. Suggestibility’s impact on memory can have a deleterious influence on justice at each and every point in the criminal justice system. In this session, the presenter addresses the phenomenon of suggestibility and its implications for criminal justice, forensic mental health, and legal systems.

Learning Objectives

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

Describe suggestibility and its subtypes

Describe warning signs and risk factors for suggestibility

 Describe the wide-ranging deleterious impacts of suggestibility in the criminal justice, forensic mental health, and legal systems

Describe the challenges that forensic mental health professionals face in assessing individuals who are prone to suggestibility

Describe approaches and techniques to limit the potential impact of suggestibility in criminal justice, forensic mental health, and legal settings

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  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for mental health and legal professionals seeking to enhance their understanding of suggestibility and its effects on memory and decision-making in forensic and legal contexts. The program addresses the complexities of suggestibility, memory reliability, and their implications for assessments, competency, and criminal responsibility evaluations. It is relevant for professionals working across a range of settings, including forensic, clinical, criminal justice, health care, social services, and education. The training is suitable for individuals at all stages of their careers, from beginners to advanced practitioners.

  • Experience Level

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

  • Practice Setting

    • Forensic psychologists and clinical psychologists
    • Legal professionals (attorneys, judges, legal evaluators)
    • Mental health professionals involved in legal or forensic assessments
    • Professionals conducting competency or criminal responsibility evaluations
    • Practitioners in correctional facilities, courts, and law enforcement agencies
    • Health care providers working with justice-involved populations
    • Social service professionals involved in legal or forensic cases
    • Educators and school psychologists interested in suggestibility and memory

Presented By

Jerrod Brown, PhD

Jerrod Brown, PhD, is the Treatment Director for Pathways Counseling Center, Inc., the lead developer of an online Master of Arts degree in Human Services with an emphasis in Forensic Behavioral Health from Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota, the founder and CEO of the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS), and the Editor-in-Chief of Forensic Scholars Today (FST) and the Journal of Special Populations (JSP).

View More Programs from this Presenter
Jerrod Brown, PhD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Warning signs and risk factors

  • Impacts of Suggestibility

  • Challenges of Suggestibility

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.