1 Hour / 1 CE

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Identifying and Avoiding “Junk Science” in Forensic Psychological Assessments is presented by Tess M.S Neal, PhD.

This program covers the concept of “junk science” and how justice systems have tried to cope with this problem of separating pseudoscientific evidence from sound evidence, screening the former out, and allowing the latter in via evidence admissibility rules. Dr. Neal takes a close look at why this task is so challenging for courts and how these issues apply to forensic mental health evidence in particular. Specifically, this program covers in detail the results of a two-part investigation of psychological assessments by psychologists in legal contexts. 

The first part involves a systematic review of the 364 psychological assessment tools psychologists report having used in legal cases across 22 surveys of experienced forensic mental health practitioners, focusing on legal standards and scientific and psychometric theory. Results from the first part reveal wide variation in quality. 

The second part is a legal analysis of admissibility challenges with regard to psychological assessments. Results from the second part show that courts are not well-calibrating this variation in quality, and courts often fail to exercise the scrutiny required by law.

There is a discussion on why and how this problem is not unique to mental health evidence and what courts are doing to try to address this problem. For instance, the US Federal Rules of Evidence guiding the admission of expert testimony just changed on December 1, 2023. This program discusses this change and what it means for forensic mental health experts and ends with coverage of several free high-quality resources available to mental health experts to improve the quality of forensic assessment practice.

This program can help advance a person's career by knowing more about how to be better at assessment, how to evaluate the quality of other people's assessments, and overall can improve the quality of their work and the field. This program is uniquely valuable because this is the only work being done on this topic, and the program is one of a kind. This program is intended for all professionals in any stage of their career; any specialty area, and any environment involving law and mental health. 

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe the criteria the law uses to identify junk science by expert witnesses
  • 2 Describe the average scientific validity of assessment tools used by psychologists as evidence in court
  • 3 Describe how calibrated courts are to the scientific validity of psychological assessment tools offered in expert evidence
  • 4 Describe free high-quality resources for improving forensic psychological assessment practice

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for mental health professionals who work at the intersection of law and psychology, with particular relevance for those specializing in forensic psychology, forensic mental health assessment, or related applied psychology fields. It is suitable for individuals whose roles involve legal and mental health issues, including those conducting forensic or legal evaluations.

    Examples of Relevant Professionals:

    • Mental Health Professionals
    • Psychologists
    • Psychiatrists
    • Social Workers
    • Counselors
    • Forensic Psychologists
    • Forensic Mental Health Assessors
    • Applied Psychologists working in legal contexts

  • Experience Level

    This training is designed for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at all career stages who work at the intersection of law and mental health.

    • Beginner: Participants new to forensic mental health or legal settings will gain foundational knowledge about the use of psychological assessments in court, the concept of “junk science,” and the basics of evidence admissibility standards.

    • Intermediate: Participants with some experience in forensic or legal contexts will deepen their understanding of the scientific validity of assessment tools, legal criteria for admissibility, and current challenges courts face in evaluating expert evidence.

    • Advanced: Participants with extensive forensic experience will critically engage with recent legal changes, advanced admissibility challenges, and strategies for improving the quality of forensic psychological assessment practice.

  • Practice Setting

    Professionals practice in legally oriented clinical environments where psychological assessments inform case decisions and may be scrutinized under evidence-admissibility standards. Their work includes conducting evaluations, documenting scientific validity, and providing testimony or consultation alongside legal stakeholders in inpatient, community, and custodial contexts.

    Examples of Practice Settings:

    • Trial and appellate courts (criminal, civil, family)
    • Forensic hospitals and state psychiatric facilities
    • Correctional settings (jails, prisons, probation/parole)
    • Private practices specializing in court-ordered or legally relevant evaluations
    • Government agencies and public defender/prosecutor offices
    • Child protection and dependency systems
    • Juvenile justice and specialty/problem-solving courts
    • Immigration/asylum and disability/compensation evaluations
Presented By

Tess M.S Neal, PhD

Tess M.S. Neal, PhD is an associate professor of psychology and serves as a Dean’s Professor at Iowa State University. Before moving to Iowa in Fall 2023, she was tenured at Arizona State University, where she was the founding director of the Future of Forensic Science Initiative. She is a scientist; a licensed clinical psychologist trained to assess, diagnose, and treat mental and behavioral disorders; and a forensic psychologist trained to bring psychology into legal contexts. She studies the nature and limits of expertise. Her basic work focuses on understanding and improving human judgment processes – especially among trained experts, and her more applied work focuses on improving forensic and legal experts’ judgments in particular. Her work has been funded by multiple grants from the National Science Foundation, and she has published more than four dozen scientific papers. She is the incoming Editor-in-Chief of the journal Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, is a fellow of both the Association for Psychological Science and the American Psychological Association, and recently completed a Fulbright Scholarship in Australia.



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Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Introduction to the use of mental health assessments in legal settings with case examples

  • Overview of forensic psychology within the field of psychology

  • Discussion on expert gatekeeping and courts' efforts to filter out pseudoscience

  • Importance of identifying solid science/expert evidence for courts and justice systems

  • Detailed analysis of a high-profile project on the validity and admissibility of forensic psychological assessments in the US

  • Evidence of courts allowing in evidence regardless of quality

  • A broader issue of quality variation in mental health evidence not unique to the US

  • Actions by courts and societies to address the issue of evidence quality

  • Recent change to US evidence law effective Dec 1, 2023, on admissibility of expert evidence

  • Conclusion with resources for improving the quality of psych assessment evidence

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.