Live Virtual Training via Zoom

Neil W. Gowensmith, Ph.D, Daniel Murrie, Ph.D, and Sharon Kelley, J.D., Ph.D., present a live virtual professional training program on Criminal Competencies: Evaluating Competence to Stand Trial and Miranda Rights Comprehension.

This live virtual training takes place over two full-day sessions from 7:00 am - 3:00 pm PST each day. 

  • Wednesday, September 16th
  • Thursday, September 17th

This is a multi-day training event. Participants must attend all scheduled sessions in full to be eligible to receive continuing education (CE) credit. Partial credit will not be awarded.

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 Criminal Forensic Assessment Certificate.

This program is suitable for a variety of forensic mental health professionals across settings and career stages, including graduate students, early career professionals, or more advanced professionals who have less background or experience. 

Evaluations of Competence to Stand Trial (CST, or adjudicative competence) are the most common form of forensic evaluation, and the demand for these evaluations continues to increase greatly. Yet research consistently reveal weaknesses in the wide-scale practice of CST evaluation.  This program begins with the basics, particularly the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dusky criteria, and the foundational understanding of competence as functional and contextual.  We guide evaluators in thorough CST assessment and report writing.  We focus on the areas evaluators tend to under-address—particularly assessing and describing rational understanding—as well as other common errors in assessment and report writing.  We provide practice exercises, guides, templates, and checklists to help evaluators cover necessary content, and craft well-organized reports.

The second half of the program will begin with coverage of the legal foundations of the Miranda rights, including landmark Supreme Court cases that define the rights, the criteria for waivers of the rights, and how key terms (e.g., ‘custody’ and ‘interrogation’) are defined in the law.  Next, the program will cover how forensic mental health professionals have translated legal standard into psychological criteria suitable for psychological assessment, and the results of multiple decades of research into the individual and situational factors related to comprehension of Miranda rights.  The second half of the program will address best practices for evaluations of Miranda rights comprehension, including how best practices of forensic mental health assessment apply to these evaluations, and practices that are unique to these evaluations—including overviews of specialized forensic assessment instruments: the Miranda Rights Comprehension Instruments (Goldstein, Zelle, & Grisso, 2014) and the Standardized Assessment of Miranda Abilities (Rogers, Sewell, Drogin, & Fiduccia, 2013). The program will conclude with a review of best practices related to report writing, testimony, and consultation with attorneys.  

This program is suitable for a variety of forensic mental health professionals across settings and career stages, including graduate students, early career professionals, or more advanced professionals who have less background or experience. 

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe the implications and importance of CST evaluations
  • 2 Describe the Dusky criteria for competence to stand trial
  • 3 Describe the ways in which competence is functional and contextual
  • 4 Describe ways to assess and describe each of the capacities identified in the Dusky decision (factual understanding, rational understanding, and ability to assist counsel)
  • 5 Describe how to thoroughly assess rational understanding and the ability to assist counsel, which tend to be under-addressed in many CST evaluations and reports
  • 6 Describe how to address these issues in reports without divulging self-incriminating information or defense strategy
  • 7 Describe core components of competence reports, as well as material that should never be included in competence reports
  • 8 Describe common errors in evaluation and report writing, along with corresponding corrective strategies
  • 9 Describe the landmark Supreme Court cases that provide the legal foundations for evaluations of Miranda rights comprehension
  • 10 Describe key findings from research into the relationship between individual and situational factors and Miranda rights comprehension
  • 11 Describe how basic principles and practices of forensic mental health assessment are applied to evaluations of Miranda rights comprehension
  • 12 Describe specific evaluation practices, including forensic assessment instruments, that are unique to evaluations of Miranda rights comprehension

  • Intended Audience

    This program is designed for forensic mental health professionals who are involved in conducting or interpreting evaluations related to competence to stand trial and Miranda rights comprehension. The intended audience includes those who engage in forensic assessment, report writing, and consultation within the legal system, and who require a thorough understanding of legal standards, psychological assessment practices, and the integration of research findings into forensic evaluations.

    Examples of Relevant Professionals:

    • Mental Health Professional
    • Forensic Psychologist
    • Forensic Psychiatrist
    • Clinical Psychologist
    • Social Worker (with forensic focus)
    • Licensed Professional Counselor (with forensic focus)
    • Criminal Justice Consultant
    • Legal Consultant (with mental health expertise)
    • Graduate Student in Forensic Psychology or Psychiatry

  • Experience Level

    This training is designed for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals with varying levels of experience in forensic evaluation, particularly in Competence to Stand Trial (CST) and Miranda rights comprehension.

    • Beginner: New to forensic mental health assessment or CST/Miranda evaluations; seeking foundational knowledge of legal standards (e.g., Dusky criteria), basic assessment principles, and report writing.

    • Intermediate: Some experience conducting CST or Miranda evaluations; looking to strengthen skills in thorough assessment, addressing under-evaluated areas (e.g., rational understanding), and improving report organization and accuracy.

    • Advanced: Experienced forensic evaluators aiming to refine advanced assessment techniques, minimize common errors, utilize specialized instruments, and enhance testimony and consultation practices.

  • Practice Setting

    Professionals who participate in this program typically work in environments where mental health and legal systems intersect. Their practice settings often involve conducting forensic assessments, preparing reports, and providing expert consultation for courts, attorneys, and other legal stakeholders. These environments require a strong understanding of both psychological assessment and legal standards, and may involve direct interaction with individuals involved in the criminal justice system, including defendants, attorneys, and court personnel.

    Examples of Practice Settings:

    • Forensic units within psychiatric hospitals or state hospitals
    • Outpatient forensic mental health clinics
    • Private practices specializing in forensic assessment and consultation
    • Correctional facilities (jails, prisons, detention centers)
    • Court clinics or court-appointed evaluation services
    • Academic or research institutions with forensic psychology or psychiatry programs
    • Government agencies (e.g., departments of mental health, public defender’s offices)
    • Consulting roles for legal teams or criminal justice agencies

Training Instructors:

Neil W. Gowensmith, Ph.D.

Neil W. Gowensmith, Ph.D.

Neil Gowensmith is a core faculty member at the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology, teaching exclusively in the Masters of Forensic Psychology program. In 2014, he created and became the director of the department’s forensic mental health institute, Denver FIRST (The University of Denver’s Forensic Institute for Research, Service, and Training), which operates a postdoctoral fellowship, an outpatient competency restoration program, and a robust forensic evaluation service. Dr. Gowensmith has worked in prisons, jails, courts, community mental health centers, and mental health hospitals throughout his career. Prior to his current academic appointment, he was the Chief of Forensic Services for the State of Hawai’i, in which he oversaw all court-ordered forensic evaluations, outpatient competence restoration, jail diversion, mental health court, and re-entry services. As part of that work, he ultimately steered the Department out of federal oversight. He continues to serve as a national expert in forensic mental health, with consultation, research, and practice focusing specifically on competency restoration (inpatient, outpatient, and jail-based), standards for forensic evaluators, quality improvement for forensic evaluations, and public forensic mental health systems. His consulting practice consists of various contracts and appointments in several states across the country.

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Daniel Murrie, Ph.D.

Daniel Murrie, Ph.D.

Daniel Murrie, PhD serves as Director of the Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy (ILPPP) and a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
Dr. Murrie directs the University of Virginia (UVA) Forensic Clinic, the UVA Postdoctoral Fellowship in Forensic Psychology, and Virginia’s state-sponsored training program for psychologists and psychiatrists learning to perform court-ordered forensic evaluations. As a forensic psychologist, Dr. Murrie performs a variety of forensic evaluations around the country, with an emphasis on evaluations of trial competence and evaluations in capital cases. As a consultant, he works with state administrators and advocacy groups—and serves as a federally-appointed monitor—to help states improve their forensic service systems.
As a scholar, Dr. Murrie has co-authored roughly 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications, books, and book chapters, all addressing forms of forensic mental health evaluation. Much of his research program addresses quality, reliability, and bias in forensic psychological evaluations.
Dr. Murrie was recently President of the American Psychological Association’s Division 41, the American Psychology-Law Society (APLS). He was the 2025 winner of the American Academy of Forensic Psychology’s award for Distinguished Contributions to Forensic Psychology.

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Sharon Kelley, J.D., Ph.D.

Sharon Kelley, J.D., Ph.D.

Sharon Kelley, JD, PhD, is a forensic psychologist at the University of Virginia’s Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy (ILPPP), and the UVA Forensic Clinic within it. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and an Instructor in the UVA School of Law. Dr. Kelley came to ILPPP after graduating from the law-psychology program at Villanova University School of Law and Drexel University and completing a forensic psychology fellowship at UVA and Western State Hospital.
As a forensic psychologist, she performs a range of evaluations for the criminal legal system (e.g., Miranda rights comprehension, competence to stand trial, criminal responsibility, pre-sentencing, re-sentencing of juvenile matters, capital sentencing, violence risk), public safety departments (e.g., pre-employment psychological evaluations, fitness for duty evaluations), and other clients (e.g., universities). As a researcher, Dr. Kelley has co-authored many peer-reviewed scientific publications on topics including forensic mental health assessment, legal competencies of individuals in the criminal legal system, police interactions with persons with mental illness and feedback in forensic mental health assessment.

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Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Understanding the national crisis in competence to stand trial services

  • Legal Foundations: Dusky and landmark Supreme Court cases

  • Translating of legal standards into psychological concepts: Competence is functional and contextual

  • Assessing the Dusky criteria, with a focus on the rational understanding and assisting counsel

  • Best practices for evaluations of adjudicative competence

  • Distinguishing relevant and irrelevant information in interview and report writing

  • Best practices for report writing, testimony, and consultations with attorneys

  • Legal Foundations: landmark Supreme Court cases defining the rights and criteria for waivers

  • Translation of legal standards into psychological criteria

  • Results of empirical research on Miranda rights comprehension, including research with specific populations (e.g., youth, individuals with intellectual disabilities) and Best practices for evaluations of Miranda rights comprehension, including an overview of two specialized forensic assessment instruments: the Miranda Rights Comprehension Instruments (Goldstein, Zelle, & Grisso, 2014) and the Standardized Assessment of Miranda Abilities (Rogers, Sewell, Drogin, & Fiduccia, 2013). Best practices for report writing, testimony, and consultations with attorneys .

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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Live Event Policy

Registration for our live events is covered for one (1) person per purchase. If you would like to purchase for a group, please purchase more than one registration for this event.

  • Event Communications

    When registering, use an email that is active and that you check regularly. We are not responsible for communications not being received; if you do not add [email protected] to your email safe sender list, our emails are likely to end up in your spam or junk folders.

  • Cancellation Policy

    Have a sudden change of plans and are unable to attend live? No worries; you will be given access to the on-demand version of the program once available. Please note that if you attend live, no access to the recording will be given.

  • Event Conduct

    Professional conduct is expected during our live programs. Our goal is to make our events as interactive as possible for all participants. We reserve the right to remove any participants who are disruptive, act unprofessionally, or who we are unable to verify their purchase.

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), 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.