Live Virtual Training via Zoom

Lisa Drago, PhD, ABPP, presents a live virtual professional training program on Forensic Evaluations in Defense Base Act Cases in partnership with the American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP).

The Defense Base Act (DBA) is a federal workers compensation program that provides benefits to civilian employees who sustain injuries while working on U.S. military bases overseas. A substantial number of these cases involve allegations of psychological injuries, most often, PTSD. 

This program will provide an introduction to forensic evaluations in DBA cases, including the legal context, assessment strategies, cultural issues, and data interpretation. 

This training is intended for psychologists familiar with forensic work who are interested in expanding into DBA work. Familiarity with disability and/or other types of workers' compensation evaluations is helpful, but not necessary.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe the psycholegal issues to be addressed in a DBA case
  • 2 Describe how linguistic and cultural issues impact evaluations in DBA cases
  • 3 Describe approaches to the assessment of PTSD
  • 4 Describe approaches to the assessment of dissimulation in DBA cases

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for psychologists who have experience with forensic evaluations and are interested in expanding their expertise to include Defense Base Act (DBA) cases. It is particularly relevant for those who may already be familiar with disability or workers’ compensation evaluations, though such experience is not required. The program is well-suited for professionals who want to deepen their understanding of the unique psycholegal, cultural, and assessment challenges presented by DBA cases, especially those involving psychological injuries such as PTSD.

    • Psychologist
    • Forensic Psychologist
    • Mental Health Professional
    • Clinical Psychologist
    • Neuropsychologist
    • Consulting Psychologist

  • Experience Level

    This training is designed for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals with varying levels of experience in forensic evaluation, particularly those interested in expanding into Defense Base Act (DBA) cases.

    • Beginner: Participants are familiar with general forensic evaluation principles but have limited or no experience with DBA cases or workers’ compensation evaluations.
    • Intermediate: Participants have some experience conducting forensic or disability evaluations and seek to deepen their understanding of the legal, cultural, and assessment issues specific to DBA cases.
    • Advanced: Participants have substantial experience in forensic or workers’ compensation evaluations and are seeking specialized knowledge in psycholegal issues, PTSD assessment, and dissimulation detection within the context of DBA cases.

  • Practice Setting

    Professionals who participate in this training typically work in environments where they conduct psychological assessments and forensic evaluations related to legal, disability, or compensation matters. Their practice settings often involve collaboration with attorneys, courts, insurance companies, and government agencies. These professionals may work independently, within group practices, or as consultants to organizations, and frequently engage with diverse populations, including individuals with complex psychological and cultural backgrounds. Their workspaces are structured to support confidential interviews, psychological testing, and comprehensive report writing, often requiring secure handling of sensitive information.

    • Private forensic psychology practices
    • Group mental health practices specializing in legal or compensation cases
    • Hospital-based forensic or neuropsychology departments
    • Consulting roles for law firms, insurance companies, or government agencies
    • Academic medical centers with forensic evaluation services
    • Telehealth or remote assessment services for international or military-related cases

Presented By

Lisa Drago, PhD, ABPP Private Practice

Lisa Drago, Ph.D., ABPP is a board-certified forensic psychologist (ABPP). Specializing in civil forensic matters, Dr. Drago is in private practice in Annapolis, Maryland. She has a particular interest in employment-related cases including disability, wrongful termination, sexual harassment, ADA, fitness for duty, and workplace violence. She regularly conducts evaluations in disability, workers’ compensation, personal injury, fitness for duty, and security clearance cases. She has testified as an expert witness on these matters in both state and federal courts. In addition, Dr. Drago serves as a consultant to the U.S. Department of State Forensic Behavioral Science Service regarding fitness for duty and security issues. Dr. Drago has served as president of the American Board of Forensic Psychology. She was chair of the American Psychological Association Committee on Professional Practice and Standards, and co-chair of the American Psychological Association Committee on Legal Issues. She served on the Taskforce for the Revision of the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology. Dr. Drago is the author of the book Best Practices for Forensic Mental Health Assessment: Evaluation of Workplace Disability as well as a number of book chapters and articles on topics related to personal injury, fitness for duty, ADA, psychological assessment, and disability. She has provided professional training on these topics for the American Psychological Association, the American Bar Association, the American Academy of Forensic Psychology, and the British Psychological Society. She has presented extensively on civil forensic evaluations around the U.S., as well as in Canada, Scotland, Austria, and the Czech Republic. Dr. Drago was the 2018 recipient of the Beth and Charlie Clark Award, a lifetime achievement award given by the American Academy of Forensic Psychology in recognition of an extraordinary level of service to the profession of forensic psychology.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Lisa Drago, PhD, ABPP

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Introduction

  • Legal context

  • Cultural & linguistic issues

  • Assessing PTSD

  • Data interpretation

  • Case study

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 contact our group training team.

  • 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.

We are proud to partner with

American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP)

American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP)

We are proud to partner with the American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP) for this training. AAFP is a non-profit organization of board-certified forensic psychologists whose mission is to contribute to the development and maintenance of forensic psychology as a specialized field of study, research, and practice. The Academy does this by providing high-quality continuing education workshops, providing a forum for the exchange of scientific information among its members, and conferring awards upon outstanding students and practitioners in the field of forensic psychology.

Learn More About Our Partner

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.