NYSAP: Case Conceptualization in Juvenile Competency Evaluations
Presented by: Ivan Kruh, PhD and Christina L. Riggs Romaine, PhD
3 Hours / 3 CEs
On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training
This on-demand professional training program on Case Conceptualization in Juvenile Competency Evaluations is presented by Ivan Kruh, PhD and Christina L. Riggs Romaine, PhD in partnership with The National Youth Screening & Assessment Partners (NYSAP).
The value of an evaluation model is best appreciated through its applied use. This program focuses on applying Grisso’s (2005) Five-Question Juvenile Competence Evaluation Model to a sample juvenile competence case. Evaluation materials for the case are distributed in a manner that parallels a typical evaluation process in many settings, progressing from the initial referral through collateral information gathering and interviewing of the youth.
Through group and dyadic discussions, participants are guided in the analysis of the data contained in these materials using the organizational structure of the Five-Question Model and then progressively work toward formulating the evaluation opinions essential to adequately informing the court. Effective communication of these opinions to the courts is discussed.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:
- 1 Describe the application of the five-question model in juvenile competence evaluations
- 2 Describe the types of data needed to form which opinions in the model, as well as where to access those data
- 3 Describe the step-by-step process for written analysis of the five questions
- 4 Describe, experience, and work through some of the challenges common to case conceptualization in juvenile competence cases, such as the differentiation of normal developmental immaturity and mental health concerns
- 5 Describe challenges inherent in conceptualizing juvenile competence cases to the courts
Presented By
Ivan Kruh, PhD, Partner, National Youth Screening and Assessment Partners
Ivan Kruh received his PhD in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Psychology & Law from the University of Alabama in 1998 and subsequently completed fellowship training in forensic psychology through the University of Washington. For ten years, he was the Director of Juvenile Forensic Mental Health Services for Washington State and directed a Juvenile Forensic Psychology fellowship through the University of Washington. He has offered juvenile forensic mental health evaluations privately in Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut since 2012. Dr. Kruh specializes in the conduct and coordination of evaluations of juvenile competency to proceed (JCTP) and has co-authored two manuals with Thomas Grisso regarding creation of state standards for these evaluations. He has provided training, quality assurance and technical assistance for a variety of state agencies nationally since 2010, all aimed at supporting the day-to-day provision of high quality juvenile forensic mental health evaluations.
Presented By
Mary Elizabeth Wood, Ph.D., ABPP, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Sam Houston State University
Dr. Wood is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Sam Houston State University, where is director of the Psycho-Legal Assessment and Intellectual Disability (PLAID) Lab. She completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Psychology and the Law from the University of Alabama, and she subsequently completed her predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship in Forensic Psychology at Patton State Hospital. From 2017-2024, Dr. Wood was faculty in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). While there, Dr. Wood was a member of the Vanderbilt Forensic Evaluation Team and primary faculty in the Vanderbilt Forensic Psychiatry Clinic. She was also a supervisor in the Forensic Psychology Internship Program, and she was the director of the Forensic Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship. Dr. Wood maintains a voluntary faculty appointment in the VUMC Psychiatry Department, where she continues to be the primary research supervisor for the forensic training program. Dr. Wood is licensed as a psychologist in Tennessee, Texas, and through PSYPACT. She is also board certified in Forensic Psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), and she is currently on the examination faculty and Board of Directors for the American Board of Forensic Psychology (ABFP). In 2025, Dr. Wood was selected as one of the recipients of the Saleem Shah Early Career Development Award, given jointly by the American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP) and the American Psychology-Law Society (AP-LS). She has conducted over 1,500 forensic evaluations for a myriad of issues including adjudicative competence, conservatorship, capacity to waive Miranda, mental state at the time of the alleged offense, sentencing mitigation, Atkins, etc., and she has testified numerous times in juvenile, criminal, and federal courts. Dr. Wood’s primary clinical and research interests fall at the interface of psychology and the law, with a particular emphasis on the appropriate identification, assessment, and treatment of individuals with Intellectual Disability (ID) in forensic settings.
Training Outline
Key topics covered in this training include:
-
Introduction to Applied Evaluation Models
-Value of applied use in understanding the model
-Overview of Grisso’s (2005) Five-Question Model -
Case-Based Application
-Distribution of sample juvenile competence evaluation materials
-Process mirroring real-world evaluations:
-Youth interview
-Initial referral
-Collateral information gathering -
Structured Analysis Using the Five-Question Model
-Group and dyadic discussions of case data
-Systematic application of the model’s framework -
Formulating Evaluation Opinions
-Development of opinions essential for court use
-Integration of findings into clear, defensible conclusions -
Effective Communication with the Court
-Strategies for presenting opinions in a court-appropriate manner
-Ensuring evaluations are informative and useful to legal decision-makers
We are proud to partner with
National Youth Screening & Assessment Partners (NYSAP)
The National Youth Screening & Assessment Partners (NYSAP) is a technical assistance and research group dedicated to helping juvenile justice and related programs nationwide. Since 2000, NYSAP has assisted juvenile justice systems to make decisions about adolescents that are consistent with youths’ health and positive development and with the community’s interests by helping systems use reliable, evidence-based methods for screening and assessment. We provide training, technical assistance, and quality implementation services to agencies and programs in the areas of risk screening and risk-needs assessment, behavioral health screening, and competence to stand trial evaluations.
NYSAP professionals have played a key role for 25 years in research on juveniles’ competence to stand trial and in developing juvenile competence standards for forensic clinical practice, law, and policy. In response to the growing demand for juvenile competence evaluations nationally, we provide consultation to assist agencies in developing or refining their juvenile competence service delivery system, as well as creating and conducting quality assurance procedures. We train clinicians and juvenile justice stakeholders (e.g., judges, attorneys, and community partners) in practice standards for conducting high-quality juvenile competence evaluations.
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.
American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.
Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.
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.