1 Hour / 1 CE

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Overview - Trauma and Mental Disability Law is presented by Michael Perlin, JD, and Heather Ellis Cucolo, JD in partnership with Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates, LLC (MDLPA).

Trauma pervades almost every area of mental disability law. This discussion covers several primary themes of interest to legal practitioners, mental health clinicians, and disability advocates. These include the treatment of trauma-related disabilities in criminal courts, the role of trauma in the legal process for persons with mental disabilities, and the relationship between trauma and disability subordination. In this context, it is necessary to understand how we treat trauma-related disabilities in criminal courts, the role of trauma in the legal treatment of people with mental disabilities, the relationship between trauma and disability-focused stigma, and the application of concepts of therapeutic jurisprudence as means of reducing stigma in this context, 

The possible policy, legal, and therapeutic points of intervention, geared toward shifting the relationship among law, trauma, and persons with mental disabilities, with a special focus on the relationship between trauma and incompetency, insanity, and sentencing, is discussed.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe issues involving trauma-induced mental disabilities, such as PTSD, among others, are dealt with in both civil and criminal courts
  • 2 Describe unique legal issues presented by stigma and trauma-induced disabilities
  • 3 Describe vulnerable populations to develop better legal solutions and outcomes
  • 4 Describe the concepts of therapeutic jurisprudence to address and hopefully reduce stigma

  • Intended Audience

    This training is intended for professionals who work at the intersection of mental health, law, and advocacy, focusing on the impact of trauma on individuals with mental disabilities in legal contexts such as criminal courts, competency evaluations, insanity defenses, and sentencing. It is designed for those who address trauma-related issues in forensic or disability-focused populations and are committed to applying therapeutic jurisprudence principles to reduce stigma and improve outcomes for persons with mental disabilities. The training emphasizes trauma-informed approaches, legal standards, and best practices for supporting individuals with mental disabilities in forensic and advocacy settings.

    Examples of Relevant Professionals:

    • Mental Health Professionals (psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors)
    • Social workers
    • Attorneys and legal professionals
    • Judges
    • Criminologists
    • Legal experts and scholars
    • Disability rights advocates
    • Neuroscientists

  • Experience Level

    This training is appropriate for mental health professionals at various stages of experience with trauma and mental disability law.

    • Beginner: Participants new to the intersection of trauma, mental disability, and law who seek foundational knowledge about trauma-related disabilities in legal contexts and the impact of stigma.

    • Intermediate: Participants with some experience in trauma-informed practice or legal processes who wish to deepen their understanding of therapeutic jurisprudence, policy interventions, and the complexities of trauma in criminal and civil court settings.

    • Advanced: Participants with extensive experience in trauma, mental disability law, or advocacy who are interested in advanced policy analysis, systemic reform, and leadership in reducing stigma and improving legal outcomes for vulnerable populations.

  • Practice Setting

    Professionals practice in interdisciplinary, trauma-informed legal and clinical environments that bridge forensic mental health and the justice system. Work occurs within high-stakes processes—such as competency, insanity, and sentencing—where therapeutic jurisprudence guides policy, legal, and therapeutic interventions to reduce stigma and address trauma-related disabilities.

    Examples of Practice Settings:

    • Criminal and problem-solving courts
    • Forensic psychiatric hospitals and secure treatment units
    • Competency and insanity evaluation clinics/services
    • Public defense, prosecution, and court services offices
    • Judicial chambers and court administration
    • Correctional facilities and reentry programs
    • Disability rights and legal advocacy organizations
    • University legal clinics and policy institutes

Training Instructors:

Michael L. Perlin, JD

Michael L. Perlin, JD

Michael L. Perlin is Professor of Law Emeritus at New York Law School (NYLS), where he was director of NYLS’s Online Mental Disability Law Program and director of NYLS’s International Mental Disability Law Reform Project in its Justice Action Center. He is co-founder of Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates and is currently Adjunct Professor of Law, Emory University School of Law, and Instructor, Loyola University New Orleans, Department of Criminology and Justice

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Heather Ellis Cucolo, JD

Heather Ellis Cucolo, JD

Heather Ellis Cucolo is a Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Law and the facilitator of the joint JD/MA program with John Jay College of Criminal Justice at New York Law School (NYLS). She is also an adjunct professor in the JM Program at Emory University School of Law and a Fellowship faculty member at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

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Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Introduction: Trauma in Mental Disability Law
    - Pervasiveness of trauma across legal contexts
    - Relevance for legal practitioners, clinicians, and disability advocates

  • Trauma in Criminal Court Contexts
    - Treatment of trauma-related disabilities in criminal proceedings
    - Role of trauma in cases involving incompetency, insanity, and sentencing

  • Trauma and Legal Processes for Persons with Mental Disabilities
    - Impact of trauma on legal outcomes
    - Intersection of trauma and disability subordination

  • Stigma and Disability
    - Relationship between trauma and disability-focused stigma
    - Use of therapeutic jurisprudence to reduce stigma

  • Intervention Points and Policy Implications
    - Legal, policy, and therapeutic opportunities for reform
    - Shifting the relationship between law, trauma, and mental disability

We are proud to partner with

Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates (MDLPA)

Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates (MDLPA)

We are proud to partner with Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates, LLC for this training. MDLPA is a boutique educational training company that offers specialized mental disability law consulting, the creation or enhancement of distance learning programs, in-house or online courses, and day or weekend training seminars to reputable organizations, educational institutions, professional groups, and advocacy groups focused on providing advanced knowledge and skills to persons working with marginalized populations.

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).


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.