3.5 Hours / 3.5 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Responding to Concerns about the Work of Other Professionals in Forensic Practice is presented by Randy Otto, PhD, ABPP.

This program covers how psychologists can address concerns they have about the work of other professionals in adversarial proceedings.

First reviewed are basic principles that should guide psychologists when commenting on the assessment work of other professionals. Next discussed are four different roles and associated activities and responsibilities that may shape how psychologists approach this matter. Finally, the ethical obligations psychologists have to address the problematic work of other professionals are discussed, as are various ways that these responsibilities may be discharged. Case vignettes and audience surveys are used to facilitate discussion of principles and specific applications. 

This training is applicable to professionals practicing in civil and criminal forensic mental health assessment, forensic inpatient, human resources social services, community settings, and those who work at the intersection of clinical psychology and law. This training program is for beginner, intermediate, and advanced-level clinicians.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe four forensic contexts in which they might offer opinions about other professionals’ work
  • 2 Describe four general principles that can shape how they offer opinions about other professionals’ work in forensic settings
  • 3 Describe how concerns about problematic multiple roles and multiple relationships can shape their actions when commenting on other professionals’ work
  • 4 Describe what ethical obligations they have to address the problematic work of other professionals and how they may go about discharging these obligations

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for clinicians practicing in civil and criminal forensic mental health, with a focus on those in forensic psychology, clinical psychology, and related fields who may be called upon to evaluate, critique, or provide expert opinions on the work of other professionals in adversarial legal settings.

    Examples of Relevant Professionals:

    • Forensic psychologists
    • Clinical psychologists
    • Mental health professionals
    • Human resources professionals involved in psychological assessment or workplace investigations
    • Social service providers working with legal or forensic populations
    • Community agency staff at the intersection of psychology and law
    • Professionals who may be asked to evaluate, comment on, or critique the work of other clinicians in legal or adversarial contexts

  • Experience Level

    This training is designed for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at all experience levels who engage in forensic, clinical, or interdisciplinary settings.

    • Beginner: Participants are new to forensic mental health assessment or adversarial proceedings and seek foundational knowledge of principles, roles, and ethical obligations when commenting on other professionals’ work.

    • Intermediate: Participants have some experience in forensic or interdisciplinary settings and are looking to deepen their understanding of context-specific responsibilities, ethical considerations, and best practices for addressing concerns about colleagues’ work.

    • Advanced: Participants are experienced clinicians or forensic experts seeking to refine their approach to complex ethical dilemmas, multiple roles, and nuanced applications of professional standards in adversarial proceedings.

  • Practice Setting

    Clinicians practice in adversarial civil and criminal legal environments where they conduct assessments, review and critique others’ evaluations, and provide expert opinions to courts and investigative bodies. Work occurs within multidisciplinary teams and ethically complex settings.

    Examples of Practice Settings:


    • Court clinics and expert-witness services
    • Correctional facilities and probation/parole assessment units
    • Forensic inpatient hospitals and state psychiatric facilities
    • Outpatient forensic assessment programs and private forensic practices
    • Government agencies (e.g., child welfare, public defender/prosecutor offices)
    • Human resources and workplace investigation units
    • Community mental health and social service agencies serving justice-involved clients
    • Academic medical centers or training clinics with forensic rotations
Presented By

Randy Otto, PhD, ABPP

Randy K. Otto, PhD, MLS, joined the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in May 2025, where he serves as Professor and Chief of the Division of Forensic Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Otto was a member of the faculty at the University of South Florida between 1989 and 2022, and Nova Southeastern University between 2022 and 2025.

Dr. Otto, licensed to practice psychology in New Mexico and Florida, is board certified in clinical psychology and forensic psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Rochester, and masters and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from Florida State University. After serving as a clinical psychology intern at the Medical University of South Carolina, he completed a two year, NIMH-funded fellowship in the College of Law and Department of Psychology at the University of Nebraska, where he was awarded a master’s degree in legal studies.

Dr. Otto’s research, writing, and practice is devoted to matters of forensic psychological assessment. In press is the fifth edition of Psychological Evaluations for the Courts: A Handbook for Mental Health Professionals and Lawyers, which he co-authored with co-authors Chris Slobogin, John Petrila, and Lois Oberlander. With Irv Weiner, he edited the fourth edition of the Handbook of Forensic Psychology, and he is also the lead author of books devoted to forensic practice ethics and forensic report writing and testimony. Dr. Otto chaired the APA committee that revised the Specialty Guidelines on Forensic Psychology that were adopted in 2013. He serves as a consultant to the committee that is working on the current revision. He chaired APA's Committee on Legal Issues and served on the ABA committee that revised the Criminal Justice Mental Health Standards. He was the lead author of the book, Ethics in Forensic Psychology Practice. 


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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.