4 Hours / 4"?:;,k,jn CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Teaching Decision-Making and Reasoning in Forensic Supervision is presented by Sarah Miller, PhD, ABPP, and Terry Kukor, PhD, ABPP.

How do we learn to make decisions and reason about data in the context of forensic mental health assessment (FMHA)? In this program, we address the core question about how to teach someone to think critically in the context of FMHA. Critical thinking skills are about the ability to receive, collect, and analyze information effectively, which we apply to both decision-making and reasoning. 

Decision-making refers to the range of decisions in conducting FMHA, ranging from in-the-moment determinations about what to write down in an interview to larger decisions about what collateral data to request. Reasoning refers to determinations we make about what the data means in terms of the legal issue or capacity being addressed. 

This program is intended for two groups: 1) those who either receive or provide supervision of FMHA services, and 2) those who wish to sharpen their skills related to tactical decision-making and reasoning in FHMA.

Looking for Impact? This program reassures employers of participants that they have received supervision-specific training in decision-making and reasoning.

Program Value: For those forensic professionals either providing or receiving supervision, this program provides unique content about tactical decision-making and reasoning in FMHA that, to our knowledge, is not addressed elsewhere.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe how to teach strategies for making decisions about data acquisition as it relates to requesting collateral information, clinical interviewing, and report writing
  • 2 Describe how one can apply Linear Sequential Unmasking to data review strategies
  • 3 Describe ways to review common errors, and strategies for minimizing them, in the reasoning process
  • 4 Describe ways to teach and model concrete strategies for opinion formation that minimize bias and maximize objectivity

  • Intended Audience

    This training is intended for mental health professionals specializing in forensic psychology, forensic psychiatry, or related fields who are involved in forensic mental health assessment (FMHA). It is designed for those who provide or receive supervision in FMHA or wish to strengthen their tactical decision-making and reasoning skills in forensic contexts.

    • Mental Health Professional
    • Forensic Psychologist
    • Forensic Psychiatrist
    • FMHA Supervisor or Supervisee
    • Clinical Psychologist specializing in forensic assessment
    • Psychiatrist involved in legal evaluations

  • Experience Level

    This program is designed for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at all experience levels who are involved in forensic mental health assessment (FMHA) supervision or wish to enhance their decision-making and reasoning skills in FMHA.

    Beginner:
    New to FMHA or supervision, seeking foundational knowledge in critical thinking, data acquisition, and basic decision-making and reasoning strategies.

    Intermediate:
    Some experience in FMHA or supervision, looking to deepen skills in applying structured decision-making models, identifying common reasoning errors, and integrating objectivity into opinion formation.

    Advanced:
    Experienced FMHA professionals or supervisors aiming to refine advanced strategies for teaching, modeling, and supervising critical thinking, bias mitigation, and evidence-based reasoning in complex cases.

  • Practice Setting

    Professionals who participate in this training typically work in environments where legal and clinical issues intersect. Their practice settings often include secure forensic hospitals, correctional facilities, court clinics, private practices specializing in forensic assessment, academic medical centers, or community mental health agencies with forensic services. These environments require practitioners to conduct evaluations for courts, attorneys, or government agencies, often involving high-stakes decisions about competency, criminal responsibility, risk assessment, or civil capacities. Workspaces may range from secure interview rooms in correctional settings to private offices or multidisciplinary team settings, and often involve collaboration with legal professionals, law enforcement, and other mental health specialists.

    • Forensic units within psychiatric hospitals
    • Correctional facility mental health departments
    • Court-based forensic evaluation clinics
    • Private practices specializing in forensic assessment
    • Academic medical centers with forensic psychiatry/psychology divisions
    • Community mental health centers with forensic programs
    • Government agencies conducting court-ordered evaluations

Presented By

Terry Kukor, PhD, ABPP, Senior Forensic Psychologist at the Netcare Forensic Center

Terry Kukor, Ph.D., ABPP, is board-certified in forensic psychology, and is a Senior Forensic Psychologist at the Netcare Forensic Center. Dr. Kukor has specialized in criminal forensic evaluation for more than 30 years, during which time he has also done violence risk and threat assessment. He teaches multiple workshops for the American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP) including Critical Thinking in Forensic Evaluation. He is a threat assessment consultant for Work Trauma Services Inc., and consults with a regional office of the FBI. In 2016, he was recognized with the Howard H. Sokolov Forensic Mental Health Leadership Award, presented by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. In 2019, he was granted the Distinguished Contributions to Forensic Psychology Award by AAFP.

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Terry Kukor, PhD, ABPP

Presented By

Sarah Miller, PhD, ABPP, Director of Maine’s State Forensic Service

Sarah Miller, PhD, ABPP is board certified in forensic psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. She is the Director of Maine’s State Forensic Service and the Training Director for the University of Maine Postdoctoral Fellowship in Forensic Psychology. She conducts criminal forensic mental health evaluations, provides consultation to examiners, attorneys, judges, and clinicians, and delivers trainings to clinical and legal audiences statewide. She also served as the Vice Chair of the Forensic Division of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD). She previously worked with the Behavioral Health team in the Maine Department of Corrections in a variety of clinical, supervisory, and administrative roles.

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Sarah Miller, PhD, ABPP

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Teaching decision-making about data acquisition
    -Collateral information: what to request, how to review it
    -Clinical interviewing: ensuring understanding of notification of purpose, leading question, expressed empathy, making decisions about what to write in our notes
    -Mental Status: standardized or contextual?
    -FAI/Psychological testing: how and when to decide if useful for a specific case

    -Report writing: deciding what data from our notes, collateral, and testing are used in the report

  • Teaching reasoning
    -What is reasoning?
    -The component parts of reasoning
    -Common errors associated with reasoning
    -Connecting evidence to inference in opinion-formation
    -Detecting and mitigating bias
    -How to maximize objectivity
    -Key principles of critical thinking for report-writing

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.