20 Hours / 20 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Trauma and Mental Disability Law is presented by Michael L. Perlin, JD, and Heather Ellis Cucolo, JD in partnership with the Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates (MDLPA). This badge-earning program can be shared digitally on platforms like LinkedIn or your resume and counts towards a certificate. Enroll in this program to earn credit towards Mental Disability Law Certificate and share your new digital credentials with prospective employers and colleagues.

This program considers how issues involving trauma-induced mental disabilities (PTSD as an example) are dealt with in civil and criminal courts and other legal areas within the community.=

The material is of primary interest to legal practitioners, mental health clinicians, forensic psychologists, other forensic mental health professionals, and disability advocates. In addition, the program includes a review of the policy and legal developments of various issues involving certain marginalized groups and populations, such as children, veterans, those discharged from psychiatric institutions, survivors of domestic abuse, forensic patients, and prison inmates.

The program discusses how we treat trauma-related disabilities in civil and criminal courts, the role of trauma in the legal treatment of people with mental disabilities, the relationship between trauma and disability reduction, and the relationship between stigma and trauma. In addition, the program contextualizes all of these issues through the framework of therapeutic jurisprudence. Finally, it offers various therapeutic intervention points geared towards shifting the relationship between law, trauma, and people with mental disabilities.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe the treatment of trauma-related disabilities in civil and criminal courts
  • 2 Describe the role of trauma in the legal treatment of people with mental disabilities
  • 3 Describe the relationship between trauma and disability subordination
  • 4 Describe how trauma relates to issues of gender, race, youth & violence
  • 5 Describe the relationship between trauma and issues of sanism and pretextuality
  • 6 Describe therapeutic jurisprudence concepts to all the underlying issues
  • 7 Describe how trauma-related disabilities influence credibility assessments in legal proceedings
  • 8 Describe the impact of trauma on access to justice for individuals with mental disabilities
  • 9 Describe the role of expert testimony in cases involving trauma-related disabilities
  • 10 Describe legal strategies that incorporate trauma-informed principles to protect the rights of people with mental disabilities

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for professionals who want to deepen their understanding of the intersection between trauma, mental disabilities, and the legal system. It is relevant for those specializing in forensic psychology, clinical mental health, disability advocacy, or legal practice related to civil and criminal courts. The program addresses the unique challenges faced by individuals with mental disabilities in legal contexts and equips participants with practical knowledge to better serve this population.

    • Attorney or Legal Professional
    • Social Worker
    • Clinician
    • Mental Health Professional
    • Health Care Worker
    • Disability Rights Advocate

  • Experience Level

    This program is designed for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals with varying levels of experience in trauma, mental disability law, and forensic practice.

    Beginner:
    Participants are new to the intersection of trauma, mental disability, and law; may have limited experience with legal processes involving trauma-related disabilities; seeking foundational knowledge of civil and criminal court procedures, relevant statutes, and therapeutic jurisprudence concepts.

    Intermediate:
    Participants have some experience working with trauma-affected populations in legal or clinical settings; familiar with basic legal standards and mental health law; seeking to deepen understanding of policy developments, expert testimony, and trauma-informed legal strategies.

    Advanced:
    Participants have extensive experience in forensic mental health, disability advocacy, or legal practice; proficient in applying trauma-informed principles in complex legal contexts; seeking advanced analysis of stigma, anti-discrimination law, and international human rights frameworks.

  • Practice Setting

    Professionals who would benefit from this training typically work in environments where legal, clinical, and advocacy services intersect. These settings often involve direct interaction with individuals affected by trauma and mental disabilities, as well as collaboration with courts, correctional facilities, hospitals, community agencies, and advocacy organizations. The work environment may be fast-paced, emotionally demanding, and require navigating complex legal and ethical considerations. Practitioners may provide assessments, expert testimony, counseling, legal representation, or policy advocacy, often within multidisciplinary teams.

    • Courthouses (civil and criminal courts)
    • Forensic psychiatric hospitals or units
    • Community mental health centers
    • Correctional facilities and jails
    • Legal aid organizations
    • Disability rights advocacy groups
    • Child protective services
    • Veterans’ services agencies
    • Domestic violence shelters
    • Outpatient clinics specializing in trauma or forensic populations

Presented By

Michael L. Perlin, JD, Professor of Law Emeritus at New York Law School (NYLS)

Michael L. Perlin is Professor of Law Emeritus at New York Law School (NYLS), founding director of NYLS’s Online Mental Disability Law Program, and founding director of NYLS’s International Mental Disability Law Reform Project in its Justice Action Center. He is also the co-founder of Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates. He has written 31 books and nearly 300 articles on all aspects of mental disability law, many of which deal with the overlap between mental disability law and criminal law and procedure.

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Michael L. Perlin, JD

Presented By

Heather Ellis Cucolo, JD, Prof. Distinguished Adj., NYLS; Owner, MDLPA; Prof. Adj., Emory University School of Law; Bd. Dir. Collier School

Heather Ellis Cucolo is 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. In addition to those roles, Professor Cucolo is co-owner of Mental Disability Law and Policy Associates, a legal education and professional training company, and was elected to the board of trustees for the International Society of Therapeutic Jurisprudence, a non-profit organization. Formerly, in her full-time legal practice, Professor Cucolo dedicated her career to representing individuals at trial facing civil commitment under both the New Jersey Mental Hygiene Law and New Jersey’s Sexually Violent Predators Act. She authored and argued appeals before the New Jersey Appellate Division with over 27 reported decisions. She has published four textbooks and over 21 law review articles with mentions in an Eastern District of New York court decision and an Iowa appellate decision. She was honored to receive the Otto L. Walter Distinguished Writing Award for two consecutive years in 2018 and 2019. Professor Cucolo’s international work has included: expert testimony on extradition from the United Kingdom to the United States for persons convicted of a sex offense; pro bono advocacy for LawAid International; speaking at the United Nations on the rights of persons with disabilities in the Asia-Pacific region; and the creation of an instructional course on disability legislation for attorneys in Japan.

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Heather Ellis Cucolo, JD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Understanding Trauma | Introduction; roadmap; overview contaminating factors.

  • Trauma & Mental Illness | Generation of trauma and mental illness; Interplay of law, policy & trauma in mental disability law

  • Civil Commitment and Institutionalization | Fourth Amendment issues; lethal force; possible solutions

  • Professional Roles in the Process that Contribute to Trauma | Evaluations; screening; consumers’ perspective; the civil commitment hearing; the role of counsel; the role of expert witnesses

  • Problem-Solving Courts | How “ordinary” courts traumatize; how problem-solving courts can minimize trauma

  • Forensic mental health law, I | Significance of PTSD; myths and realities; the incompetency process

  • Forensic mental health law, II | The insanity defense; penal confinement; re-entry; death penalty

  • Stigma and Anti-discrimination law | The Americans with Disabilities Act; psychiatric disability and effect of stigma and trauma

  • International human rights law | Significance of international human rights law in this context; Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

  • Therapeutic Jurisprudence | What is therapeutic jurisprudence; how can it be used as a tool to mitigate the effects of trauma

Earning a Certificate

This is a badge-earning program, which means it will help you earn a certificate that can be showcased on digital platforms like LinkedIn.
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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).



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.