15 Hours / 15 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Evaluating Forensic Interviews with Children is presented by Drs. Michael E. Lamb, Irit Hershkowitz, Carlos Eduardo Peixoto, and Mireille Cyr.

This program is the second in the Revised NICHD Protocol Certification. Prerequisite: Before participants can take this program, they must complete and earn a certificate of completion for the first in the series, Introduction to Developmentally Appropriate Interviewing, using the Revised NICHD Protocol.  

The program focuses on how to categorize children's verbal responses, emotional expressions, reluctance, and cooperativeness, as well as interviewers' question types and emotional supportiveness.

This program also focuses on how to use the close examination of interview dynamics to gain insight into desirable and undesirable interview practices, evaluate the quality of interviews, and evaluate the informativeness and reliability of children's testimony.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe the interview evaluation
  • 2 Describe the socio-emotional dynamics coding scheme for children's reactions
  • 3 Describe the socio-emotional dynamics coding scheme for interviewers' interventions
  • 4 Describe the quality of rapport and pre-substantive goals of the forensic interview
  • 5 Describe coding schemes for assessing the quality of interviewers’ and children’s behavior during investigative interviews
  • 6 Describe the phases and structural components of developmentally appropriate forensic interviews
  • 7 Describe methods for identifying socio-emotional expressions across pre-substantive and substantive phases
  • 8 Describe criteria for assessing children’s engagement and emotional readiness to proceed to the substantive phase
  • 9 Describe the use of open-ended questioning strategies to elicit coherent, detailed narratives in the substantive phase
  • 10 Describe how assessment criteria are applied to each interview phase to determine developmental appropriateness and informational quality

  • Intended Audience

    This advanced training is intended for professionals who have completed the introductory course, "Introduction to Developmentally Appropriate Interviewing, using the Revised NICHD Protocol." It is specifically designed for those specializing in forensic interviewing, child advocacy, or forensic psychology, and is highly relevant for practitioners working with children involved in legal or forensic contexts.

    • Mental Health Professional
    • Psychologist
    • Social Worker
    • Counselor
    • Forensic Interviewer
    • Child Advocacy Specialist

  • Experience Level

    This program is designed for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals who have completed the prerequisite introductory training in developmentally appropriate interviewing using the Revised NICHD Protocol.

    Beginner:
    Participants are newly familiar with the Revised NICHD Protocol, have foundational knowledge of developmentally appropriate interviewing, and are seeking to build skills in categorizing children’s responses, coding socio-emotional dynamics, and evaluating interview quality.

    Intermediate:
    Participants have some experience applying the Revised NICHD Protocol, are comfortable with basic coding schemes, and are looking to deepen their ability to assess interview phases, rapport, and the informativeness of children’s testimony.

    Advanced
    Participants have substantial experience with forensic interviews using the Revised NICHD Protocol, routinely apply coding and evaluation methods, and seek to refine their expertise in identifying nuanced interview dynamics and optimizing interview practices.

  • Practice Setting

    Professionals who complete this advanced training typically practice in environments dedicated to supporting children involved in legal, forensic, or protective contexts. These settings are designed to be child-friendly, trauma-informed, and confidential, often equipped with specialized interview rooms, observation areas, and multidisciplinary teams. Practitioners work collaboratively with law enforcement, legal professionals, medical staff, and child protective services to ensure the well-being and safety of children while gathering reliable information for investigations or court proceedings.

    • Child Advocacy Centers (CACs)
    • Forensic interview suites within police departments or prosecutor’s offices
    • Hospital-based child protection units
    • Mental health clinics specializing in trauma or child abuse cases
    • Social service agencies focused on child welfare
    • Private practices offering forensic assessment and consultation
    • Nonprofit organizations supporting children and families in the legal system

Presented By

Michael E. Lamb, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Cambridge

Michael E. Lamb is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Cambridge. He received his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1976 and honorary doctorates from the Universities of Goteborg (1995), East Anglia (2006), Abertay (2015), and Montreal (2019). Until 29 June 2016, he was a member of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry Panel. He is the author or editor of about 50 books, including Investigative interviews of children (1998), Child sexual abuse: Disclosure, delay and denial (2007), Tell me what happened: Structured investigative interviews of child victims and witnesses (2008 and 2018), Children’s testimony (2011), and Children and cross-examination: Time to change the rules? (2012). Together with his colleagues, Michael worked extensively to develop and validate the NICHD Protocol in a series of studies that began in 1990. He currently edits the journal, Psychology, Public Policy, and Law.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Michael E. Lamb, PhD

Presented By

Mireille Cyr, PhD, professor in the Department of Psychology at the Université de Montréal

Mireille Cyr is a licensed psychologist and a professor in the Department of Psychology at the Université de Montréal. Among other research in child sexual abuse, she has conducted studies on the French version of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Protocol, that is now taught in Québec, Canada and in many French-speaking countries in Europe. In the last 20 years, she has trained police officers and other psychosocial and judicial professionals, mostly in Europe and Canada. She is a member of the Royal Society of Canada and the impact of her work has been recognized by numerous awards. She is the author of numerous books, chapters, and articles including Recueillir la parole de l’enfant témoin ou victime: De la théorie à la pratique (2019, 2e éd) and Conducting interviews with child victims of abuse and witnesses of crime: A practical guide (2022).

View More Programs from this Presenter
Mireille Cyr, PhD

Presented By

Irit Hershkowitz, PhD, rofessor of Social Work, University of Haifa

Irit Hershkowitz is a Professor of Social Work, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel. Irit is one of the original developers of the NICHD Protocol and, more recently, of the Revised NICHD protocol. For three decades, she has conducted field research on best practice concerning child interviews and has specifically focused on the value of protocol-guided interviews. She has been largely involved in domestic and international training for child investigators. Irit is co-author of the book 'Tell me what happened: structured investigative interviews of child victims and witnesses' (Chichester, UK and Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2008; 2018) and author of many scientific articles and book chapters.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Irit Hershkowitz, PhD

Presented By

Carlos Eduardo Peixoto, PhD, Forensic Psychologist in private practice

Carlos Eduardo Peixoto has a PhD in Psychology. He is a Forensic Psychologist in private practice and Invited Auxiliary Professor at ICBAS-University of Porto and the Catholic University of Portugal (Oporto Regional Centre). He has served as a trainer and consultant on forensic interviewing to international organizations (e.g. UNODC), police departments, child protection services, courts, public prosecution offices, law firms and insurance companies, especially in Europe and South America.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Carlos Eduardo Peixoto, PhD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Introduction to Interview Evaluation

  • The Socio-Emotional Dynamics Coding Scheme for Children’s Reactions

  • The Socio-Emotional Dynamics Coding Scheme for Interviewers’ Interventions

  • Assessing the Quality of Rapport and Pre-Substantive Goals of the Forensic Interview

  • Assessing the Substantive Phase: Informativeness and Spontaneity

  • Integration and Review: Assessing the Forensic Interview

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.
View Certificates

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.