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LIVE: Evaluations of Mental State at the Time of the Alleged Offense (Insanity/Criminal Responsibility)

January 22, 2026 - February 12, 2026  |  9:00 AM - 12:30 PM Pacific

Presented By Mary Elizabeth Wood, Ph.D., ABPP | Kimberly Brown, Ph.D., ABPP
Mary Elizabeth Wood, Ph.D., ABPP Kimberly Brown, Ph.D., ABPP

January 22, 2026 - February 12, 2026
9:00 AM - 12:30 PM Pacific

14 Hours | 14 CEs

$650 Registration | $600 Early Registration (through January 15th) | Live Virtual Training via Zoom

Mary Elizabeth Wood, Ph.D., ABPP and Kimberly P. Brown, PhD, ABPP, present a live virtual professional training program on Evaluations of Mental State at the Time of the Alleged Offense (Insanity/Criminal Responsibility).

This live virtual training takes place over four half-day sessions from 9:00 am - 12:30 pm PST / 12:00 pm - 3:30 pm EST each day.

  • Thursday, January 22nd
  • Thursday, January 29th
  • Thursday, February 5th
  • Thursday, February 12th


  • This is a multi-day training event. Participants must attend all scheduled sessions in full to be eligible to receive continuing education (CE) credit. Partial credit will not be awarded.

    This badge-earning program can be shared digitally on platforms like LinkedIn or your resume and counts towards various certificates. Enroll to earn credit and share your new digital credentials with prospective employers and colleagues. This program counts as a foundational program in the certificates: Criminal Forensic Assessment Certificate

    This training will review the history and evolution of the insanity defense and criminal responsibility evaluations broadly, with a particular focus on the legal standards for insanity and how to evaluate each element in line with best practices. The presenters will discuss relevant ethical standards and guidelines, as well as common pitfalls/errors in criminal responsibility evaluations.

    The training will guide participants through the process of conducting criminal responsibility evaluations, from start to finish, encompassing the receipt of the initial referral through expert testimony. Discussion will focus on critical considerations regarding the clinical interview, psychological testing, and collateral information, as well as report writing.

    This training is designed for mental health professionals, including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and related clinicians, who currently work or plan to work in forensic settings.

    Key topics include:

  • Case Law/Landmark Cases
  • Ethical Guidelines
  • Empirical Literature
  • Clinical Interviewing
  • Psychological Testing & Collateral Information
  • Opinion Formation
  • Communicating Findings in Reports & Testimony
  • Intended Audience

    This live program is intended for mental health and other allied professionals.

    Experience Level

    This live program is appropriate for beginner, intermediate, and advanced level clinicians.

    CE / CPD Credit

    APA, ASWB, CPA, NBCC: Click here for state and other regional board approvals.

    Presented By

    Mary Elizabeth Wood, Ph.D., ABPP

    Dr. Wood is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Sam Houston State University, where is director of the Psycho-Legal Assessment and Intellectual Disability (PLAID) Lab. She completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Psychology and the Law from the Univers...

    Presented By

    Kimberly Brown, Ph.D., ABPP

    Kimberly Brown, Ph.D., ABPP is Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and is board certified in forensic psychology through the American Board of...

    Learning Objectives

    Upon completion of this program you will be able to:

    Describe and discuss at least three landmark criminal responsibility cases

    Describe the legal standards for insanity

    Describe the literature on insanity defense evaluations and examinees

    Describe best practices for conducting the clinical interview as part of criminal responsibility evaluations

    Describe the relevance and utility of psychological testing in criminal responsibility evaluations

    Describe a process for data collection and opinion formation in criminal responsibility evaluations

    Describe and discuss common errors in criminal responsibility evaluations

    Describe at least three critical elements of a criminal responsibility evaluation report

    Describe relevant ethical issues that arise in the context of criminal responsibility evaluations

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    Live Event Policy

    Registration for our live events is covered for one (1) person per purchase. If you would like to purchase for a group, please contact our group training team.

    Event Communications

    Event Communications

    When registering, use an email that is active and that you check regularly. We are not responsible for communications not being received; if you do not add caps@paloaltou.edu to your email safe sender list, our emails are likely to end up in your spam or junk folders.

    Cancellation Policy

    Cancellation Policy

    Have a sudden change of plans and are unable to attend live? No worries; you will be given access to the on-demand version of the program once available. Please note if you attend live, no access to the recording will be given.

    Event Conduct

    Event Conduct

    Professional conduct is expected during our live programs. Our goal is to make our events as interactive as possible for all participants. We reserve the right to remove any participants who are disruptive, act unprofessionally, or who we are unable to verify their purchase.

    Develop a Specialty Area of Practice

    Transforming mental health professionals into experts

    Expert Instructors

    Professional training developed and delivered by the field's leading experts

    CE Credit

    Earn CE credit for meaningful professional training that will elevate your practice

    Convenience & Flexibility

    Learn at your own pace, from wherever you might be!

    PAU

    Earning Certificate

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