LIVE: Report Writing for Forensic Mental Health

June 26, 2026 | 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Pacific

Presented By Randy Otto, PhD, ABPP

June 26, 2026
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Pacific

8 Hours | 7 CEs

$375 Registration | $350 Early Registration (through June 19th) | Live Virtual Training via Zoom

Randy Otto, PhD, ABPP, presents a live virtual professional training program on Report Writing for Forensic Mental Health.

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

Child Custody Evaluation Certificate

Civil Forensic Assessment Certificate

Juvenile Forensic Assessment Certificate

Violence Risk Assessment Certificate

Conducting well-constructed forensic evaluations is not enough to persuade judges, attorneys, and other referral sources about the adequacy of one’s work and opinions. Reports and affidavits are the primary vehicles by which psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals communicate to their audience data they were provided and gathered, how they became involved in the litigation, the evaluation techniques they employed, the opinions they formed, and their underlying reasoning. Thus, writing clear and concise reports is critical to most forensic examiners’ practice.

This program begins with a discussion of the value of writing reports, followed by the identification of the obligations the law and professional sources of authority impose on forensic mental health professionals when it comes to writing reports. Next, considerable time is devoted to discussing various principles of report writing- including issues in contemplating use of AI when writing reports, followed by presentation review of two very different kinds of report formats and all components that are common to reports (i.e., Referral Question, Notification, Sources of Information, Behavioral Observations/Mental Status, Relevant History, Test Results, Psycholegal Question, Opinions & Recommendations). More focused matters, such as use and avoidance of jargon; specificity in word choice; distinguishing between facts, observations, and inferences; word tense, report presentation, and style, and common report writing errors are also considered. Finally, preparing affidavits and how their structure and substance differ from reports is tackled.

This course is appropriate for beginner, intermediate, and advanced mental health and other allied professionals.

Training Outline

Research on forensic examiners’ report-writing practices is reviewed considering how forensic practice guidelines, the ethics code, and rules of evidence/procedure shape reports.

Principles for the organization and structure of forensic reports are reviewed highlighting elements of good and bad reports with examples.

Discussion of various principles of report writing- including issues in contemplating use of AI when writing reports

Jargon, specificity in word choice, identifying sources of information, distinguishing between observation and inference, and common report writing errors are discussed.

Preparation of affidavits, and how their structure and substance differs from reports, is tackled.

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

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 Univer...

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Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this program you will be able to:

Describe four benefits of writing reports

Describe two obligations the law imposes on forensic mental health professionals when writing reports that summarize their evaluations of litigants

Describe two obligations professional sources of authority impose on forensic mental health professionals when writing reports that summarize their evaluations of litigants

Describe five key principles of forensic report writing

Describe attorneys’ and judges’ preferences when it comes to reading and reviewing reports that summarize evaluations of litigants

Describe two models for forensic report writing, and their strengths and weaknesses

Describe the challenge jargon presents to effective communication and identify and employ two strategies for managing it

Describe two ways in which affidavits differ from reports

Describe and employ a writing approach that makes for more persuasive affidavits

Describe factors to consider when contemplating use of AI when writing reports

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

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

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

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

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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!

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.

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CE Sponsorship Information

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.