Forensic Evaluation of Adults: Principles and Practice (May 2025) | IN-PERSON

The Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy presents:

Forensic Evaluation of Adults: Principles and Practice

Online Resources

The ILPPP is conducting its longstanding training on forensic evaluations of adult defendants in a hybrid format. This is a “flipping the classroom” model that combines approximately 12 hours of self-paced online video lectures and roughly four days of in-person learning activities at the ILPPP. We developed this hybrid model to blend the convenience of self-paced online learning with the individualized, hands-on workshop experience that can only come from live teaching.

This training was designed in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) to meet Virginia’s statutory requirements that psychologists or psychiatrists conducting court-ordered evaluation of competency to stand trial or legal sanity complete training recognized by the Commissioner of DBHDS. Over 95% of Virginia evaluators become eligible to conduct court-ordered evaluations by completing this training, which qualifies them to be placed on the approved evaluators list maintained by DBHDS. Although the training is tailored to Virginia law, the vast majority of the content is applicable to professionals practicing in any jurisdiction.

The self-paced online component includes pre-recorded lectures and recommended readings hosted on UVA Canvas Connect, the University of Virginia’s online learning platform.

This introductory program is well-suited for clinicians without prior experience or training in forensic evaluation.

Content Areas

• How forensic evaluations differ from traditional clinical evaluations

• Legal foundations for competence and sanity evaluations

• Conducting evaluations of competence to stand trial

• Conducting evaluations of legal sanity

• Forensic report writing

• Forensic ethics

• Delivering expert testimony

Click here (PDF)Links to an external site. to download detailed learning objectives.

Instructors

Faculty providing learning content include approximately psychologists, psychiatrists, and attorneys with expertise in the principles and practice of forensic evaluation. Lead faculty is Daniel Murrie, PhD, Director of the Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy. 

Neither the instructors nor the program planning committee (Daniel Murrie, Ph.D., Lucy Guarnera, Ph.D., & Angela Torres, Ph.D.) have any conflicts of interest or commercial support to disclose.

Continuing Education

Participants can expect to receive up to 21 hours of continuing education credits (CEUs) approved by the American Psychological Association (APA). ILPPP is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. ILPPP maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Due to APA requirements, we can award CEUs only for the in-person component of the training. Upon completion of the in-person portion of the training, participants will be sent a Qualtrics survey link to completion evaluation of the course. At the end of the Qualtrics survey, participants will be able to save their personalized CEU certificate. 

Upon successful completion of the program with a passing final report, participants will be send a completion certificate and resources on how to be added to the Virginia approved evaluators list.

Unfortunately, we cannot offer continuing education for psychiatrists, attorneys, or social workers at this time. Please contact us with any questions.

Training Fees

$1,250.00 Standard Registration

$600.00 DBHDS/CSB Employees*

*If you are a DBHDS/CSB employee, please use this promo code to get the reduced price: ABMAY2025

Please note that the reduced price is available only for DBHDS and CSB emplyees, rather than all state employees, because DBHDS partially sponsors this training program. 

Occasionally, large facilities or state agencies outside of Virginia want to send a team of trainees, for whom we can arrange a discounted group rate. Please contact our training coordinator Camilla Beeley at ydt2qs@uvahealth.org to discuss such arrangements.