Juvenile Forensic Assessment Certificate

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Dr. Stephen D. Hart obtained BA, MA, and Ph.D. degrees in psychology at the University of British Columbia. He has been on faculty in the Department of Psychology at Simon Fraser University since 1990 and has held the rank of Professor since 2001. He also served as a Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Bergen in Norway between 2000 and 2021. His expertise is in the field of clinical-forensic psychology, with a special focus on the assessment of violence risk and psychopathic personality disorder. He has co-authored more than 250 books, chapters, and articles. He has served as editor of two scientific journals, a member of the editorial board of eight journals, and an ad hoc reviewer for more than 40 journals. He has served as an executive committee member of several professional organizations, including the President of the American Psychology-Law Society and the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services. He has received various distinctions for his professional work, including the Career Achievement Award from the Society of Clinical Psychology, the Saleem Shah Award for Early Career Research Excellence in Psychology and Law from the American Psychology-Law Society and the American Academy of Forensic Psychology, and the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals. He maintains an active practice in violence risk assessment. He has consulted with government agencies from more than 25 countries; led more than 500 training workshops around the world; and given expert evidence before courts, tribunals, inquests, review boards, and parliamentary committees in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

× Ivan Kruh received his PhD in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Psychology & Law from the University of Alabama in 1998 and subsequently completed fellowship training in forensic psychology through the University of Washington. For ten years, he was the Director of Juvenile Forensic Mental Health Services for Washington State and directed a Juvenile Forensic Psychology fellowship through the University of Washington. He has offered juvenile forensic mental health evaluations privately in Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut since 2012. Dr. Kruh specializes in the conduct and coordination of evaluations of juvenile competency to proceed (JCTP) and has co-authored two manuals with Thomas Grisso regarding creation of state standards for these evaluations. He has provided training, quality assurance, and technical assistance for a variety of state agencies nationally since 2010, all aimed at supporting the day-to-day provision of high-quality juvenile forensic mental health evaluations.

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Dr. Keith Cruise is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham University. Dr. Cruise conducts research on the clinical-forensic assessment of youth within the juvenile justice system. Various research projects have focused on developing and validating specialized risk assessment protocols, investigating the utility of mental health screening instruments with justice-involved youth, and understanding the connection between trauma exposure, trauma reactions, and delinquent behavior. Dr. Cruise also conducts forensic evaluations of justice-involved youth including post-disposition assessments of risk and treatment amenability, providing expert testimony to juvenile courts, and providing technical assistance and consultation to local and state juvenile justice systems. Dr. Cruise is a Co-Principal Investigator on a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention investigating the impact of trauma screening on service delivery and legal outcomes for justice-involved youth, and is a Co-Director of the Center for Trauma Recovery and Juvenile Justice (CTRJJ), a technical assistance center that is part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN).

Based on my training in clinical-forensic psychology and the law, my research interests are closely connected to my clinical interests and forensic practice. Broadly defined, my research interests are in the areas of assessment and treatment of legal defendants with an emphasis on justice-involved youth. My primary research interest is developing and investigating the clinical utility of specialized assessment instruments to better understand the complex, overlapping needs of adolescents who come into contact with the court system. My interest in this area is grounded in the position that psychologists who are responsible for assessing and treating justice-involved youth must base their work on empirically supported decision tools and interventions. Translating research findings into practice is a central theme of my research, my consultation to juvenile justice systems across the country, and my clinical-forensic practice.

Recent research projects have included a federally funded study investigating the effectiveness of enhanced mental health screening for poly-victimization in justice-involved youth, developing and validating the Short-term Assessment of Risk and Treatability: Adolescent Version (START:AV), and examining the impact of trauma on adolescent risk/needs assessments and case planning. As a core faculty member of the Center for Trauma Recovery and Juvenile Justice (CTRJJ), I have collaborated on a national survey of juvenile probation officer practices related to trauma-informed care. Selected presentations and publications reflecting these interests are noted below.

× Dr. Otto is Director of Division of Forensic Behavioral Sciences at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is licensed to practice psychology in Florida and is board certified in clinical psychology and forensic psychology (ABPP). Dr. Otto has authored books on ethics in forensic psychology practice, forensic psychological assessment, report writing and expert testimony, and violence risk assessment. He currently serves as Executive Director of the American Board of Forensic Psychology. Dr. Otto’s research and writing focus on forensic psychological assessment. He has developed two psychological tests that are used in forensic assessment settings, and he has authored and edited books on forensic psychological evaluation, expert testimony and report writing, ethics in forensic psychology practice, assessment of trial competence, violence risk assessment and Florida mental health law. Dr. Otto has served as president of the American Psychology-Law Society, the American Board of Forensic Psychology, and the Board of Trustees of the American Board of Professional Psychology. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 41) and has received awards for his professional contributions from the American Academy of Forensic Psychology, the American Psychology-Law Society, the Society for Personality Assessment, the New York State Psychological Association, the University of Nebraska, and the University of California, San Francisco. He currently serves as Executive Director of the American Board of Forensic Psychology. Dr. Otto shares that his daughter is continually amazed that some are actually willing to pay to hear him speak, when she regularly volunteers to pay to have him shut up. When not at work or with his wife and daughter, Dr. Otto is likely to be found at a poker table or on a motorcycle.

× Barry Rosenfeld is a Professor of Psychology and Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham University. He is currently the President of the American Psychology-Law Society and past president of the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services. Dr. Rosenfeld has published more than 200 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters addressing a wide range of topics in psychology and law, including malingering, violence risk assessment, and cross-cultural issues in forensic assessment. He is also board certified in forensic psychology and conducts evaluations in both civil and criminal forensic settings, including individuals in diverse cultural settings both within and outside of the U.S.and Law, and the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services.

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Dr. Itiel Dror is a cognitive neuroscientist who received his Ph.D. at Harvard (1994) in the area of cognitive factors in human expert performance. Since his Ph.D. over twenty years ago, Dr. Dror has been researching this area, and has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles specifically looking at cognitive factors that mediate human expert performance. His insights and understanding of the human brain and cognitive system underpin the workshop. Without such deep knowledge, it is not possible to properly deliver a workshop on the ‘cognitive factors’. Dr. Dror has been working in the forensic domain for over a decade. In fact, he is the person who introduced the human and cognitive factors to the forensic community and has made this issue central in forensic science.
Over the last decade Dr. Dror has worked with a variety of forensic laboratories across the US, in which he has visited and shadowed examiners doing casework, reviewed SOPs and practices. Dr. Dror was the Chair of the OSAC Human Factor group (the new ‘SWGs’ organized under NIST/NIJ), which is responsible for the cognitive factor issues across all the OSAC forensic domains. The National Commission on Forensic Science has recognized Dr. Dror as the leader in this area and has asked him to present to the commission (as well as appointed him to their Human Factors subcommittee), as well as many other forensic bodies who have solicited Dr. Dror. The recommendations on cognitive and human factors of the NCFS and the NAS report, and other bodies is mainly based on the research of Dr. Dror. He is also a member of the AAAS (The American Association for the Advancement of Science) Advisory Committee on Forensic Science Assessment (a project in which the AAAS will conduct an analysis of the underlying scientific bases for the forensic tools and methods currently used).
Dr. Itiel Dror has a proven track record in successfully delivering workshops, specifically on ‘Cognitive Factors in Making Forensic Comparisons’, to dozens of forensic laboratories. He is the only person who has the combined cognitive and forensic expertise to deliver this training. His workshops on this specific issue have been delivered with great success to the FBI, LAPD, NYPD, SFPD, Boston PD, Kansas, and many other forensic laboratories across the US.
As the world leader in this area, Dr. Dror has also been commissioned to deliver this workshop in a variety of countries across the world (Australia, Finland, the Netherlands, Italy, Canada, as well as other countries –not to mention numerous police forces the UK). The success of his workshops and his training in this area has been recognized by the professional bodies: Dr. Dror has received the ABP Annual Award for 'Excellence in Training' for his workshops on cognitive factors in making forensic comparisons. The purpose of the award is to recognize excellence in demonstrating how applying an understanding of the science of human behaviour can impact and deliver practical value to organizations. The judges commented that Dr. Dror's workshops are: "Truly outstanding and inspiring", "A highly rigorous application of relevant theoretical frameworks", "Truly innovative, breaking entirely new ground in a most challenging context", "Internationally ground-breaking impact already being used around the world", "Entirely focused on application of conceptual models – underpinned by deep research", and "Impact is highly impressive".

× Dr. Michele Galietta is an Associate Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, the City University of New York, where she served as Director of the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program from 2005-2013. Dr. Galietta is a researcher and clinician specializing in the training, adaptation, and dissemination of empirically-supported treatments to community and forensic/correctional settings. Her areas of clinical expertise include the assessment and treatment of trauma, self-harm, and suicide across the lifespan. Dr. Galietta has created specialized units and/or consulted to numerous civil, forensic, and correctional settings on risk assessment, risk management, behavioral interventions, and complex needs case formulation. Dr. Galietta is regarded as a leading expert in the implementation of dialectical behavior therapy. Dr. Galietta is a certified DBT clinician. For over a decade, Dr. Galietta served as a principal trainer for Behavioral Tech, LLC, the company founded by the developer of DBT, Dr. Marsha Linehan. Dr. Galietta has consulted to over 100 agencies in the US and abroad on DBT initiatives. She has worked extensively in public sector settings, including state psychiatric hospitals and jails, prisons, and juvenile justice settings. She was principal investigator of an NIMH funded trial of DBT for individuals charged with interpersonal violence or stalking and authored the article, “Adapting DBT for the Treatment of Psychopathy.” She has conducted trainings for New York City Police Officers on mindfulness, communicating with mentally ill individuals, and hostage negotiations. Dr. Galietta has appeared on CNN and Court TV, and has been cited in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time Magazine, and other media outlets.

× David DeMatteo, JD, PhD, ABPP (Forensic), is a Professor of Psychology and Professor of Law at Drexel University, and Director of Drexel’s JD/PhD Program in Law & Psychology. He has published 14 books, more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, and more than 50 book chapters in his areas of interest, which include mental health law, psychopathic personality, forensic mental health assessment, and diversion of justice-involved individuals. He is a former President of the American Psychology-Law Society (APA Division 41) and the American Board of Forensic Psychology. He is also a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Divisions 1, 12, and 41) and the American Academy of Forensic Psychology. He routinely consults with city agencies, state agencies, policymakers, correctional facilities, and law enforcement. He conducts forensic mental health assessments of adults and adolescents on a variety of legal issues, and he has testified as an expert witness in state and federal courts. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Law and Human Behavior.

× Dr. Jodi Viljoen, R. Psyc., was an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at Simon Fraser University and an Associate Director of the Institute for the Reduction of Youth Violence. She was an author of the Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability (START: AV) and a risk reduction guide called the Adolescent Risk Reduction and Resilient Outcomes Work-Plan (ARROW). Dr. Viljoen’s research examines methods to assess and prevent violence, offending, victimization, and related outcomes in adolescents. She published over 50 articles and chapters in this area and presented over 150 conferences talks. In her clinical work, Dr. Viljoen conducted assessments and provided treatment to adolescents and adults in adolescent inpatient and outpatient units, mental health clinics, and youth justice settings. Dr. Viljoen received the Saleem Shah Award from the American Psychology-Law Society and the American Academy of Forensic Psychology and a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Career Scholar Award.

× Dr. Randall T. Salekin is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Alabama, where he also serves as Director of the Disruptive Behavior Clinic. He received his Ph.D. from the University of North Texas and completed his clinical internship at Yale University. Dr. Salekin has published on the child, and adolescent psychopathy, and personality, and also has research interests in child and adolescent developmental maturity and amenability to treatment. Dr. Salekin’s research also focuses on understanding the causes and correlates of disruptive behavior in children and youth. Dr. Salekin and his team provide novel assessment and treatment services for disruptive behavior disorder youth with Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, and Limited Prosocial Emotion. Dr. Salekin received the American Psychological Association Division 41 Saleem Shah Award for Early Career Contributions to Law and Psychology in 2001.

× Martin Sellbom is a Professor in Clinical Psychology at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. He received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 2007 from Kent State University. His research focuses on psychopathy and other personality disorders, the integration of personality and psychopathology, and personality assessment with the MMPI instruments. Professor Sellbom's work has been featured in almost 300 publications that includes two books. He has won several awards, including the American Psychological Foundation’s Theodore Millon mid-career award for advancing personality science, American Psychology-Law Society’s Saleem Shah Award and Society for Personality Assessment’s Samuel and Anne Beck Award for early career achievement. Professor Sellbom serves as the Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Personality Assessment. For his clinical practice, he specializes in forensic psychological evaluations.