Course Details
| Course Title | Expert Testimony |
| Date |
5/17/2018
|
| Provider | American Academy of Forensic Psychology Continuing Education Programs |
| Phone | (855) 226-9412 |
| Email | forensicacademy@gmail.com |
| Website |
https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1852933
|
| Location | Scottsdale, AZ |
| Credit Hours | 4 |
| Instructor(s) | Randy K. Otto, Ph.D., ABPP |
| Method of Instruction | Workshop/Seminar |
| Approving Agency | APA |
| Course Syllabus |
|
Course Description
NOTE: This 7-hour workshop is given 4 hours of POST CPE Credit. Conducting thorough forensic evaluations is not enough to impact legal decision makers and legal decision making. Forensic examiners must be able to communicate to judges, juries, and attorneys who they are, what they did, what they learned, and the opinions they formed when they write reports and testify. Expert testimony is the focus of this 7-hour workshop. As such, this program should be of interest to all forensic psychologists who testify in legal proceedings, regardless of their subspecialty. Reviewed are general principles of effective communication in legal proceedings, research examining effective communication in legal proceedings by expert witnesses, specific strategies and skills to employ during direct examination, commonly-used cross-examination gambits and responses, and rules of evidence that can shape and impact testimony. Considerable use is made of case examples-using excerpts from trial and deposition transcripts as well as video recordings of mental health professionals testifying. If time permits, development and use of exhibits to supplement trial testimony will be discussed.
Course Objectives
Psychologists attending this workshop will be able to:
• Describe how various rules of evidence can affect how testimony is offered
• List the general components of effective communication
• Describe similarities and differences between testifying in a deposition and at trial, and the implications of these differences when testifying
• Identify factors that can effect legal decision makers’ opinions about the witness’s credibility
• Describe and employ strategies to communicate one’s specific expertise to the judge or jury
• List and put into practice pre-trial preparation strategies that will facilitate effective expert testimony
• Identify common cross-examination gambits and effective responses