OPTIONAL WORKSHOPS

There will be a choice of full day workshops presented by the keynote speakers on the Tuesday before and the Friday after the conference.

WORKSHOP 2 IS FULLY BOOKED

DELEGATES CAN NOW REGISTER FOR WORKSHOPS 1, 3 OR 4
WITHOUT ALSO ATTENDING THE CONFERENCE.

Tuesday 12 October

Workshop 1: Factitious Disorder & Munchausen by Proxy (fabricated or induced illness in children): A clinical review
Marc Feldman
Despite their ubiquity, education about factitious disorder and Munchausen by proxy (also known as “factitious disorder by proxy” and “fabricated or induced illness in children”) is only provided spottily by clinical training programs, including those targeted toward psychiatrists. This all-day workshop/presentation will comprehensively cover the nomenclature, epidemiology, clinical features, presumed etiology, and—in the case of MBP—legal/ethical and intervention conundrums typically faced by the forensic psychiatrist when these diagnoses arise. (Presentations on legal/ethical issues and management relative to factitious disorder per se will take place later during the conference).

Workshop 2: Malingering
Assessing malingering for the courts: Forensic report writing and issues as an expert
Elizabeth Benson-Stott and Jack White
The workshop will provide participants with skills in risk assessment and writing reports for court in forensic matters. Topics covered will include: understanding malingering, assessment structure, developing a proforma to assess for malingering and risk, report structure, psychometric testing, and offering an opinion. The session will also focus on working with Indigenous clients, and providing assessments that are appropriate in this context. Particular attention will be directed the issue of malingering and assessing risk. This workshop is designed to provide in-depth knowledge regarding the assessment of malingering. The bulk of the workshop focuses on usefulness of general and specialized methods for the accurate evaluation of malingering and related response styles. The conceptual framework examines malingering as a clinical construct and differentiates it from other response styles addressing issues such as why do individuals malinger, and how can you assess in the context of culture? The workshop examines diverse explanatory models of malingering and practical assessment of the detection of malingering. Effective detection strategies are reviewed. This workshop will end with a summary section devoted to forensic / court applications.

Participants will also be guided as to how to present this material as an expert in court, gaining an understanding of particular questions a judge may ask. This will enable participants to understand further about guidelines for expert testimony on malingering. The workshop will look at theoretical and clinical issues.

Forensic assessment of discrete memory loss: Blackout or malingering?
Charles Scott and Humberto Temporini
One of the most common answers that forensic evaluators encounter in the course of their assessments is “I don’t remember what happened”. Inability to recall certain facts, events or behaviors can be due to a multitude of reasons including psychological stress, substance use and physical trauma. In the context of legal proceedings, the reported failure to remember important aspects of an alleged criminal act or incident must be thoroughly evaluated to rule out willful misrepresentation. Confusion exists regarding the notion of blackouts, distinct periods of time for which an individual has no recollection. Blackouts are ill defined in psychiatric nomenclature, and appear related to multiple factors ranging from intoxication to dissociation.

This presentation will focus on the forensic assessment of blackouts, as well as the evaluation of malingered amnesia for discrete events. The presenters will describe the characteristics of true blackouts, their relationship with the use of different substances, and the role of psychological trauma and dissociation in the memory process. In addition, the differences between blackouts and grayouts will be explored in detail. Finally, the presenters will provide guidance with the use of malingering assessments instruments in the evaluation of memory loss.

A police officer’s crime and conspiracy to stage a murder scene: Mental illness or malingering?
Chuck Denison
On a lonely stretch of American highway, State Trooper Joseph Rhodes stopped a commercial truck owned by Wal-Mart, and apprehended the driver. Rhodes later released the driver, unharmed, but authorities investigated the bogus arrest. They discovered Rhodes had conspired with another officer to murder the driver, and use the truck to kill his own wife in a staged vehicular “accident.”

Rhodes requested admission to a psychiatric hospital. The United States prosecuted Rhodes for felony kidnapping “under color of law,” and the case eventually went to Federal Court for sentencing. The defense requested a psychiatric evaluation and petitioned the Court under a federal provision allowing a downward departure in cases of “reduced mental capacity.” The U.S. retained a forensic psychologist to investigate. The defendant’s punishment finally hinged on the question of mental incapacity versus malingering.

Dr. Denison, a forensic psychologist retained by the prosecution, presents various assessment strategies used in this high profile case—recruiting the assistance of law enforcement, constructing a profile, psychological testing, and educating the Court in behavioral science. Video recordings animate this case for workshop participants. This presentation emphasizes making forensic evaluation both understandable and relevant where it ultimately matters most—a court of law.

Friday 15 October

Workshop 3: Understanding What Risk Assessments Do
Douglas Mossman
This workshop will give participants the conceptual grounding needed to understand the principles, strengths, limitations, and pitfalls of current methods for assessing risk of future violence and sex offense recidivism. Although suitable for persons with limited experience in and knowledge about risk assessment, the workshop is aimed at giving all participants a solid grasp of how investigators develop assessment instruments, a sophisticated understanding of the statistical methods used to characterize accuracy of risk assessment, and an up-to-date review of scholarship that evaluates the uses and limits of risk assessment techniques.

Major topic areas for the workshop: (1) ideas of risk and probability; (2) the meaning of diagnostic accuracy and how it is quantified; (3) what "risk factors" are and what research says about their suitability and practical significance; (4) methods of judging risk -- clinical approaches, actuarial techniques, and structured professional judgment; (5) accuracy of risk assessment; (6) practical applications and limitations of risk assessment. Though no advance preparation is required, prospective workshop participants are welcome to write to the Instructor (douglas.mossman@uc.edu) to get electronic materials for pre-workshop study.

Workshop 4: Beyond the mundane: Preparing court reports and providing expert evidence in novel and complex cases
James RP Ogloff & Paul E Mullen
While forensic mental health professionals quickly obtain experience preparing reports and given expert evidence in cases, particular skill and strategy is required when preparing reports and giving evidence in novel and complex matters. This workshop will provide participants with an overview of the necessary legal and clinical information to enable them to prepare effective reports for the courts and other legal decision makers. In addition, participants will gain an appreciation of the process of expert witness testimony and cross-examination in such matters. Beyond the general overview, particular attention will be paid to preparing reports and presenting evidence in cases involving novel and complex matters. Examples and case studies from the presenters’ work will be provided (including mass homicide, serial killing, post-sentence detention, malingering, and infamous defendants). The workshop will include a discussion of strategies for incorporating psychological tests, including risk assessment measures, into reports and addressing them in evidence. Strategies will be provided for giving expert opinion evidence and for being cross-examined. Finally, participants will gain an appreciation of the ethical principles involved in giving expert testimony and in report writing in such cases.