“Shapiro is SO knowledgeable! I learned about many cases considered at supreme court level, the whys and why nots of their rulings and how the rulings impact those with mental health issues and those that work with them .”-Ruth R., Psychologist, Indiana
This webinar will satisfy your ethics requirement.
Mental health professionals frequently make assertions about legal issues based on their psychological expertise and expect that the laws should merely follow the research and practice to which they testify. Frequently, mental health professionals will conflate such matters as psychosis, limited intellect or brain impairment with legal issues such as Competency to Stand Trial, Criminal Responsibility and Mitigation. There are, in fact, many reasons why a diagnosis cannot be generalized into a legal conclusion. Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the United States Supreme Court deliberations and findings where behavioral science evidence is judged along side the laws which place constraints on how these matters can be considered in court. This webinar will explore these differences, looking at a wide array of cases in which mental health has been a central issue.
"Excellent content - very knowledgeable and experienced presenter Greater understanding of instruments - research on just how limited our ability to predict violence is, and the ethical/scientific issues with sex violent predator laws/dynamics."-Kevin D., Psychologist, California
The ability to predict future violent behavior has long been an issue for mental health professionals. Initially it was merely assumed that we could make such predictions accurately based on our clinical skills alone. Many decisions in the judicial system hinge on an accurate assessment of violence, such as bond, probation, and parole decisions, committment to and release from psychiatric facilities, and even whether or not a defendant should be sentenced to death.
Recent research has demonstrated however that such predictions are not as accurate as once assumed and that the methodology used was sadly lacking in validity. A tremendous amount of research has gone into risk assessment for future violence ; still,, the accuracy remains in question even to this day; nevertheless, judicial decisions are continually made which ignore our limited ability to assess violent behavior.
This webinar will explore the factors necessary to do competent work in this area and demonstrate the ways that risk assessment can become more precise.
“This was an excellent presentation that I think had information important to generalists that we don't often receive."-Krista B., Psychologist, Maryland
Who we are as sexual beings carries profound personal and interpersonal meaning for each of us. Like it or not, our sexual self-image significantly impacts our broader sense of identity, as well as how we give and receive love in our most cherished relationships. Research consistently demonstrates that for most people, sexual satisfaction is a critical component of relationship and life satisfaction. For many people, love-making is the most intimate aspect of their lives. Yet without specific focus on sexuality, general therapy tends not to alleviate sexual concerns. As therapists, we have little training in these issues, making it difficult to assist our clients with their intimacy struggles. In this talk, we will address the changing face of heterosexual sex that we and our clients are all experiencing – and gain an understanding of the “new normal.”
This talk stands alone but is Part One of a two-part series on sex therapy for the general therapist. It is recommended that this lecture be completed first in that series, thus offering a context for the treatment approaches addressed in Part Two.