CE Certificate in Child and Family Forensics

Child and Family Forensics CE Certificate Program

The Child and Family Forensics CE Certificate Program provides students with a solid foundation in the concepts, theories and practices in child and family forensic mental health work and will help professionals hone their skills and increase their knowledge to prepare them for work in child welfare, juvenile delinquency, sexual offending, domestic violence, divorce custody and post-divorce parenting contexts.

The five courses include:

  • Child Custody Evaluation
  • Intimate Partner Violence
  • Mental Health and Juvenile Justice
  • Parenting Coordination
  • Child Maltreatment

Topics Covered in Each Course

All courses will address the following concepts.

  • Review the law and systems
  • Describe and practice protocols for evaluations
  • Review empirically based best practices and interventions through in-depth didactic instruction and opportunities for practice and consultation

Course Format, Length and Details

  • Blended learning format (online and on-site at William James College in Newton, MA)
  • 4 weeks, and a minimum of 28 hours total, and a minimum of 28 Continuing Education (CE) credits
  • Online coursework for 13 hours and 15 hours of on-site instruction over a weekend in residence
  • Open to mental health professionals, attorneys, judges, mediators, court personnel and other professionals interested in child and family forensic issues.
  • Students who choose four classes will obtain a Child and Family Forensics CE Certificate from William James College.

If you would like to be on the list for future announcements, please email ce@williamjames.edu. 

Course Descriptions and Registration

Instructors: Jessica Greenwald O’Brien, PhD, and Ann Tobey, PhD

Mental Health and Juvenile Justice is designed for professionals engaged in providing services to youth and families involved in the juvenile justice system who aspire to improve outcomes for youth and families through enhancing their programs and services, and by more effectively partnering with public and private agencies and providers (state, local, tribal or other). Participants will apply emerging research in trauma and neurodevelopment to describing developmental trauma impacts in court-involved youth, identify key points on the research-based "cradle to prison pipeline" for high-risk youth involved with juvenile justice, describe "best practices" for youth involved with juvenile justice, and identify competencies for a program to meet the mental health needs of court-involved youth.

SPRING 2023
Online: January 23-February 20, 2023
Zoom in Residence: February 23 and 25, 2023, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST
up to 28 CE Credits | $1,100
Register Online

Instructors: Jessica Greenwald O’Brien, PhD, and Penny Haney, PhD

Child Maltreatment is designed for professionals engaged in providing services to youth, families, and the courts who seek to provide or understand best practices of investigation, evaluation, and testimony in matters of child abuse or neglect including sexual abuse in the context of divorce. Participants will distinguish between forensic and clinical evaluations, enhance reliability of interviews of children, apply a systematic approach to providing a sound evidence-based report and opinion, and identify ethical issues inherent in evaluations and testimony. This training provides 28 Continuing Education Credits. The course is a blended learning format and spans 4 weeks of online coursework for 13 hours and 15 hours of on-site instruction over a weekend-in-residence.

SPRING 2023
Online: March 20-April 17, 2023
Zoom in Residence: April 20-21, 2023, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST
up to 28 CE Credits | $1,100
Register Online

Instructors: Tony Pelusi Jr, JD, Premela Deck, PhD, JD, Robert Zibbell, PhD, and Vicki Shemin, JD, LICSW, ACSW

Parents who are in chronic high conflict pose particular difficulties for the courts, the professionals who are involved with them, and their children. Increasingly, courts are appointing Parenting Coordinators to help reduce parental conflict and protect the children. This training provides 28 Continuing Education Credits and will examine the role and functions of the Parenting Coordinator and the interventions helpful to reduce conflict. The course is a blended learning format and spans 4 weeks of online coursework for 13 hours and 15 hours of on-site instruction over a weekend-in-residence. Mental health practitioners, mediators, attorneys, and other professionals will have the opportunity to expand their practice and skills in this emerging area.

SPRING 2023
Online: May 1-June 5, 2023
Weekend in Residence: June 9-10, 2023, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST
up to 35 CE Credits | $1,100
Register Online

Instructor: Jessica P. Greenwald O'Brien, PhD

This course is designed for professionals who aspire to use empirically-based research and methodology and best practices to provide or understand forensic psychological assessments in contested custody matters for the courts. William James College and the Center of Excellence for Children, Families and the Law will offer the Child Custody Evaluation course for continuing education credits. This 28 hour training provides 28 Continuing Education Credit and will examine the role and process of a child custody evaluator. The course is a blended learning format and spans 4 weeks of online coursework for 13 hours and 15 hours of on-site instruction over a weekend-in-residence. Mental health practitioners, mediators, attorneys and other professionals will have the opportunity to expand their practice and skills in this emerging area.

Coming Fall 2023
up to 28 CE Credits | $1,100

Instructor: Jessica Greenwald O’Brien, PhD

This course will expose participants to emerging research in interpersonal violence and best practices using available guidelines and standards for evaluation of IPV. The course is a blended learning format and spans 4 weeks of online coursework for 13 hours and 15 hours of on-site instruction over a weekend-in-residence. It provides 28 Continuing Education Credits. This course in Intimate Partner Violence is designed for professionals engaged in providing services to children, adults and families and the courts who seek to provide or understand best practices of investigation, evaluation, and testimony in matters where domestic violence is alleged. Mental health practitioners, mediators, attorneys and other professionals with graduate degrees and a license or certification will have the opportunity to expand their practice and skills in this emerging area.

Coming Fall 2023
up to 28 CE Credits | $1,100