Interviewing individuals effectively who become involved in criminal justice, forensic mental health, and legal settings can be a challenging process. Regardless of the type of interview (i.e., clinical, forensic, or legal), when these issues are present, several problematic outcomes can result, such as misdiagnosis, ineffective treatment and discharge planning, providing inaccurate or false testimony, false confessions, wrongful convictions, misinterpretation of intent or abilities, prematurely waiving Miranda rights, probation/parole violations, etc. In this course, students develop a working knowledge of different definitions and key research findings associated with interviewing persons in these types of psycholegal settings. A variety of interviewing approaches, including helpful versus problematic approaches, will be closely examined. Students will also explore evidence-based best practices in interviewing special needs populations, which may include children, severe mental health, neurodevelopmental disorders, and cognitive impairments, to name a few. Other topics include neurobiopsychosocial factors to consider during the interviewing process, interviewer bias, acquiescence, compliance, suggestibility, confabulation, and emotional intelligence informed interviewing, among others.

The skills required to assess research and work effectively with stakeholders are among the many proficiencies required of professionals who evaluate and develop programs. In this course, students examine these skill sets as well as the history, theory, and major approaches underlying program evaluation. Students learn how to select appropriate quantitative and/or qualitative models and techniques to perform evaluations, demonstrate program effectiveness, and disseminate results. Additionally, students explore the procedures and techniques involved in offering their evaluation services to a specific group or organization. They also examine strategies to gain stakeholder interest in developing appropriate standards, research progress, and evaluation outcomes. Students acquire practical experience evaluating a program of interest through which they outline organizational structure, identify stakeholders, employ evaluation models, explain steps in planning, and predict possible challenges or stakeholder fears, for which they recommend solutions.

Students in this course examine advanced trends and issues in forensic psychology, including juvenile justice, terrorism, human trafficking, and prison populations. They develop skills and expertise necessary to function as agents of social change in the discipline of forensic psychology through various roles, from forensic consultancy and expert witness testimony to criminal investigative analysis and forensic interviewing. Students address ethical and cultural considerations throughout the course. They also gain understanding of the forensic psychology professional’s use of social determinants of health (SDOH) to effect social change.

Organizational and professional development (OPD) professionals promote and implement organizational change by using fundamental techniques of change management. Students in this course examine and apply these tools, including consulting competencies, approaches, and organizational change models to learn the skills of an OPD consultant. Students explore methods for accelerating individual, group, and organizational performance through consulting, coaching, and change management. They also explore related topics, such as organizational assessment; team development; strategic planning; group dynamics; power, politics, and influence; leadership; and conflict management. Students apply course concepts to the assessment of an organization and the development of strategies to address identified needs for change.

This five-credit course is focused specifically on the process of writing the doctoral study prospectus. Students will use their preliminary research plan, developed previously, and develop a problem statement, to be used in the doctoral study. They further refine the problem statement and carry out the planning and the library research that will bring them to the formulation of a doctoral study prospectus. The prospectus is a brief paper, typically 15–20 pages in length, that lays out the background for the problem statement, the problem statement itself, a survey of the relevant literature (typically 25–75 references), and a research, implementation, and evaluation plan for the solution of the problem.

The course is designed to identify and analyze assessment instruments associated with affective and predatory violence. Students will examine assessment areas and procedures related to psychopathy, capital punishment, juvenile offenders, child custody cases, and school shootings. For the final project, students choose a targeted school violence (TSV) offender and analyze the case. Additionally, this course explores how race, gender, and cultural issues are explored in the field of forensic psychology.

Students in this course are provided with contemporary views, theories, and case-study analysis of maladaptive and criminal behavior, victimology, and victim-offender relationships. A broad conceptualization of criminal behavior, such as that woven from biological, sociological, and psychological perspectives, is explored and evaluated. Theories of crime and the application of risk factors associated with criminal behavior are examined. Additionally, students will be exposed to specific offender groups, both violent and nonviolent, including psychopaths, serial and mass murderers, criminal paraphiliacs, arsonists, white-collar thieves, scam artists, domestic terrorists, and others.

In this course, students are introduced to theories, research, and themes that form the tenets of psychology. Basic theoretical models will be reviewed, including psychodynamic, cognitive, developmental, social learning/socio-cognitive, behaviorist, learning and motivation, systems, biopsychosocial, and gender theories. Theories encompassing diverse populations, including cross-cultural and feminist theories, will also be examined. Students will critically examine the strengths and limitations of these theories and their utility in the field of psychology. Contemporary themes in psychology will be explored, with an emphasis on application of theories designed to effect positive social change.

Understanding the characteristics and causes of atypical thoughts and actions—commonly known in mental health professions as abnormal behavior—is essential in determining accurate diagnoses, answering forensic referral questions, and planning effective treatment programs. In this course, students examine the history and evolution of abnormal psychology and how practitioners use contemporary diagnostic criteria of abnormal behavior in various settings, such as schools, rehabilitation facilities, community agencies, and forensic situations. They examine specific techniques for the diagnosis, assessment, and/or treatment of cognitive, emotional, and developmental disorders, as well as for psychophysiological and psychosocial problems. Using the scholar-practitioner model, students consider environmental and biological factors contributing to behavioral disorders. Students also investigate and discuss current and future trends, legal and ethical issues, and multicultural factors that complicate diagnosis and clinical assessment.

Students in this course examine advanced trends and issues in forensic psychology, including juvenile justice, terrorism, human trafficking, and prison populations. They develop skills and expertise necessary to function as agents of social change in the discipline of forensic psychology through various roles, from forensic consultancy and expert witness testimony to criminal investigative analysis and forensic interviewing. Students address ethical and cultural considerations throughout the course. They also gain understanding of the forensic psychology professional’s use of social determinants of health (SDOH) to effect social change.