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AAFP Workshop: Get Off of My Lawn - I Don’t Want to Learn a New Way to Write Forensic Reports

Presented by Terry Kukor, PhD, ABPP

Friday, February 26, 2021

9:00 am - 1:00 pm PST

This half-day workshop focuses on a bold new way of approaching forensic report writing. Ever wonder why we structure our forensic reports as we do, or why we include some things that just don’t seem pertinent in forensic reports? Do you dread typing or dictating lengthy histories? Do you struggle to make decisions about what data points are relevant in forensic reports? Have longer reports left you wondering if anyone will actually read more than the conclusion? If so, this workshop can help. We will identify specific strategies for decision-making about what data to include, and practical approaches for implementing these strategies in report writing. We will begin by focusing on core principles upon which efforts to reformulate the structure of forensic reports should be based. We will anchor these principles to primary sources of authority related to forensic evaluation and report writing. This will lead to a step-by-step review of how to effectively map clinical data to functional legal capacities. We will then tie this all together and introduce a novel report-writing strategy that emphasizes efficiency, clarity, and relevancy.

Upon completion of this program, participants should be able to:

  • Describe the rationale for restructuring reports summarizing forensic evaluations
  • Describe principles to guide the restructuring process
  • Describe models for restructured reports that meet professional standards and legal needs
  • Describe specific methods for maximizing relevancy in forensic reports