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CENTER UPDATES |
Educational programs survey |
What types of educational programs would you like to attend? Our center is excited to continue hosting lectures, trainings, and events, and we are looking for input from the community. We also want to connect with organizations and individuals who might be interested in collaborating with the Center for Mental Health, Policy, and the Law (CMHPL). Please consider taking a short survey. |
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Forensic Mental Health Journal Club |
Please join us virtually for Forensic Mental Health Journal Club on January 29. Guest discussant Mandi Maycumber will lead a discussion on two articles about police recruitment and stressors. |
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Grand Rounds & Forensic Spotlight |
On February 9, Rebecca Brendel, MD, JD, will deliver the Bruce Gage Annual Lecture in Forensic Mental Health for the UW Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Grand Rounds Series. Dr. Brendel is the Director of the Master of Science Program in Bioethics at Harvard Medical School and former president of the American Psychiatric Association. |
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Following the lecture, our center will host a Forensic Spotlight meet-and-greet with Dr. Brendel. Both events will be held online. Additional details will be shared soon. |
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Welcome us to Instagram and Threads! |
Follow our new Instagram and Threads accounts to stay up to date on events, center news, and educational resources. |
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2023 NAMI Washington Criminal Justice Award |
| CMHPL Director Dr. Jennifer Piel received the Criminal Justice Award at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Washington Awards Ceremony, held on December 14. This award recognizes a strong commitment to the decriminalization of mental illness, demonstrated through action in the form of programs and projects. |
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57th Annual ABCT Convention |
Dr. Sarah Kopelovich, CMHPL and SPIRIT Lab core faculty, presented at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Convention held in November. The Forensic Issues and Externalizing Behaviors Special Interest Group featured Dr. Kopelovich’s talk, "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis With Legally-Involved Individuals,” and she presented at the “Digital Health for Schizophrenia-Spectrum Disorders” symposium. |
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Left to right: Sarah Kopelovich (presenter), Anna Larsen (presenter), Dror Ben-Zeev (discussant), Justin Tauscher (presenter) and Ben Buck (chair) at ABCT session, “Digital Health for Schizophrenia-Spectrum Disorders.” |
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Mock court hearing |
On December 8, UW psychiatry residents in Dr. Jennifer Piel’s VA Mental Health and Justice Rotation participated in a virtual mock court hearing. Special thanks to Judge Michael Finkle, who presided over the case, and attorney Joe Gehrke, who provided the cross examination. Residents Amy Chong and McKenzie Momany served as expert witnesses. |
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McKenzie Momany, Jennifer Piel, Judge Michael Finkle, Joe Gehrke, Edward E. Goldenberg, Allison Rooney, and Amy Chong at the mock court hearing |
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We're hiring! |
We’re recruiting for a full-time clinical psychologist to join our core faculty as an Associate or full Professor at the Center for Mental Health, Policy, and the Law in the UW Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. The option of Research Associate Professor/Research Professor is also available. Please direct questions to cmhpl@uw.edu. |
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COMMUNITY EVENTS |
The following events are sponsored by other UW units of potential interest to the CMHPL community. |
Incarceration and Mental Health |
On January 18, the UW Consortium for Global Mental Health and Population Health Initiative will sponsor a conversation on incarceration and mental health with Dr. Ben Danielson and Dr. Helen Jack. Register to attend the hybrid event, or bookmark this page to watch the recording at a later date. |
TeleBehavioral Health 501 series |
TeleBehavioral Health 501 is a webinar series hosted by the Harborview Behavioral Health Training, Workforce and Policy Innovation Center. Upcoming sessions include: |
“Being Michelle” screening & panel discussion |
On February 28, UW’s D Center will screen “Being Michelle,” a documentary that highlights gaps in accessibility for deaf and disabled people in the criminal legal system. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion. Register to attend online or in person. |
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PSYCHOSIS TREATMENT |
The potential role of cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis in competency restoration |
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Recently, my colleagues and I had the opportunity to submit a proposal to the 2024 American Psychology-Law Society conference. Our submission highlighted the urgent need for expediting and enhancing the competency restoration process for defendants presenting with psychotic symptoms. We discussed our initiative to implement cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis (CBTp) in a group format as a means to bolster competency restoration efforts within a forensic state hospital.
CBTp has over three decades of evidence supporting its efficacy and effectiveness in reducing distressing symptoms associated with psychosis. Previous studies have demonstrated reductions in positive symptoms of psychosis (e.g., hallucinations, delusions) and negative symptoms (e.g., low motivation, limited affective responses), reduced anxiety and depression levels, and higher rates of medication adherence. Despite this robust evidence base and numerous endorsements in national and international treatment guidelines, CBTp remains widely inaccessible, with current reports indicating that fewer than 1% of individuals with psychotic disorders have access to this treatment modality.
The need to integrate evidence-based care models like CBTp within forensic settings is of particular concern for individuals who experience serious mental illness. Forensic settings are disproportionately populated by individuals with serious mental illness. It is estimated that 15-25% of inmates in prisons or jails exhibit psychotic symptoms, outnumbering those in hospitals by a ratio of three to one. This issue is further exacerbated by the growing number of defendants in the United States found incompetent to stand trial. Prolonged wait times for competency evaluations, coupled with a shortage of beds and resources within forensic behavioral health facilities, have compounded this problem.
The presence of psychotic symptoms constitutes a significant obstacle to achieving competency restoration, as the lack of insight into one's illness and decreased cognitive functioning extends the duration of competency restoration and the overall legal process. CBTp has potential to reduce these barriers by implementing key cognitive behavioral techniques that can be utilized as an adjunct to medication, and may increase functioning even after competency is restored. Given the lack of behavioral health resources in most forensic settings, the ability to deliver CBTp in either a one-on-one or group format increases acceptability and overall sustainability of treatment.
It is clear that additional research is needed to uncover the potential role of CBTp as an adjunct to traditional care models in forensic settings. This work is vital to improve psychiatric well-being and the restoration of civil liberties for this population.
Learn more about the CMHPL and SPIRIT Lab’s work to implement CBTp: Patients experiencing psychosis benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy in Washington state |
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LEGAL UPDATE |
Changes to Federal Rule of Evidence 702 |
An amended Rule 702 for testimony by expert witnesses went into effect on December 1, 2023. Learn more on our website. |
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