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Sign Up to be Notified of Testifying Training Webinars Becoming Available for Download
What this Course IS and ISN'T:
This course IS:
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For all mental health practitioners (therapists, social workers, psychologists, etc.) who could be subpoenaed to testify in court.
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For mental health practitioners who want to prepare emotionally for a case or have received a subpoena.
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Intended to help support mental health practitioners to feel confident and secure in their testifying abilities.
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Meant to review strategies to protect a therapist from doing or saying something that can hurt their reputation or license.
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For AFTER a mental health practitioner has consulted and prepared for their case with their malpractice attorney.
This course is NOT:
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A substitute for consulting with your attorney.
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Legal advice.
COURSE ONE - When you get a Subpoena & Preparing to testify
Do you know what to do when you get a subpoena, or does it scare you to even think about it?
If this is your first subpoena, you may be scared, confused, or nervous because you don’t know what to expect. Or maybe you have a familiar, sinking feeling because you’ve received a subpoena before, and going to court makes you anxious.
In this course, you will learn how to:
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Respond to a subpoena ethically.
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Prepare for being on the stand, how to interact with court personnel, and what to expect once you get to the courthouse.
COURSE TWO - Testifying on the Stand
Many mental health practitioners experience anxiety when they are called to testify. Most avoid taking on court-involved cases or custody disputes to avoid being pulled into court.
Have you wondered what it's like to testify in court, or does it scare you to think about it? Have you already testified in court and had a bad experience or felt awful afterward?
Mental health practitioners can worry about the following:
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Whether their therapeutic relationship with their client may be negatively impacted.
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Getting a board complaint after testimony.
This course will help take the fear out of your experience and teach you:
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Strategies to help you avoid common pitfalls when responding to questions.
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How to respond to questions that are combative or challenge your credibility.
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Ways to prevent jeopardizing your license or therapeutic relationships.
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How to feel prepared, centered, and even like you positively impacted your client’s life.
Many therapists become so scared when anticipating testifying in court that they get confused and can’t think straight on the stand. Fear partly happens because they don’t understand why they are being asked certain questions and how to respond.
I believe if we take a more systematic and proactive approach to the whole process of testifying–from the subpoena to the courtroom appearance– we can make it a lot less scary. In fact, you may even find some joy or satisfaction in making a difference by helping the bench officer or judge gain clarity that aids them in ruling on a case.