Upcoming Events
Forensic Mental Health Journal Club
Drs. Jennifer Piel and Edward E. Goldenberg host a quarterly virtual journal club to discuss articles related to forensic mental health. The club is open to practicing clinicians, clinical trainees, and anyone interested in topics in forensic mental health.
Jennifer Piel, MD, JD, is an associate professor in the UW Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, director of the UW Center for Mental Health, Policy and the Law, and staff psychiatrist at the VA Puget Sound. Dr. Piel has expertise in forensic psychiatry, laws regulating mental health, education, and policy.
Edward E. Goldenberg, PhD, is a clinical professor in the UW Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. He has extensive experience working in corrections, mental health, and academic settings.
Monday, April 29, 2024, 5:00–6:00 p.m. PT (Zoom)
The April 2024 Journal Club will focus on the theme of therapeutic jurisprudence. The Honorable Michael Finkle will lead a discussion of two recent articles:
- A National Survey of Problem-Solving Court Staff Perceptions of In-Person versus Virtual Hearings
- Expanding Therapeutic Jurisprudence Across the Federal Judiciary
Additional 2024 journal club dates: July 29 & October 28, 5:00–6:00 p.m. PT
If you are interested in leading a Forensic Mental Health Journal Club session as a guest discussant, please contact Jennifer Piel (piel@uw.edu) or Edward Goldenberg (edgolde@uw.edu). They are available to assist with article selection and provide mentorship.
Event Accessibility
For accessibility questions or accommodations, please email cmhpl@uw.edu.
Educational programs survey
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 CMHPL. Please consider taking a short survey.
Past Events
April 4, 2024
Dr. Steve Zuchowski will share tips and tricks for efficient and protective documentation to prevent future malpractice actions.
February 9, 2024
The Spotlight is an informal meet-and-greet with opportunity to learn more from Dr. Brendel about her work, interests, and roles she has had related to forensic psychiatry, law, and policy. All are welcome, and psychiatry residents and other health professions trainees are especially encouraged to attend.
Dr. Brendel works at the intersection of psychiatry, medicine, law, and ethics at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, and is a past president of the APA.
February 9, 2024
Rebecca Weintraub Brendel, MD, JD, will describe key challenges for psychiatry, as well as efforts of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to prepare psychiatry for the future. Against this backdrop, it will then turn to focus on how the unique knowledge, expertise, and skills of forensic psychiatrists can contribute to policy and practice solutions.
Dr. Brendel works at the intersection of psychiatry, medicine, law, and ethics at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, and is a past president of the APA.
Drs. Jennifer Piel and Edward E. Goldenberg host a quarterly virtual journal club to discuss articles related to forensic mental health. The club is open to practicing clinicians, clinical trainees, and anyone interested in topics in forensic mental health.
January 29, 2024
Guest discussant Mandi Maycumber will lead a discussion on two articles about police recruitment and stressors:
- Motivations for becoming a police officer: A global snapshot
- Predictors, mediators and moderators of police work-related stress: A scoping review
October 23, 2023
Attendees will discuss two articles about competency restoration, led by guest discussant Victoria Shepard:
- Factors influencing adjudicative competence and length of time to restoration
- Cognitive behavior therapy for psychosis as an adjunct to competency restoration
July 24, 2023
Participants will discuss two articles about violence risk assessment:
- From predicting dangerousness to assessing and managing risk for violence: A journey across four generations
- Investigating the dynamic nature of multiple risk assessment instruments in a forensic mental health hospital
April 24, 2023
In this first session, Dr. Goldenberg will lead participants in discussing two articles related to correctional mental health:
February 21, 2023 & February 26, 2024
Dr. Jennifer Piel will host a session for interested UW psychiatry residents to discuss rotations and opportunities in forensic mental health. Residents who participated in forensic rotations will be available to summarize their experiences. Both residents and instructors will be available for questions and discussion.
November 16 & December 13, 2023
Drs. Jennifer Piel and Joellyn Sheely have organized virtual focus groups to better understand the experiences of attorneys who work with clients who have had suicidal thinking or behaviors. They are particularly interested in learning about what criminal defense attorneys would find most useful in trainings on suicide and other mental health topics. This information will be used to develop educational programming to assist attorneys and their clients.
December 15, 2022
This webinar, hosted by the Treatment Advocacy Center, features Dr. Sarah Kopelovich, core faculty member of the Center for Mental Health, Policy, and the Law. She will discuss CBT for psychosis, an evidence-based treatment that addresses the distress of experiencing psychosis and functional impairments. Research shows that it can reduce hospitalization, increase medication adherence, and increase insight, which makes it an ideal therapeutic partner to assisted outpatient treatment.
December 9, 2022
Cheryl Wills, MD, child and forensic psychiatrist and chair of the APA task force on structural racism, will discuss topics related to race, policing, and mental illness, including the gap in knowledge of how intrinsic and extrinsic biases in medicine and law enforcement affect healthcare outcomes in members of minority groups, including people who have mental disorders.
December 8, 2022
Although all are welcome, this event is particularly aimed for trainees in mental health disciplines, other healthcare programs, law, and criminal justice. The format will be informal and is intended for trainees to ask questions about forensic mental health, training in this subspecialty, and what it is like to work in forensic mental health settings. Cheryl Wills, MD, has nationally-recognized expertise in adult, child, and forensic psychiatry, as well as organized medicine and advocacy.