National Board of Forensic Evaluators, Inc. News

CFMHE Co-Authors Advanced Ethics Text

Aaron Norton — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 02:59:11 GMT

Dr. Marissa "MJ" Babcock, a Certified Forensic Mental Health Evaluator (CFMHE), co-authored an advanced textbook on ethics for mental health professionals.

"Advanced Ethics for Mental Health Professionals" prepares mental health counseling and social work students for their future careers by providing them with in-depth coverage of legal and ethical issues they are likely to encounter in the field. The text explores the intricacies of the increasingly varied contexts in which counselors find themselves, such as community work, crisis counseling, court cases, telehealth, and more, offering content aligned with contemporary mental health demands. The book examines historical perspectives, essential principles, the development of professional identity, and the application of ethical decision-making models in intricate clinical scenarios. It addresses critical themes such as decision-making capacity, integrated care, specific population needs, varying treatment settings, and the ethical implications of supervision and education in counseling, equipping future counselors to confidently navigate professional dilemmas and uphold ethical and legal standards.

Tailored to reflect the changing landscape and escalation of complex client engagements and atypical care settings, Advanced Ethics for Mental Health Professionals is a vital tool for graduate-level law and ethics courses, as well as practicum, internships, counselor identity formation, and ongoing professional development. The authors have also included a sample syllabus provided in 16-week and 8-week formats, which is accessible through Cognella when ordering the instructor's version.

To order an examination copy or instructor version of the text, click here.

To purchase the text on Amazon, click here.

NBFE Executive Director Collaborates with National Association of Court Approved Treatment Providers on "How to" Manual for Substance Use Evaluations

Aaron Norton — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 02:27:19 GMT

Dr. Aaron Norton, the Executive Director of NBFE, contributed to Dr. Derek Collin's groundbreaking manual, "How to Write a Substance Use Evaluation: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners." This book is a much-needed, practical, plain-language roadmap for clinicians who need to write evaluations that are both clinically sound and court-defensible. Designed for beginners and developing professionals, this guide walks you step‑by‑step through every stage of the process—from the first interview to final recommendations.

Click here to order it!

NBFE Executive Director Publishes Research on the Use of AI in the Counseling Profession

Aaron Norton — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 16:00:00 GMT

In Considerations for the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in the Counseling Profession, NBFE Executive Director Dr. Aaron Norton examines the rapidly expanding role of artificial intelligence in counseling practice, education, supervision, and research. Drawing on peer-reviewed literature and emerging ethical standards from national counseling organizations, Dr. Norton outlines both the promise and the risks of AI and GenAI, offering practical, ethically grounded recommendations to guide responsible use. This article provides mental health professionals with a timely, balanced framework for understanding how AI can enhance—without replacing—professional judgment, client welfare, and clinical integrity.

Read the University of South Florida's announcement about the article.

Order a copy of the full article from Rehabilitation Research, Policy, and Education.

NBFE Executive Director Publishes Study on Assessment Methods of Counselors for ESA Letter Reqeusts

Aaron Norton — Sun, 07 Dec 2025 00:17:03 GMT

Image generated in OpenAI's Image Generator, 12/6/25

Dr. Aaron Norton, executive director of NBFE, and Dr. Tony Tan, an educational psychologist at Xi’an Jiaotong University and the University of South Florida, conducted a study on how clinical mental health counselors (CMHCs) in the U.S. handled emotional support animals (ESA) letter requests and whether the assessments used by CMHCs for clinical decision making were related to whether they would decline or agree to write the ESA letter. Overall, they found that (1) whether CMHCs assessed for disability, inquired as to how ESAs alleviated symptoms, and discussed alternatives to ESAs predicted the likelihood that a CMHC would approve or deny a client request for an ESA letter; and (2) most CMHCs lacked formal training in ESA assessment, and many relied on personal discretion rather than established guidelines in making clinical decisions. This study draws attention to the importance of training clinicians on appropriate methods for assessing ESA letter requests. The study was published in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.

Understanding Trauma in the Courtroom: An NBFE Board Member Perspective

Aaron Norton — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 02:33:33 GMT

In Through the Lens of Trauma: My Role in a Vehicular Homicide Defense, NBFE Board Member Richard J. Stride, PsyD, LPC, LMHC offers a compelling, trauma-informed forensic perspective on a high-stakes vehicular homicide case involving an adolescent defendant.

Drawing on behavioral observation, developmental psychology, and multidisciplinary collaboration, Dr. Stride illustrates how trauma, dissociation, and emotional presentation can shape investigative conclusions and courtroom outcomes. This article underscores the critical role forensic mental health professionals play in helping legal systems move beyond surface-level assumptions toward nuanced, ethically grounded understanding. NBFE members are encouraged to read this article in advance of upcoming NBFE webinars exploring trauma-informed forensic evaluation, expert testimony, and the interpretation of behavior under extreme stress. Click here to read it!

NBFE Executive Director Chimes on the use of AI in Psychotherapy

Aaron Norton — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 01:38:19 GMT

Dr. Aaron Norton, executive director of NBFE, chimes in on the use of artificial intelligence in counseling and psychotherapy as the cover story of the American Mental Health Counselors Association's "The Advocate Magazine." Read the article here.

Dr. Norman Hoffman - Counselor for 42 years, Saw The Need & Answered the Call!

Valentino Norton — Sat, 04 Mar 2023 20:02:20 GMT

Dr. Norman Hoffman Starts Group to Train Licensed Therapist in Court

Valentino Norton — Sat, 04 Mar 2023 19:58:58 GMT

Equipping Counselors to Become Forensic Mental Health Evaluators

Valentino Norton — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 13:20:44 GMT

Equipping Counselors to Become Forensic Mental Health Evaluators.pdf

Parents Magazine: BEHAVING BADLY - by Karen J. Bannan Whining

Valentino Norton — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 13:11:41 GMT

Parents Magazine.pdf

NBFE Publishes Update on Emotional Support Animal Letters and the Law

Aaron Norton — Wed, 21 Dec 2022 06:20:25 GMT

Laws related to emotional support animal (ESA) letters have evolved since NBFE published its first article published in December 2018. Get updated by reading our article published in the Winter 2022 issue of the American Mental Health Counselors Association's The Advocate Magazine.

Read the article online or download a PDF.

What Can We Do to Stop the Mass Shooting

Valentino Norton — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 14:00:00 GMT

Please click here to access article.

NBFE Founder on Mass Shootings

Aaron Norton — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 13:50:00 GMT

Dr. Norman Hoffman, President and Founder of NBFE, wrote an article entitled "First Person Singular: What Can We do to Stop the Growth of Mass Shootings?" published in AMHCA's The Advocate Magazine in August 2015. Given recent events such as the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, we are reposting this article. Click here to read it.

NBFE Publishes Article on DSM-5-TR Update

Aaron Norton — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 04:49:32 GMT

Counseling Today, the official magazine of the American Counseling Association, published an article today authored by NBFE's Executive Director, Dr. Aaron Norton, providing mental health professionals with an update on changes in the newest edition of the American Psychiatric Association's DSM-5-TR. Click here to read it.

NBFE E.D. Publishes Research on Relationship Between Political Ideologies of Counselors and Clinical Scenarios Involving Client Firearm Storage

Aaron Norton — Wed, 31 Aug 2022 04:36:03 GMT

NBFE's Executive Director and researchers from the University of South Florida and New York University published findings on the relationship between the political ideologies of clinical mental health counselors and their perceptions and treatment decisions related to client firearm storage at home in Psychotherapy and Politics International. Access the full article here.

NBFE E.D. Interviewed by Salon and Counseling Today About Medical Cannabis

Aaron Norton — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 04:44:00 GMT

NBFE's Executive Director, Dr. Aaron Norton, created a decision tool to help mental health professionals implement practice guidelines offered by national associations with respect to clients using medical cannabis in treatment, leading to interviews published in April 2022 and August 2022. Click on the links below for more information:

Bray, B. (2022, April). The impact of legalized marijuana on professional counseling. Counseling Today, 64(10), 28-34.

Karlis, N. (2022, August 11). Yes, marijuana can be addictive — but it's not like other addictive drugs. Here's why. Salon.

NBFE Board Recognizes the Contributions of Dr. Tommy Black

Aaron Norton — Sat, 18 Jun 2022 17:05:44 GMT

The NBFE Board of Directors would like to honor our most outstanding and generous members. Today, we want to recognize the contributions of Dr. Tommy Black. Dr. Black serves as the Chair of the Policies and Procedures Committee of NBFE and is a distinguished forensic evaluator with expertise in the following specialized forensic evaluation categories:

· Child Abuse and Neglect

· Child Custody/Parenting

· Competence to Stand Trial

· Criminal Responsibility

· Disability

· Domestic Abuse/Violence

· Harassment and Discrimination

· Juvenile Justice

· Personal Injury

· Sexual Violence

· Substance Abuse/Addiction

· Suicidal Risk Assessment

· Violent Risk Assessment

· Workplace Violence

Dr. Black was first certified as a CFMHE in September 2005. Since then, he has been a contributor and a benefactor supporting NBFE with his testing acumen and his well of knowledge in the forensic arena. Dr. Black has conducted a plethora of “on demand” webinars, providing our webinar attendees with outstanding forensic mental health information as well as producing revenue to aid in NBFE’s continuing educational programs.

Recently, he and Dr. Aaron Norton, NBFE’s Executive Director, and Valentino, our Administrative Assistant, have teamed up to update Phase I of our “Testing for Forensic Populations” training, which has enhanced our revenue stream, allowing us to continue providing quality training and certification for mental health professionals specializing in forensic evaluation.

Additionally, Dr. Black has volunteered on numerous occasions for professional advocacy work, protecting the rights of all appropriately trained forensic mental health professionals to conduct forensic evaluations for the courts, administer and interpret psychological tests, and serve as expert witnesses in courts. For example, Dr. Black and NBFE’s Executive Director are testifying for a senate committee hearing on whether counselors should access to psychological testing in response to a psychological association’s efforts to prevent counselors from fair and equal access.

On the behalf of the NBFE Board of Directors, we thank you, Dr. Black!

NBFE Executive Director Interviewed for AMHCA's "Perspectives" Vodcast

Aaron Norton — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 16:08:49 GMT

On 6/3/22, Dr. Beverly Smith, President of the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), interviewed Dr. Aaron Norton, Executive Director of the National Board of Forensic Evaluators (NBFE), for AMHCA's "Perspectives" Vodcast on the topic of appropriately trained counselors specializing in forensic mental health evaluation. Click here to watch the full video.

NBFE Publishes Counselor's Guide to Addressing Medical Cannabis Cards in Treatment

Aaron Norton — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 05:03:31 GMT

Counselor, a peer-reviewed professional magazine for addiction and behavioral health professionals, published an article authored by NBFE's President, Vice President, and Executive Director providing guidelines clinicians can use when clients present with medical cannabis use in mental health and substance use treatment settings. Click here to read the full article, provided with permission from Counselor Magazine.

Richard Stride Commentary: ‘What Cannot Be Cured Must Be Endured’

Valentino Norton — Sun, 05 Dec 2021 02:46:48 GMT

By Dr. Richard Stride

Click here to access article.

My grandma on my mother’s side had a favorite saying: “what cannot be cured must be endured.”

As a child, I never really liked it when she would tell me that because it usually meant I wasn’t getting what I wanted. I’ve been thinking about my grandma lately. I have to say the women in my family have always been very strong, sometimes stubborn, very practical and always — well mostly — no nonsense.

My grandma, before she passed away, left all her grandchildren a little money and her life story. When I called to thank her for the money, she told me she wanted to give it all away before she passed.

My grandmother had leukemia. She had already decided she didn’t want treatment. I never really knew why, but she didn’t. A few months later, on a Sunday morning as she was getting ready to go to church, she told my mom and my sister that she was tired and wanted to lie down.

She laid down on her bed and passed away that morning a couple of hours later. My grandma — strong, level headed, stubborn, deeply religious — had outlived two husbands and raised seven children (my mom being the youngest). She was gone, just like that.

Grandma was a child of the 1920s. She was born in Protection, Kansas, in 1914. She died in Grand Junction, Colorado, in 1990. She married my grandpa in September of 1931 when she was 17 and he was 28. She married during the Great Depression (1929-1933).

My grandpa was a dairy farmer. He, my grandma and the children who were old enough milked the cows every morning and delivered milk to the surrounding community in the afternoon. My grandpa continued to deliver milk during the Great Depression, even to those who could not pay.

My grandparents were not well off by any means, but they had food and they all worked.

The saying, “what cannot be cured must be endured” is a quote from Robert Burton’s book “The Anatomy of Melancholy.” I never knew where my grandma got the quote until I discovered it in Burton’s book.

As I thought about the quote, and what it might have meant to my grandma, I realized that my “no nonsense” grandmother never complained about anything. I mean literally, nothing.

She was not always a glass half full person, but she never, ever looked at tragedy as the end.

In her life story you got a peek behind the curtain of this no “hogwash” woman.

As she is explaining the circumstances of her raising her seven children, she says, “even though I didn’t always say it I hope all my children realized how much I loved them.”

She had a hard time expressing feelings and probably viewed the expression of feelings as weakness.

I wish I could have told her that it’s OK to express what you feel, but I never got the chance. There is another memorable, deeply touching passage in her life story.

The passage is about a mother mouse.

As my grandmother tells the story, “mice were always a problem on the farm and in the farmhouse. We did our best to rid the house and farm of these nasty vermin. One early morning I was in the kitchen and noticed a mouse running across the floor. I went to get my broom to kill it. When I got my broom there it was again, scampering across the floor, but this time it had a baby mouse in its mouth. This little mother mouse paused, and just looked at me for a moment, as if to say, ‘go ahead do your worst,’ then it ran to the other side of the kitchen. I was astonished to say the least. But what happened next was even more astonishing. I watched as this little mother mouse run three more times across the floor and retrieve three more babies all the while looking at me. I couldn’t bring myself to kill it. I thought if this little mouse was brave enough to risk being killed to retrieve its babies, it deserved to live.”

The story made me well up with tears as I envisioned this little mouse braving death, my grandmother standing there, broom at the ready, but stubbornly, and bravely, scampering across the floor time and time again to rescue her babies. My grandma, being the type of person that she was, admired bravery, perseverance, tenacity and hard work. It appears the little mother mouse reflected all of that to her. As I said, my grandmother rarely showed feelings, but here, from her own hand, was a rare glimpse of her caring heart.

Now back to her favorite phrase.

I see now that she used the phrase to convince herself that she could make it through anything. Extreme loss, horrific financial times, and at times, I am sure, struggles with depression. I find myself thinking about that phrase today in my own life. I take solace in the fact that sometimes I may not be able to do anything about some things I wish I could change. But just like grandma, I can endure it. Maybe you need to hear that as well.

Maybe we all need to hear the message, “what cannot be cured must be endured.”

It means you, me and everyone else will make it just like the little mother mouse if we endure. Persevere, keep going and don’t give up, even in the face or seemingly certain tragedy.

•••

Richard Stride is the current CEO of Cascade Community Healthcare. He can be reached at drstride@icloud.com.

NBFE's E.D. Publishes Comparison of Graduate-Level Training of Counselors, Social Workers, Psychologists, and Marriage and Family Therapists

Aaron Norton — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 04:11:28 GMT

The American Mental Health Counselors Association published an analysis comparing the graduate-level training of counselors, marriage and family therapists, social workers, and psychologists in The Advocate Magazine. Authored by NBFE's Executive Director, Dr. Aaron Norton, the article demonstrates tremendous overlap between the mental health professions, thought to support a conclusion that all mental health professions should have an equal place in the forensic mental health area. Click here to read the article.

AMHCA Publishes New Standards for Forensic Evaluators

Aaron Norton — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 17:54:43 GMT

The American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) and NBFE collaborated to create and publish a set of standards for knowledge and skills of mental health professionals specializing in forensic evaluations. This publication is a historic event, marking the first occasion in which a national counseling association has established standards for the specialty of forensic evaluation. The full copy of AMHCA's Standards for the Practice of Clinical Mental Health Counseling can be downloaded by clicking here (forensic evaluation standards can be found on page 38 through 40).

CFMHE Recognized for Contributions to Forensic Mental Health in Yahoo News

Aaron Norton — Wed, 02 Jun 2021 03:14:11 GMT

Kimberly Soban, Ph.D., LPC, a Certified Forensic Mental Health Evaluator (CFMHE) credentialed by NBFE, was recognized in a recent Yahoo News article for her contributions to forensic mental health evaluation:

"Soban is one of only four individuals in North Carolina — and one of only 122 in the country — to be certified through the National Board of Forensic Evaluators. 'You only have to look at the daily headlines and listen to the news to know the work she's doing is critical,' says MHA Director Ellen Cochran."

Read the full article by clicking here.

NBFE Partners with Louisiana Counseling Association (LCA)

Aaron Norton — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 03:21:46 GMT

The National Board of Forensic Evaluators is pleased to announced that the Louisiana Counseling Association has now been added to our list of professional partners. LCA members can now enjoy NBFE "members only" perks, such as free/complimentary attendance at select live NBFE webinar events, discounted "members only" rates for on-demand webinars and homestudies, and a discounted fee for the Certified Forensic Mental Health Evaluator (CFMHE) credential. Keep your eyes peeled for announcements about joint NBFE-LCA training events in the future!

CFMHE Publishes Research on the Role of Mental Health Problems in Mass Shooting

Aaron Norton — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 05:13:41 GMT

Dr. Rebecca Cowen, one of NBFE's Certified Forensic Mental Health Evaluators (CFMHEs), co-authored a study questioning whether the role of mental health problems in mass shootings has been underestimated. Dr. Cowen and her colleague, Dr. Adam Lankford, conducted statistical analyses of 171 mass shooters from 1966 to 2019. Their findings were published in the Journal of Threat Assessment and Management. Read it by clicking here.

NBFE Publishes Article on Psychopathy and Opioid Use Disorders from a Psychodynamic Perspective

Aaron Norton — Sun, 24 Jan 2021 21:07:27 GMT

Antisocial Personality Disorder and Opioid Use Disorder often co-occur, making differential diagnosis important. In this article, Dr. Norman Hoffman (NBFE's President and Founder), Dr. Valerie Watt (NBFE's Vice-President and Chair of the Oral Examination Committee), and Aaron Norton (NBFE's Executive Director) collaborated on a unique article that funnels differential diagnosis of these two pathologies through a psychodynamic lens. The article was published in the December 2020 issue of Counselor Magazine, a peer-reviewed professional magazine. Click here to read it!

Member Spotlight: Gilbert Robbins III, NBFE's First CFMHE

Aaron Norton — Mon, 28 Dec 2020 20:44:39 GMT

Member Spotlight: NBFE's First CFMHE

Gilbert Robbins III, LPC, MAC, SAP

On November 24, 2004, Gilbert Robbins III made history as the first mental health professional to ever be certified by NBFE. That's right--his certification number is 000001! Gilbert graduated from University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Master of Arts in Counseling in 1997 and is currently a doctoral candidate at the International Institute of Clinical Sexology. He has numerous professionalcertifications in the counseling profession, was appointed by the Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama in 1996 as Program Coordinator for the Birmingham Police Department's Domestic Violence Unit, and has worked in his private practice at The Counseling Center in Birmingham since 1998, where he provides psychotherapy, forensic consultation, forensic evaluation, psychological testing, and critical incident response. He has been deemed an expert witness in several Alabama Family Courts, State District Courts, and the Federal Court in Georgia, and he previously served as a contracted Independent Program Evaluator for the Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Click here for information on how to refer to him.

NBFE Executive Director Publishes Article on Clinician and Client Political Dysphoria During and After Elections

Aaron Norton — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 20:55:24 GMT

What a rough political season! Are you exhausted? Or maybe feeling self- righteous? What's it like to work with a client whose political ideology leaks into therapy room, especially when the client's political ideology is different than your own? How can clinicians help their clients to be reasonable with themselves, their loved ones, and others? What can help clinicians when they're frustrated during and after elections? Read more by clicking here. Also, watch a video recording of the author offering his perspective at AMHCA's Managing Values Conflicts Post-Election broadcast.

NBFE Executive Director Receives AMHCA's 2020 Public and Community Service Award

Aaron Norton — Wed, 28 Oct 2020 19:51:17 GMT

This award is intended to honor and recognize outstanding service contributing to the professional concerns of the American Mental Health Counselors Association and its members.

Watch a video recording of AMHCA's Award Ceremony by clicking here.

AMHCA Publishes NBFE Article on How Counselors Can Play a Role in Addressing Police Violence and Burnout

Aaron Norton — Wed, 07 Oct 2020 03:39:24 GMT

The death of George Floyd in May 2020, as well as numerous other violent and tragic encounters with police caught on camera, have sparked increased awareness and interest in police violence, racial injustice, and the need for police reform. In addition to implicit racial bias and systemic racism, police burnout has been cited as one contributor to police violence, and police burnout may be rising currently in relation to increased demands on police officers during periods of civil unrest, especially in larger metropolitan areas. Three of NBFE's Certified Forensic Mental Health Evaluators co-authored an article published in the Spring 2020 issue of the American Mental Health Counselors Association's The Advocate Magazine on how clinical mental health counselors can play a role in addressing this issue. Click here to read it!

NBFE Staff Provide Guidance on COVID-19 Resources for Mental Health Professionals

Aaron Norton — Sat, 04 Jul 2020 22:46:47 GMT

In the newly released Spring-Summer issue of The Advocate Magazine, the official magazine of the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), NBFE Southern Regional Director Ekom Essien and Executive Director Aaron Norton published articles providing mental health professionals with guidance, resources, and important practices related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to access the COVID-19 section of the magazine.

NBFE Director Publishes Article Unveiling Decision Matrix for Medical Marijuana as Cover Story in The Advocate Magazine

Aaron Norton — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 00:17:27 GMT

for clinical mental health counselors. An online version of the decision matrix can be accessed by clicking here. In addition to this resource, NBFE has for clinical mental health counselors. In addition to this resource, NBFE has provided an "on demand" webinar with additional information on this topic, which you can access here.

Three Reasons You Should Specialize in Forensic Mental Health Evaluation

Aaron Norton — Sat, 04 May 2019 03:08:33 GMT

NBFE's Executive Director, Aaron Norton, recently published an article in The Advocate Magazine, the official magazine of the American Mental Health Counselors Association, detailing three reasons why clinical mental health counselors should consider specializing in forensic mental health evaluation. This article is a great resource to share with colleagues who are interested in this area of specialization. Click here to read it.

Marchman Act Article for Florida Clinicians

Aaron Norton — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 03:03:14 GMT

Joseph Considine, an attorney in Florida, recently shared an article with NBFE that he believes will be helpful for clinicians and evaluators in Florida in clarifying the Marchman Act, a law that is used to order mandated treatment for Floridians whose substance abuse poses a serious risk to self or others. Read the article by clicking here.

NBFE Article on Addressing Client Requests for Emotional Support Animal Letters Published in The Advocate Magazine

Aaron Norton — Sat, 15 Dec 2018 02:26:34 GMT

The Advocate Magazine, the official magazine of the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), has published an article penned by NBFE Executive Director Aaron Norton on how to address client requests for emotional support animal letters. To read the full article, click here.

Insights form the Past: 1966 Music Therapy Article Written by NBFE Founder

Aaron Norton — Sun, 04 Nov 2018 17:33:31 GMT

Dr. Norman Hoffman, the Founder of NBFE, is truly a talented and remarkable clinician. In addition to his forensic expertise, he is a skilled jazz musician. In the 60s, he conducted breakthrough therapeutic work children with developmental and mental disorders.

Click here to read his article published in 1966 in Forum (Devereaux) on several music therapy case study.

NBFE President and Vice President Publish Psychopathy Article in Counselor Magazine

Aaron Norton — Sun, 04 Nov 2018 17:27:07 GMT

NBFE President Dr. Norman Hoffman and Vice-President Dr. Valerie Watt co-wrote an article on interviewing individuals with psychopathic traits in Counselor Magazine. Click here to read Part1, and click here to read Part 2.

NBFE Executive Director Publishes Research on Political Ideologies of Counselors

Aaron Norton — Wed, 26 Sep 2018 02:33:50 GMT

NBFE Executive Director Aaron Norton recently published research on the relationship between political ideologies of clinical mental health counselors and their preferred counseling theories in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, a peer-reviewed journal of the APA. Read the article abstract here.

NBFE President and Vice-President Published in Counselor Magazine on Interviewing Psychopathic Individuals

Aaron Norton — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 03:25:06 GMT

NBFE President and Founder Dr. Norman Hoffman and Vice-President Dr. Valerie Watt were published in the latest issue of Counselor Magazine: The Magazine for Addiction and Behavioral Health Professionals for a feature on "Interviewing the Psychopath." Read it by clicking here, and watch out for part 2 in next month's issue!

AMHCA Recognizes NBFE's Contributions to Forensic Section of Code of Ethics

Aaron Norton — Mon, 27 Aug 2018 19:21:55 GMT

Joel Miller, the Executive Director of the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), wrote a letter to Dr. Norman Hoffman, President and Founder of the National Board of Forensic Evaluators, on 8/27/18 thanking Dr. Hoffman and NBFE for its contributions to the "Forensic Activity" section of the 2015 revision of AMHCA's Code of Ethics, as NBFE played a vital role in revising section content. Additionally, Miller recognized NBFE's Executive Director, Aaron Norton, for his keynote presentation at AMHCA's 2018 annual conference. Click here to read the letter.

NBFE Founder & President, Dr. Norman Hoffman, contributed substantially to revisions of forensic section of AMHCA Code of Ethics

Attendees at Keynote Address, AMHCA Annual Conference, 8/2/18

NBFE E.D. Aaron Norton Presenting Keynote Address

Article on Emotional Support Animal Assessment Written by NBFE Director Published in FMHCA Newsletter

Aaron Norton — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 23:51:22 GMT

The Florida Mental Health Counselors Association (FMHCA) published an article entitled "What LMHCs in Florida Should Know About Requests for Emotional Support Animals" written by NBFE Executive Director Aaron Norton in its June 2018 newsletter. Click here to read the article.

NBFE Director Published in Advocate Magazine on Professional Journey of Clinical Mental Health Counselors

Aaron Norton — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 00:35:50 GMT

NBFE Executive Director Aaron Norton, who was recently elected as the Southern Regional Director of the American Mental Health Counselors Association, was published in The Advocate Magazine, outlining the professional journey of clinical mental health counselors and drawing attention to the importance of professional advocacy.

Click here to read more.

Counselor Magazine Publishes NBFE President's Article on Hoffman Organicity Test

Aaron Norton — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 23:06:21 GMT

Dr. Norman Hoffman, the Founder and President of NBFE, developed the Hoffman Organicity Test (HOT), which aids clinicians in differentiating between organic brain disorders and psychotic disorders. Counselor Magazine published a two-part article series on this helpful clinical tool. Click on either link below to read the articles:

A Test to Differentiate Between Organic Brain Disorder, Nonorganic Brain Disorder, and Schizophrenia, Part I (October 2017)

A Test to Differentiate Between Organic Brain Disorder, Nonorganic Brain Disorder, and Schizophrenia, Part II (December 2017)

NBFE Proudly Announces Marketing & Development Committee Co-Chair

Aaron Norton — Fri, 21 Oct 2016 20:02:27 GMT

The National Board of Forensic Evaluators (NBFE) is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Stephen Giunta as Co-Chair of our Marketing & Development Committee. Dr. Giunta is the Past President of the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) and the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association (FMHCA). Dr. Giunta is the Clinical Supervisor for Troy University's Tampa Bay campus. He maintains a private practice in Clearwater, Florida, where he provides clinical supervision for registered mental health counselor interns, custody evaluations, and post-divorce family counseling.

Dr. Giunta will work with our other Co-Chair of Marketing & Development, Gale Macke. Gale is the CEO and Executive Director of the Licensed Professional Counselors Association of Georgia.

Social Security Administration (SSA) Clarifies that Counselors Can Evaluate for Disability

Aaron Norton — Fri, 21 Oct 2016 18:35:15 GMT

On 9/26/16, the Social Security Administration (SSA) released a revision to their public rules that goes into effect 1/17/17. In this revision, SSA clarifies that counselors and social workers are qualified to provide diagnostic records to SSA related to disability cases. These additions and revisions include:

(1) SSA rejected comments from medical organizations that sought to clarify that counselors, social workers, and other non-physician healthcare providers should not be able to provide diagnostic records for disability. SSA clarified, "We did not adopt the recommendations. Our recognition of non-physician health care providers as other medical sources of evidence is not a new rule; see §§ 404.1513(d) and 416.913(d). The list of these other medical sources in our regulations is not all-inclusive, and our mention of licensed clinical social workers and clinical mental health counselors in final 12.00C2 is appropriate, given their roles in the treatment of people with mental disorders in both private and public settings. We believe that these other medical professionals—because they typically see patients regularly—are important sources of the evidence we need to assess the severity of a person’s mental disorder and the resulting limitations in the person’s mental disorder and the resulting limitations in the person’s functioning" (p. 66142).

(2) SSA clarified that social workers and counselors can provide diagnostic records relevant to mental disorders:

"Evidence from medical sources. We will consider all relevant medical evidence about your disorder from your physician, psychologist, and other medical sources, which include health care providers such as physician assistants, psychiatric nurse practitioners, licensed clinical social workers, and clinical mental health counselors. Evidence from your medical sources may include:

a. Your reported symptoms.

b. Your medical, psychiatric, and psychological history.

c. The results of physical or mental status examinations, structured clinical interviews, psychiatric or psychological rating scales, measures of adaptive functioning, or other clinical findings.

d. Psychological testing, imaging results, or other laboratory findings.

e. Your diagnosis.

f. The type, dosage, and beneficial effects of medications you take.

g. The type, frequency, duration, and beneficial effects of therapy you receive.

h. Side effects of medication or other treatment that limit your ability to function.

i. Your clinical course, including changes in your medication, therapy, or other treatment, and the time required for therapeutic effectiveness.

j. Observations and descriptions of how you function during examinations or therapy.

k. Information about sensory, motor, or speech abnormalities, or about your cultural background (for example, language or customs) that may affect an evaluation of your mental disorder.

l. The expected duration of your symptoms and signs and their effects on your functioning, both currently and in the future.

A statement from the American Mental Health Counselors Association focused on the ability of mental health counselors to test for and diagnose intellectual disorders: "The ability to diagnosis someone with an intellectual disability (IQ, learning etc.) is within the purview of a licensed clinical mental health counselor, if they may administer intellectual aptitude exams. Manyclinical mental health counselors have been trained or can be trained to administer and interpret such exams, as it is usually a course of psychological tests and assessments specific to clinical mental health counseling. Ethically, it is incumbent upon a licensed professional who administers the test that he or she is trained and received supervision in their use."

CFMHE Quoted in Article on Gangs

Aaron Norton — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 23:33:05 GMT

Lisa Taylor Austin-Smith, a CFMHE known for her expertise in street gangs, was recently quoted in an article on the street gang recruitment of youth who immigrate illegally into the United States. Read the article here.

Lisa Taylor-Austin, LPC, LMHC, CFMHE

NBFE Announces New Advisory Board Member

Aaron Norton — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 23:26:03 GMT

NBFE is pleased to announce that the Honorable Judge Daniel Wilensky has been named the newest member of NBFE's advisory board. Judge Wilensky serves in the 4th Judicial Circuit in Florida. Read more about him here.

The Honorable Judge Daniel Wilensky receiving his "Advocate of the Year" award in 2010.

CFMHE Successfully Advocates for Fair Testing

Aaron Norton — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 23:42:32 GMT

The National Board of Forensic Evaluators (NBFE) commends Michael Holler, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida, for his successful advocacy for fair access to psychological tests in Florida.

Michael and his attorney filed a petition for a declaratory statement to Florida's Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, & Clinical Social Work (a.k.a. the "491 board") on 6/24/16. The petition asked the board to clarify whether Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHCs) can administer psychological tests.

The board denied Michael's request on 9/6/16. At first glance, this would seem to be a defeat for those advocating for fair access to tests, but an exploration of the board's reason for the denial reveals an important success for counselors, social workers, and marriage and family therapists who conduct forensic mental health evlauations.

The Board reasoned that Florida statutes clearly indicate that the practice of mental health counseling in Florida "includes methods of a psychological nature used to evaluate, assess, diagnose, and treat emotional and mental dysfunctions or disorders..." In other words, because the law is already clear on the ability of LMHCs to conduct psychological tests, there is no need for a declaratory statement.

Michael Holler, LMHC, CFMHE, CCCE

Michael is the Past President of the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association (FMHCA), and was the 49th evaluator to earn the Certified Forensic Mental Health Evaluator (CFMHE) credential in the U.S. He was also among the first group of CFMHEs to earn NBFE's Certified Child Custody Evaluator (CCCE) credential. He took it upon himself to advocate successfully for fair access to tests in Florida, and we commend him for it.

Thanks, Michael!

Read the details of the Board's declaration here.

View NBFE's analysis and position paper on the question of whether or not licensed counselors can administer and interpret psychological tests here.

Counselors CAN Administer and Interpret Psychological Tests

Aaron Norton — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 01:20:02 GMT

Can Licensed Mental Health Counselors Administer and Interpret Psychological Tests?

ANALYISIS AND POSITION PAPER BY

THE NATIONAL BOARD OF FORENSIC EVALUATORS

The National Board of Forensic Evaluators (NBFE) adopts the position that appropriately trained licensed mental health counselors may administer and interpret psychological tests, a viewpoint consistent with various state licensure boards including Florida, the state the NBFE is headquartered in, which declared that licensed mental health counselors, clinical social workers, and marriage and family therapists “may administer and interpret such tests as long as they have received the appropriate training, and thus, are qualified to perform such procedures.” We support the efforts of organizations such as the National Fair Access Coalition on Testing that advocate for “the protection and support of public access to professionals and organizations who have demonstrated competence in the administration and interpretation of assessment instruments, including psychological tests.”

Our position is based on four premises: (1) Counselors have always been experts in testing; (2) Testing is within the scope of practice of counselors; (3) Counselors meet the standards of test manufacturers; and (4) It is impractical and unethical to prohibit counselors from administering and interpreting tests.

FACT: COUNSELORS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN EXPERTS IN TESTING

The counseling profession began in the late 1890s and early 1900s. The first professional counselors were vocational guidance counselors who specialized in the administration and interpretation of various tests, including intelligence and aptitude tests. We believe Newsome & Gladding (2014) put it well when they wrote that the first counselors “quickly embraced psychometrics to gain a legitimate foothold in psychology” (p. 7) . Counselors have continued to administer and interpret such tests up to the present day.

FACT: TESTING IS WITHIN THE SCOPE OF PRACTICE OF COUNSELORS

There is a consensus within the counseling profession that testing is within the scope of practice of professional counselors.

The primary counselor education accrediting body is the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP). CACREP’s 2016 education standards refer to the expectation that all accredited counseling degree programs teach counselors to administer and interpret tests:

Section 2: Professional Counseling Identity

Subsection: Counseling Curriculum

The eight common core areas represent the foundational knowledge required of all entry-level counselor education graduates. Therefore, counselor education programs must document where each of the lettered standards listed below is covered in the curriculum.

7. ASSESSMENT AND TESTING

a)       historical perspectives concerning the nature and meaning of assessment and testing in counseling
b)       methods of effectively preparing for and conducting initial assessment meetings
c)       procedures for assessing risk of aggression or danger to others, self-inflicted harm, or suicide
d)       procedures for identifying trauma and abuse and for reporting abuse
e)       use of assessments for diagnostic and intervention planning purposes
f)        basic concepts of standardized and non-standardized testing, norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessments, and group and individual assessments
g)       statistical concepts, including scales of measurement, measures of central tendency, indices of variability, shapes and types of distributions, and correlations
h)       reliability and validity in the use of assessments
i)         use of assessments relevant to academic/educational, career, personal, and social development
j)         use of environmental assessments and systematic behavioral observations
k)       use of symptom checklists, and personality and psychological testing
l)         use of assessment results to diagnose developmental, behavioral, and mental disorders
m)   ethical and culturally relevant strategies for selecting, administering, and interpreting assessment and test results

The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) is the first and largest certifying body in the United States for professional counselors. The credential NBCC has established for clinical mental health counselors is Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC). In order for this credential to be awarded to a counselor, the counselor must have been educated on the administration of psychological tests . In addition, counselors must pass the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE), which includes test items on the administration of psychological tests for purposes of assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning .

The American Counseling Association (ACA) is the largest association representing counselors in the United States. The ACA identifies “the administration of assessments, tests, and appraisals” as a primary component of the scope of professional counseling. The ACA’s most recent Code of Ethics refers repeatedly to the ability of counselors to administer and interpret tests, provided that counselors are appropriately trained in the tests they utilize.

The American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) is a division of the ACA that exclusively represents clinical mental health counselors. AMHCA’s published standards for clinical mental health counseling clarify that mental health counselors are expected to be trained in clinical assessment and testing. Like the ACA, AMHCA’s 2015 Code of Ethics refers to the ability of counselors to administer and interpret psychological tests provided that counselors are appropriately trained.

From 2005 to 2013, the 31 major counseling associations, organizations, and certifying bodies met to arrive at a consensus for the definition and scope of practice for professional counseling. The scope of practice they adopted includes “Assessment: The practice of counseling includes the administration and interpretation of assessments for appraisal, diagnosis, evaluation, and referral determination to help establish individualized counseling plans and goals that may include the treatment of individual with emotional, mental, and physical disorders.”

FACT: COUNSELORS MEET THE STANDARDS OF TEST MANUFACTURERS

Licensed counselors meet the criteria for the highest qualification levels of the three most popular psychological test distributors in the United States.

Level C is the highest qualification level established by Psychological Assessment Resources (PAR). This level of qualification requires “an advanced professional degree that provides appropriate training in the administration and interpretation of psychological tests, or license or certification from an agency that requires appropriate training and experience in the ethical and competent use of psychological tests.” Because licensed counselors must have a minimum of a Master’s degree, which is an advanced professional degree, and because CACREP- and CACREP-equivalent counselor education programs require training in the administration and interpretation of psychological tests, licensed counselors meet PAR’s criteria for qualification level C and are commonly certified as such by PAR.

Similar to PAR, Pearson Clinical drafted a Level C qualification policy for tests administered in the category of clinical psychology requiring that evaluators earn a “doctorate degree in psychology, education, or closely related field with formal training in the ethical administration, scoring, and interpretation of clinical assessments related to the intended use of the assessment OR licensure or certification to practice in your state in a field related to the purchase OR certification by or full active membership in a professional organization (such as APA, NASP, NAN, INS) that requires training and experience in the relevant area of assessment.” At first glance, readers may deduce that Pearson Clinical requires test administrators to earn a doctoral degree. However, Pearson emphasizes the word “or” repeatedly in their policy through bold print and/or capitalized letters to denote that an evaluator need only meet one of the listed criteria. Because licensed mental health counselors are licensed, and in some cases certified, to practice mental health counseling in their respective states, the second criterion should be met by all licensed mental health counselors. In addition, some counselors will meet the first and third criteria depending on education level and association membership.

Western Psychological Services (WPS) provides two advanced qualification levels. Level C permits an evaluator to purchase “all products except advanced psychiatric instruments and advanced neuropsychological instruments” and requires evaluators to have “a master’s degree (MA, MS, MSW, CAGS) in psychology, school counseling, occupational therapy, speech–language pathology, social work, education, special education, or related field.” Again, licensed mental health counselors meet this criterion because they hold master’s degrees in a related occupation. Level N is the highest level designated by WPS, allowing purchase of all tests. This level requires “a doctoral degree (PhD, PsyD, MD) in psychology or related field or MA (psychologist, social worker) a master’s degree (MA, MS, MSW) in fields listed above and at least a weekend workshop on neuropsychological assessment.” Many but not all licensed mental health counselors will meet these guidelines. Specifically, counselors who hold a doctoral degree in a related field meet the criteria, as well as master’s-level counselors who have completed at least a couple days of additional training in neuropsychological evaluation.

PREVENTING COUNSELORS FROM ADMINISTERING AND INTERPRETING PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS WOULD BE IMPRACTICAL AND UNETHICAL.

The demand for evidence-based practices and treatment approaches continues to rise in the United States. Third party payers and authorities in the behavioral healthcare sector continue to appply pressure to providers to offer evidence substantiating diagnoses and treatment methods, as well as efforts to measure response to behavioral health interventions. Increasingly, testing provides an integral source of data to comply with these standards of care. Testing aids counselors in formulating a diagnosis, planning treatment, and measuring client progress.

According to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, counselors comprise the largest percentage of the U.S. behavioral healthcare workforce in the National Provider Identifier database, which all healthcare providers are required to register with in order to accept insurance.

To deny the largest sector of the U.S. behavioral healthcare workforce the opportunity to administer and interpret psychological tests is illogical. It implies that licensed mental health counselors are qualified to treat mental disorders but not to diagnose them nor evaluate the efficacy of their treatment approaches. This practice is akin to expecting a physician to diagnose and treat hypertension without allowing the physician to measure a patient’s blood pressure.

Counselors cannot be expected to treat what they cannot objectively diagnose or measure. Ultimately, such a practice would negatively impact client care. Thus, NBFE views any efforts to restrict the rights of counselors from administering and interpreting psychological tests as potentially harmful to clients and therefore unethical.

A CALL TO ACTION FOR FAIR TESTING PRACTICES

The National Board of Forensic Evaluators calls on state legislatures, licensing boards, and authorities in all disciplines of the mental health profession to advocate for laws, rules, and policies that protect the rights of all appropriately-trained licensed mental health professionals to administer and interpret psychological tests. We also encourage licensed mental health counselors to seek ongoing training in this area that exceeds the that which they received in graduate school. Counselors should abide by ethical guidelines that require that they be appropriately trained on any test they administer.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL BOARD OF FORENSIC EVALUATORS

The National Board of Forensic Evaluators (NBFE) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing quality training and certification of all licensed mental health professionals (e.g., counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists) in the specialty area of forensic mental health evaluation. NBFE is a proud partner of the American Mental Health Counselors Association and several other state, local, and international organizations in the mental health field. To learn more about NBFE, visit www.nbfe.net.

Position paper authored by Aaron Norton, Executive Director of NBFE, edited by Dr. Norman Hoffman, President and Founder of NBFE, and approved by the NBFE Board of Directors 8/15/16.

Foster, S.J. (2000, February 4). Letter to Judge Roger McDonald

National Fair Access Coalition on Testing (n.d.). The National Fair Access Coalition on Testing Mission. Retrieved from http://www.fairaccess.org/home.html.

Newsome, D.W. & Gladding, S.T. (2014). Clinical Mental Health Counseling in Community and Agency Settings (4th ed.). Boston: Merrill.

CACREP (2016). 2016 CACREP Standards. Retrieved from http://www.cacrep.org/section-3-professional-practice/.

NBCC (2016). Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor. Retrieved from http://www.nbcc.org/Certification/CertifiedClinicalMentalHealthCounselor/.

NBCC (2016). Content covered in the NCMHCE. Retrieved from http://www.nbcc.org/InnerPageLinks/ContentCoveredInTheNCMHCE.

ACA (2016). Endorsed scope of practice for professional counseling. Retrieved from https://www.counseling.org/about-us/about-aca/aca-media-center.

ACA (2014). 2014 ACA Code of Ethics. Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/docs/ethics/2014-aca-code-of-ethics.pdf?sfvrsn=4.

AMHCA (2016). AMHCA Standards for the Practice of Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Alexandria, VA: AMHCA.

AMHCA (2015). Code of Ethics. Retrieved from http://www.amhca.org/?page=codeofethicsia.

20/20 Task Force (2013). Meeting notes from Delegates meeting.

PAR (2012). Qualification levels. Retrieved from http://www4.parinc.com/Supp/Qualifications.aspx.

Pearson (2016). Clinical Psychology Qualifications Policy. Retrieved from http://www.pearsonclinical.com/psychology/qualifications.html.

WPS (n.d.). Qualification Guidelines. Retrieved from http://www.wpspublish.com/store/Qualification_Guidelines%20V3.pdf

American Psychological Association (2014, September). What percentage of the nation’s behavioral health providers are psychologists? Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/09/datapoint.aspx.

Counselor Starts Group to Train, Evaluate Experts

Fri, 22 Jul 2016 17:55:15 GMT

Counselor Starts Group to Train, Evaluate Experts

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New Credential to Open (Courtroom) Doors for Counselors

Fri, 22 Jul 2016 17:05:23 GMT

New Credential to Open (Courtroom) Doors for Counselors

BY LAURIE L. HAYES

FOR COUNSELING TODAY

SEPTEMBER 2004

ACA, NBFE partnership creates opportunities for counselors to provide forensic evaluation, testimony

Psychological forensic evaluations have long fallen under the domain of psychiatrists and psychologists, and credentialing bodies have catered to these professionals in providing the necessary training and certification. As a result, more than 200,000 licensed mental health professionals (excluding psychiatrists/psychologists) in the United States have been virtually shut out of this interesting and potentially quite profitable niche of the mental health field.

Recognizing this, the American Counseling Association and the National Board of Forensic Evaluators have formed a partnership to provide a credible and professionally recognized forensic training/certification process for licensed counselors and other mental health professionals.

"NBFE was officially established in 2003 and originated from a specialty certification training program developed by licensed mental health professionals, physicians and practicing family attorneys," said Norman Hoffman, a licensed marriage and family therapist, mental health counselor, certified assessor for the Florida State Department of Children and Families, and president of NBFE's advisory board.

Other board members include licensed marriage and family therapists, attorneys, licensed mental health counselors, licensed social workers, licensed psychologists, certified assessors by the Department of Children and Families, clergy, physicians and certified hypnotherapists.

NBFE purpose, Hoffman said, is to enhance skills of licensed mental health professionals who, traditionally, have not been recognized in the forensic arena by the public or private sector.

"This really is going to be a growing field for counselors," he said. "Especially because, more and more, the mental health field is diminishing as HMOs require more work for less money by practitioners."

Mental health professionals in the forensic arena don't deal with insurance companies, Hoffman said, noting that the field can be "quite lucrative." What's more, since he entered the forensic arena, he has seen the scope of his practice expand exponentially and finds his work more fulfilling - so much so that he now devotes 90 percent of his time to forensic work.

"The legal community will also be delighted by the addition of counselors to the pool of potential forensic evaluators," Hoffman said. "Lawyers are looking desperately for people who can offer expert psychological testimony."

Until now, that pool has been relatively limited. Hoffman noted that the American Board of Forensic Psychology, established in 1978, restricts its membership candidates to those with doctoral degrees in

psychology accredited by the American Psychological Association, Canadian Psychological Association or other programs meeting designated criteria specific to psychologists.

Similarly, he said, in order to become a forensic psychiatrist, one must first become a board certified psychiatrist, graduate from medical school, perform a year-long internship and meet other closely related regulations that are governed by criteria specific to psychiatry.

Before the establishment of NBFE, according to Hoffman, the only way for counseling professionals to obtain forensic credentials was through suspect organizations "that basically would credential anybody."

As a testament to the rigors of NBFE's credentialing process, ACA recently went public with its endorsement of the program and has formed a partnership with the group. One of the benefits of this arrangement is that ACA members will receive a reduced rate on the cost of the training/certification process.

ACA members are eligible for a 40 percent discount when applying for NBFE credentials as a Forensic Psychological Evaluator. This represents a savings of $320 off the cost of the application and written and oral exams. In addition, for those members who become NBFE credentialed as a Forensic Psychological Evaluator, ACA will grant 15 CEUs (15 contact hours) toward license and/or certification renewal.

"We are really excited about this partnership," said David Kaplan, associate executive director for professional affairs at ACA. "It opens up a whole new niche for professional counselors."

"Testifying in court as an expert witness has, until now, been the realm of the psychologist and psychiatrist," Kaplan continued. "But with the excellent training opportunities and credentialing process offered by NBFE, counselors will also be able to provide this service."

"We view this as one more valuable service we can offer our membership," Kaplan added "ACA members can become certified to offer this new type of service while saving nearly three times the cost of their annual membership."

"The partnership with NBFE gives ACA members one more opportunity to specialize and pursue an alternative interest," said Samuel Gladding, ACA president. "And in this current climate of legal proceedings many of which surround issues related to counseling, "this specialized' training will enhance both the skills and reputation of counseling professionals."

According to Hoffman, in order to attain NBFE board certification as a Forensic Psychological Evaluator, ACA members and other applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements: a completed application and processing fee; a minimum of a state license/certification to practice mental health counseling, marriage and family counseling, social work, or a related license or certificate approved by the state's licensing board to practice psychotherapy; and a minimum of three years of post-licensed/certified experience.

Applicants must also have completed a minimum of 40 hours of substantiated documentation in classes, workshops, seminars, supervision, published professional works, etc., focusing on forensic psychological assessment, sexual offenders, domestic violence, expert witness, ethical issues, fan1ily law, introduction to essentials of forensic assessment, child custody evaluations, assessment in personal injury, malingering, competency to stand trial, civil comn1itment, juvenile justice and substance abuse.

Hoffman noted that experience in providing expert testimony, depositions, divorce and fan1ily mediation, competency evaluations will be considered, if there is a verifiable case number and court reference accompanying the application.

In addition, those seeking certification must have three professional references who can validate the their ethical and moral standards as well as pertinent clinical skills and abilities.

Upon meeting these qualifications, a written examination will be required to assess the depth and breadth of the candidate's forensic knowledge.

Upon candidacy eligibility and payment of examination fees, a comprehensive study guide will be provided by NBFE. A practice sample review and oral examination will complete the certification process.

In addition to establishing the partnership with NBFE that qualifies ACA members for the discount, Hoffman noted that ACA has recognized and approved NBFE's workshops and home studies for its members.

NBFE is part of the Counseling and Psychotherapy Center (CPC), which is approved by the Board of Clinical Social Work Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling as a provider of continuing education. As such, Hoffman said, "We maintain the highest level of expertise and professionalism."

The senior clinicians at CPC researched and developed all program materials, according to Hoffman. He noted that CPC ensures the integrity of the programs and considered the level of the needs of the target audience in developing appropriate educational goals and learning objectives. The courses of study meet the high-quality standards required for continuing education for clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists and professional counselors.

CPC clinicians have provided face-to-face seminars and workshops for years, Hoffman said, but they are now focused on bringing the training to the practitioners. "While CPC will maintain the faculty and resources necessary to assist its students in developing and enhancing their capabilities, skills and effectiveness in their chosen professions, we have also made it possible, through homestudy, to serve the continuing educational needs of the licensed working professionals," he said. In addition, Kaplan noted that arrangements are underway for NBFE to offer a two-day workshop prior to the ACA convention in Atlanta this coming April. ACA members who participate will be awarded 15 contact hours. A written exam will be offered on the second day.

Hoffman admits that the field of forensics is not for everyone. He anticipates that between 5 and 10 percent of counseling professionals might have an interest in going to court. "It takes a real 'Type A; personality," he said. "You've got to have an interest in how the legal system meshes with the mental health profession and enough control of your ego that you are not so tied to one way of looking at things."

"Good verbal skills are also essential," Hoffman added. "You're performing (for) a whole new audience, and you must be able to articulate clear thoughts without resorting to a lot of psychobabble."

Another big difference between forensic and more traditional mental health practice is the limited scope of the evaluations. "There is a limit on the involvement with the individual," Hoffman said.

"For the purposes of the court, you are there to extract as much psychological information as possible. So while you use the same counseling skills (that you have always used) to make that connection, once you have gathered enough information to make an evaluation, your involvement is over."

Because of this, Hoffman said, it's much less draining on the counselor particularly those who have been prone to what he terms "compassion fatigue."

"Counselors, especially those in private practice, are always looking for new ways to market their services as well as to round out their practices," Kaplan said. For those who meet the criteria, he said, forensic work could be just the ticket for achieving this.

"Forensics is still very new to most. ACA members," noted Gladding. "But this partnership may create an interest. It really opens up a door for the counseling profession."

Counselors who are interested in learning more about becoming a forensic evaluator can go the NBFE website at www.nbfe.net or contact Hoffman via e-mail at nbfe@nbfe.net.

Shake-Up Inside Forensic Credentialing Org

Fri, 22 Jul 2016 16:57:20 GMT

Shake-Up Inside Forensic Credentialing Org

The nation’s largest forensic expert college will sell its forensic accounting division, following a series of investigations by ProPublica and Frontline.

by Leah Bartos, Special to ProPublica April 11, 2014, 12:22 p.m.

There's been a major shake-up in one of the largest organizations that certifies forensic experts.

The group, the American College of Forensic Examiners Institute (ACFEI), quietly put up for sale its forensic accounting division — one of its most prominent programs — prompting the unanimous resignation of that division's entire advisory board. The volunteer accounting board oversaw ACFEI's certification program for experts in financial investigations.

The upheaval at ACFEI comes in the wake of a series of reports that have raised questions about the credibility of the organization's certification programs, notably the FRONTLINE/ProPublica joint investigation, The Real CSI, which examined the organization's rigor in certifying forensic experts.

Three of the board members who resigned say their efforts to bolster their division's credibility were being stymied.

"I don't think we were getting the support that we needed to carry out our duties. And from an ethical standpoint, the right thing to do is leave your position when you can't do what you're basically hired to do," said Michael Kessler, a past chair of the accounting board and member of ACFEI since 1994. Kessler and two other board members said they were never consulted about the sale and were left with no other choice but to resign in protest.

In a statement, ACFEI said it planned to spin off the forensic accounting program for reasons "related to organizational efficiency" and pledged to only sell it to a buyer that would maintain rigorous credentialing standards.

"The company can only develop excellence in so many directions at the same timeand is transferring ownership of the credential to accounting professionals to further strengthen it," the statement said.

ACFEI offers certification courses in various other aspects of forensics, including nursing, social work and criminal investigation, and the group has also established related associations offering coursework in other disciplines, including psychotherapy and integrative medicine. One of the associations, the American Board for Certification in Homeland Security, has garnered support from the U.S. Navy in recent years, which has paid more than $12 million for more than 10,000 sailors to obtain certifications from the ACFEI-affiliate since 2008.

It appears that troubles between ACFEI and the accounting division had been building for some time.

Last year, board members say they were surprised to learn that ACFEI had lost the rights to use a longstanding aspect of its brand, the acronym "Cr.FA" — which signifies Certified Forensic Accountant — as the result of a trademark lawsuit.

According to documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, ACFEI had failed to actively defend its ownership of the title, and essentially let it slip away.

After discovering the loss of the trademark six months after the fact, board members rushed to advise hundreds of forensic accountants around the country to remove the acronym from resumes and business cards. ACFEI did not respond to FRONTLINE's repeated requests for comment on the trademark litigation.

As FRONTLINE and ProPublica reported in The Real CSI, there are no national standards for forensic experts. Credentials such as the ones offered by ACFEI are voluntary, but they are often relied upon as a shortcut to assess the credibility of an expert witness at trial.

"It's up to the judge whether a witness is qualified as an expert — which is true —but when you take a look at the dockets, they're jammed," said Suzanne Hillman, a CPA who often testifies in financial fraud cases in the Washington, D.C. area. "You see certification, it gives you a little bit of a feeling of comfort."

Hillman said she sought ACFEI's Certified Forensic Accountant credential because, "I knew I had a wealth of experience and was seeking to add the credential that would, in essence, summarize that quickly." Hillman also joined ACFEI's forensic accounting board, but resigned at the end of 2013, similarly disillusioned with the organization.

Hillman has since removed Certified Forensic Accountant from her title.

She believes the lack of regulation on certifying experts damages the entire justice system. "To the judges, jurors and lawyers, I don't think the message has totally gotten out to them that there's problems with some of these credentials," Hillman said.

Jeannette Koger, vice president of member specialization and credentialing for the American Institute of CPAs said the lax standards also make it harder for people to know the quality of the experts they are hiring, often at a high price.

"This causes confusion in the marketplace and can potentially cause consumers great harm," Koger said in an email. "If they receive unqualified or poorly qualified representation their expert can be challenged in the courtroom, resulting in an adverse judgment."

Forensic Examiner in Corey Maye Trial Wasn't Board Certified

Fri, 22 Jul 2016 16:52:42 GMT

January 09, 2007

Forensic Examiner in Corey Maye Trial Wasn't Board Certified

From Hit and Run:

Hayne testified at Maye’s trial that he is “board certified” in forensic pathology, but he isn’t certified by the American Board of Pathology, the only organization recognized by the National Association of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Medical Specialties as capable of certifying forensic pathologists. According to depositions from other cases, Hayne failed the American Board of Pathology exams when he left halfway through, deeming the questions “absurd.” Instead, his C.V. indicates that he’s certified by two organizations, one of which (the American Board of Forensic Pathology) isn’t recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. The other (the American Academy of Forensic Examiners) doesn’t seem to exist. Judging from his testimony in other depositions, its likely Hayne meant to list the American College of Forensic Examiners. According to Hayne, the group certified him through the mail based on “life experience,” with no examination at all. Several forensics experts described the American College of Forensic Examiners to me as a “pay your money, get your certification” organization. A February 2000 article in the American Bar Association Journal makes similar allegations, with one psychologist who was certified through the group saying, "Everything was negotiable—for a fee.”

Reason has a summary of Maye's case. Police mistakenly knocked down Maye's door in a bungled search for a drug dealer who lived in am adjacent part of the duplex. Maye, not realizing it was police knocking down his door, shot and killed one of the officers. He was subsequently convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death, though his latest appeal removed him from death row.

It was a police foul up that put them in Maye's house that night, and as people have noted, if officers had accidentally killed Maye it's unlikely any of them would have gone to prison, much less death row. Wikipedia has more.

What Can We Do to Stop the Growth of Mass Shooting?

Fri, 22 Jul 2016 16:50:50 GMT

What Can We Do to Stop the Growth of Mass Shooting?

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‘Bad’ Kids Not Always the Parents’ Fault, Author Says

Fri, 22 Jul 2016 16:44:47 GMT

‘Bad’ kids not always the parents’ fault, author says

Some children are more likely than others to have problems

By Tom Holton

Staff writer – Hometown News Friday, March 23, 2007

ORMOND BEACH – Not all children are well behaved, adorable and loving, says Ormond Beach resident and clinical therapist Norman E. Hoffman, Ph.D. in his book, “Bad Children Can Happen to Good Parents.”

Some offspring can be unusually thoughtless, cruel and manipulative, he says.

Others can be charming experts at wheeling, dealing and exploiting their well-intentioned parents without any sense of guilt.

And, many “problem” children are “uncaring,” lacking a sense of remorse for their perceived misconduct and misbehavior, Hoffman writes in the preface to the recently published 157-page paperback.

The author, who has a full-time family therapy practice in Ormond and Daytona Beach, said he wrote the book to present a better understanding of “antisocial” behavior in children.

The term “bad” in the title refers to children with varying degrees of difficult behavior. Throughout the book, the author refers to youngsters with specific behavioral challenges as “uncaring” children.

Hoffman also wastes no time in informing readers he doesn’t buy the popular belief, “There are no bad children, only bad parents.”

“The trend in the United States has been to view children as basically good entities whose behavior is molded from a blueprint drawn by the architects of the family: the parents,” Hoffman writes. “In the past, when a child misbehaved we looked at the parents as the culprits.”

In the book, Hoffman, who earned doctorates in pastoral psychology and human service counseling, provides what he calls a “survival manual for parents with difficult children.”

“We have been taught to think that we are not providing proper care and love, that we lack listening skills and that our actions have possibly damaged or retarded our children’s normal development,” he writes.

Those beliefs often result in parents feeling guilt and a sense of hopelessness in dealing with their unresponsive children, the author says.

The author believes children often feel empowered by their parents’ extensive efforts to help them.

“As long as children hold power positions in the family system, the youngsters maintain control over the atmosphere, directions, goals and plans of the family,” Hoffman said.

A major breakdown occurs when parents are “reduced to pleading for their children to understand their feelings.”

Instead of being sympathetic and caring, the children take advantage of the situation by shifting the blame to their frustrated parents and, at the same time, demand more freedom and control, Hoffman said.

“These children are masters of fixing the blame on parents, siblings, teacher and peers,” he wrote.

Hoffman introduces the readers to the Uncaring Child Syndrome” and “Uncaring Children,” both used interchangeably to characterize children who don’t bond and become “disconnected from their caretakers.”

In Chapter 2, the author provides four profiles of how children project the uncaring child syndrome, including:

*The chameleons: Capable of changing their dispositions and habits; they take on the personalities of others and copy their ideas and ideals.

*The operators: Charming and ingratiating; experts at wheeling, dealing and conning parents and others; well-liked by their peers; relentlessly engage in deceptions for monetary gain.

*The hellbenders: Take unnecessary risks and are accident-prone; accidents waiting to happen.

*The transformers: Start out as the “good children,” but later becomes uncaring and disobedient.

In the first two chapters, readers can get the impression that there’s no hope for their “uncaring child,” but, in the remaining seven chapters, the author guides frustrated parents through a series of helpful processes.

“Bad Children Can Happen to Good Parents,” can be purchased online at Amazon.com.

For further information about the Hoffman Institute, go online at: www.TheHoffmanIntsitute.com

Norman E. Hoffman, Ph.D. of Ormond Beach, author of ‘Bad Children Can Happen to Good Parents,’ is a licensed marriage & family therapist and mental health counselor, as well as an accomplished jazz pianist. His first book, ‘Hear The Music! – A New Approach to Mental Health,’ followed his work at the nationally known Devereux Foundation in 1963, where he specialized as a music therapist for children.

NBFE Executive Director Named AMHCA's "Mental Health Counselor of the Year"

Aaron Norton — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 23:36:42 GMT

Aaron Norton, a CFMHE and Executive Director of NBFE, was awarded "Mental Health Counselor of the Year" by the American Mental Health Counselors Association at last week's annual conference in New Orleans.

Forensic Mental Health Evaluations and the Fine Line Between Sanity and Insanity

Fri, 03 Jun 2016 18:41:46 GMT

Forensic Mental Health Evaluations and the Fine Line Between Sanity and Insanity

A New York Times piece last month discussed Delawarean Toby Lopez: described in the first line of that piece as a “supremely ordinary guy.”

He was a car salesman in Wyoming, Delaware when – after a high school friend was killed in Afghanistan – began intense social media discussions with those who falsely claimed affiliation with the Islamic State terrorist organization.

What started out as a few naïve conversations turned into an obsessive flurry of communication that led him to quit his job, contact the FBI, and ultimately end up in jail facing charges and with his sanity in question.

He went through multiple mental health evaluations before finally being released, based on a third evaluation done by Dr. Kirk Heilbrun, a Drexel psychologist that deemed Lopez mentally competent.

While Lopez no longer faces charges -- he says the incident and evaluations involved have left him with a tarnished reputation and difficulty finding work.

Forensic mental health evaluations are quite different from diagnostic mental health evaluations.

Dr. Kirk Heilbrun says while the process has been refined over the years, there’s still room for improvement.

“It’s just a question of - for psychologists and psychiatrists - getting good at doing these kinds of evaluations and then for judges and attorney, recognizing that there are some who do it well, and some not so well and trying their best to get the ones that get the information that is best from the ones that do it well,” Heilbrun said

Psychologist Breaks Down What Incompetent Ruling Means

Thu, 02 Jun 2016 18:44:18 GMT

Psychologist Breaks Down What Incompetent Ruling Means

The judge's decision that Jimmy Snuka is not competent to stand trial comes after expert testimony, mental health evaluations, testimony from Snuka himself as well as from his wife. Prosecutors wanted the judge to see things differently. 69 News sat down with Dr. Robert Gordon, an expert in forensic psychology, who says the issue of competency boils down to a simple principle. "Competency is understanding the procedures factually and rationally," Dr. Gordon said. Dr. Gordon also says, without expertise, it is difficult to detect whether the person in question is lying to avoid the charges, or is actually not competent to stand trial. He also says those who fake it, otherwise known as malingerers, are typically detectable to a seasoned professional. "Malingerers overdo it, they ascribe to too many symptoms that the real person wouldn't, or incongruent symptoms that don't go a long with the actual diagnosis," Dr. Gordon said. While it is over for now, there are still more hurdles for Snuka's attorneys to overcome. There's another hearing to evaluate any changes in Snuka's competency six months from now. Dr. Gordon says the outcome of that could depend on the reason Snuka has been deemed incompetent to stand trial. "[If the testing shows a psychosis], with the right medication and treatment, he could be rehabilitated and competent to stand trial," Dr. Gordon said. "If the neuro site testing shows brain damage, you can't restore those lost neurons and then he can't be rehabilitated and competent to stand trial." According to Snuka's attorney, after a year and a half the judge would have to dismiss the charges if there is no change in Snuka's competency.