This is the third of a three-part webinar series related to forensic mental health. Participants interested in this topic are encouraged to attend the series, but each presentation can be viewed independently and participation in one is not dependent on participation in other lectures in the series. Individuals with a serious mental illness (SMI) are at least three times more likely to be treated in a forensic setting than in a mainstream mental health setting, effectively making high-security settings the primary frontier for SMI treatment. Recovery-oriented, trauma-informed, person-centered, and evidence-based practices can and should be delivered in a way that is responsive to both therapeutics and security. This presentation will provide a brief overview of empirically-supported treatments for forensically-housed individuals with SMI, with a focus on cognitive behavioral therapies.

Learning Objectives

1. Learners will become familiar with national and international guidelines on the provision of care to individuals with serious mental illness who are housed in high-security settings.
2. Learners will be able to list the evidence-based psychosocial interventions indicated for this population.
3. Learners will hear about empirically-supported benefits of recovery-oriented, trauma-informed, person-centered, and evidence-based care to both the individual and system.
4. Learners will be able identify core considerations and strategies for delivering person-centered cognitive behavioral therapy to adults with a serious mental illness in high security settings.

Presenter

Sarah L. Kopelovich, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist with specialized training in serious mental illness and forensic psychology. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and serves as core faculty with the Center for Mental Health, Policy, and the Law (CMHPL), the SPIRIT Lab, the Northwest MHTTC, and the Washington State Center of Excellence in Early Psychosis. Dr. Kopelovich specializes in evidence-based psychotherapeutic treatments for schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders.