We are very excited to offer this in-person class through funds from the Children's Justice Act. If you meet the requirements of a Minnesota first responder or are part of an MDT (Multi-Disciplinary Team), you can qualify for FREE registration.
Conducting forensic interviews with adolescents can presents unique challenges and opportunities.
Adolescents are not children, and they are not adults. They may present in a perplexing, even off-putting manner. This can make conducting a person-centered, developmentally appropriate forensic interview seem elusive. However, it is not the adolescent that is the challenge, but the capacity of the interviewer to understand the unique factors impacting the functioning of the adolescent.
Laying a foundation with current research, this session will help to identify the issues of cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional development that influence the skills and abilities demonstrated by the adolescent in a forensic interview. It will also address the significant and sometimes unexpected impact of trauma on the adolescent. Understanding the effects of trauma, development, and life experience allows a shift in perspective, and expands the range of considerations about and within the forensic interview.
Combining research-based knowledge with practical experience, this session will offer unique strategies and techniques for meeting the needs of adolescents while maintaining the principles of a forensically-sound, person-centered approach.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of the session, participants will:
Capably differentiate biased assumptions from realistic expectations regarding the skills and abilities of adolescents as a whole.
Understand the possible impact of development, life experience and trauma on the presentation of an adolescent in the forensic interview.
Increase confidence, and strategies, for conducting person-centered and forensically sound interviews with adolescents.