Creating a State-Academic Partnership to Advance a Forensic Teaching Service: Benefits and Barriers

Area of Science:

• Forensic Psychiatry
• Mental Health Services
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• A significant shortage of forensic mental health clinicians exists in Washington State.
• This deficit impacts the care of criminal justice-involved individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a proposal for a jointly sponsored forensic teaching service.
• To address the identified shortage of specialized mental health professionals.

Main Methods:

• Literature review on forensic mental health training.
• Surveys and interviews with forensic psychiatry and psychology training directors.
• Site visits to established multidisciplinary training programs.
• Focus groups with forensic clinicians and patients.

Main Results:

• Identified common benefits and barriers to establishing forensic teaching services.
• Gathered insights into the specific needs within Washington State's forensic settings.

Conclusions:

• Forensic teaching services are crucial for workforce development.
• Lessons learned can inform other states and programs developing similar initiatives.