About Forensic Interviewer Skill Building Beginner Cohort Training
Calling all forensic interviewers! Join our Forensic Interviewer Skill Building Cohort, where interviewers who have already completed a Nationally Accredited Forensic Interview Training can build upon the foundations of forensic interviewing and grow their skills through six 90-minute sessions over six months.
Learn alongside a cohort of peers and get in-depth presentations from our nationally recognized trainers and forensic interviewers. Throughout the six-month cohort, participants will discuss the APSAC Forensic Interviewing of Children Practice Guidelines while exploring six foundational topics essential to forensic interviewing. Sessions will focus on maintaining neutrality and recognizing interviewer suggestibility, incorporating cultural humility into forensic interviews, navigating interview planning and multidisciplinary team dynamics, understanding memory, trauma, and child development, strengthening approaches to interviewing adolescents and teens, and building confidence in defending your forensic interview when testifying in court.
Each session will combine research and best practices with facilitated discussion, peer learning, and opportunities for self-reflection. Before each monthly session, participants will receive information about the upcoming topic so they can reflect on their practice and come prepared with questions, challenges, and case scenarios relevant to the discussion. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from the experiences of other forensic interviewers, work through real-world challenges together, and build connections with peers in the field. Throughout the cohort, participants will strengthen their confidence and ability to make intentional, developmentally appropriate, research-informed, and defensible interviewing decisions.
REGISTER HERE
COST
*$500 for all 6 sessions. You cannot purchase individual sessions; you must purchase the entire package.
SCHOLARSHIPS
*Scholarships are available for Minnesota multidisciplinary team members through the Minnesota Children’s Alliance. See information here: Minnesota Children’s Alliance Scholarship Opportunity
SCHEDULE
Session 1: Foundations of Neutrality and Interviewer Suggestibility
January 12, 2027 – 2:00pm-3:30pm Central Time
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session participants will be able to:
- Explain the role of interviewer neutrality in promoting accurate, reliable, and defensible forensic interviews.
- Identify sources of bias that may influence interview planning, question formulation, and interpretation of children’s statements.
- Apply strategies to recognize and minimize suggestibility through both verbal and nonverbal communication.
Goal of Discussion:
- Differentiate between the interviewer being supportive and being suggestive during the interview process.
- Recognize how referral information and MDT discussions can influence interviewer bias.
- Identify examples of suggestive and leading behaviors within interviews.
- Reflect on personal experiences, assumptions, and professional perspectives that may influence interviewing practices.
Session 2: Cultural Humility in Forensic Interviewing
February 9, 2027 – 2:00pm-3:30pm Central Time
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session participants will be able to:
- Describe the role of cultural humility in building rapport and supporting effective forensic interviews.
- Identify cultural, religious, and identity-related factors that may influence a child’s disclosure process or create barriers to a child’s disclosure.
- Apply strategies that promote curiosity, respect, and flexibility while maintaining neutrality during forensic interviews.
Goal of Discussion:
- Differentiate cultural humility from cultural competence and recognize the importance of lifelong learning in cultural humility.
- Identify common cultural and community norms that may influence communication, authority relationships, and disclosure.
- Discuss blocks barriers that LGBTQ+ youth may experience when participating in forensic interviews.
- Recognize the influence of religious beliefs and family expectations on children’s willingness to disclose abuse.
- Reflect on personal assumptions/bias and identify strategies to minimize their impact on interviewing children who may be from that background or identity.
Session 3: Interview Planning and MDT Dynamics
March 9, 2027 – 2:00pm-3:30pm Central Time
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session participants will be able to:
- Evaluate pre-interview information in a manner that supports interview planning while minimizing bias.
- Apply strategies for maintaining professional independence when collaborating with multidisciplinary team members.
- Build confidence in responding to requests or pressures from MDT members that conflict with forensic interviewing best practices.
Goal of Discussion:
- Identify the purpose of and the pros/limitations of pre-interview information.
- Differentiate between information that assists with interview planning and information that may increase bias within the interview.
- Discuss effective communication strategies for declining requests to ask children questions that are not developmentally appropriate or consistent with forensic interviewing best practices.
- Recognize the forensic interviewer’s responsibility for the structure and quality of the interview and that they are the ones who ultimately must defend the interview in the court.
- Reflect on ways to advocate for best practice while maintaining positive multidisciplinary relationships.
Session 4: Memory, Trauma, and Child Development
April 13, 2027 – 2:00pm-3:30pm Central Time
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session participants will be able to:
- Describe how developmental factors influence children’s ability to encode, store, and retrieve memories.
- Differentiate between various types of memory (episodic vs. script) and explain their relevance to forensic interviewing.
- Apply knowledge of memory development and trauma to formulate developmentally appropriate interviewing strategies and expectations.
Goal of Discussion:
- Distinguish between episodic memory and script memory in children’s narratives.
- Describe how age, cognitive ability, language development, culture, and repeated experiences influence recall.
- Discuss current research regarding trauma and memory without relying on common myths or assumptions.
- Recognize how cultural experiences and life context may influence memory organization and storytelling.
- Identify ways interviewers can support recall through open-ended, developmentally appropriate questioning.
Session 5: Interviewing Adolescents/Teens
May 11, 2027 – 2:00pm-3:30pm Central Time
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session participants will be able to:
- Describe developmental characteristics that distinguish adolescent forensic interviews from interviews with younger children.
- Apply rapport-building strategies that promote engagement with teens while maintaining neutrality and professional boundaries.
- Recognize and respond to common challenges encountered when interviewing adolescents involved in high-risk or exploitation-related situations.
Goal of Discussion:
- Identify developmental factors that influence adolescent communication and decision-making.
- Discuss common reasons adolescents may minimize, delay, or resist disclosure.
- Explore strategies for discussing high-risk behaviors without introducing shame or judgment during the interview.
- Recognize the impact of exploitation, coercion, and grooming on adolescent disclosure.
- Reflect on interviewer attitudes and assumptions that may influence interactions with adolescents.
Session 6: Defending Your Own Interview
June 8, 2027 – 2:00pm-3:30pm Central Time
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session participants will be able to:
- Describe the forensic interviewer’s role as a Lay Witness and explain the importance of remaining within the scope of that role.
- Articulate the rationale behind interview decisions using research-informed and developmentally appropriate principles.
- Identify strategies for responding to common cross-examination topics while maintaining professionalism and objectivity.
Goal of Discussion:
- Recognize the importance of documenting interview decisions and accommodations.
- Explain the purpose behind question selection, pacing, and interview structure.
- Discuss how to defend the use of accommodations such as drawings, diagrams, and dolls when appropriate.
- Identify common defense challenges and formulate responses grounded in best practice.
- Reflect on the importance of remaining neutral and avoiding opinions regarding credibility or truthfulness.
Meet Your Trainers
