How Treatment Court Professionals Can Effectively Build Relationships and Interact with Behavioral Health and Court Treatment Teams to Better Serve Justice-Involved Clients
Resource Availability
This course material was originally created by SMI Adviser, now rebranded as SMI CalAdviser. The content in this course material is still current and relevant, yet, please be aware that some external resources and links may no longer be active or available. 
Overview

Description 

Courts play an integral role in ensuring that individuals with a mental illness and/or substance use disorder who are justice involved receive the most appropriate care that leads to recovery.  The presenters from Georgia have found that Incorporating Peer Supporters (individuals who have lived experience of both behavioral health and justice involvement) into the court system has been an important step in helping the court understand and support recovery and increase diversion.  This webinar will feature State Court Judge Charles Auslander, III from the State Court of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia; Laura McCoy, FPM, DUI Treatment Court Case Manager with the Western Judicial Circuit in Georgia; and Tony Sanchez, Director of Partnerships at Faces and Voices of Recovery.  The presenters will discuss the value of including Peers in the judicial system to promote recovery and help break the cycle of arrests; how judges can advocate for incorporating Peers into the judicial process; how providers and behavioral health treatment teams, including Peers, Social Workers, Nurses, and others, can best approach the judicial system to form partnerships of care; all while underlying that each system (the Judicial and Behavioral Health Systems) share the same values and goals even though they may speak different languages. 

Format 

Recorded webinar, non-interactive, self-paced distance learning activity with post-test.  

This presentation was recorded on December 15, 2022. 

Learning Objectives 

Develop an understanding of the different cultures of the Judicial and Behavioral Health Systems to overcome barriers to forming a collaborative relationship that promotes recovery and positive behavioral health outcomes. 

List strategies and the best terminology that will enable individuals from the two systems to form a collaborative care relationship that promotes positive outcomes and recovery for individuals with SMI engaged in the Judicial System. 

Evaluate how individuals with behavioral health issues and criminal justice involvement are traditionally viewed/treated by courts and their concerns in hearing cases involving BH Clients—what do courts want to know from clinical teams to help them best do their work. 

Outline  

  • Understanding judges and legal professionals 
  • Building on common values  
  • Building the relationship between treatment court professionals, behavioral health, and court treatment teams  
  • Innovative practices  
  • Attendee Q&A 

Target Audience 

Psychiatrist, Physician (Non-Psychiatric), Physician Assistant, Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, Pharmacist, Psychologist, Counselor/Therapist, Social Worker, Peer Specialist 

Instructional Level 

Intermediate, Advanced, Expert 

Estimate Time to Complete 

Estimated Duration: 1.0 hour 
Program Start Date: July 30, 2025  
Program End Date: July 30, 2028

Ongoing Interdisciplinary Discussion Board 

After completing the course, engage with colleagues in the mental health field through the Webinar Roundtable Topics discussion board. This is an easy way to network and share ideas with other clinicians who participate in this webinar. Access through the discussion tab.  

How to Earn Credit 

After completing the evaluation, participants will have the opportunity to claim their hours of participation and download the appropriate certificate. Physicians may obtain an official CME certificate, other healthcare professionals may receive a CE certificate (as applicable), and all other attendees may generate a certificate of participation. Each certificate will reflect the event date and total hours earned. 

Continuing Education Credit 

In support of improving patient care, American Psychiatric Association (APA) is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.  

Physicians   

The APA designates this live event for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.   

Psychologists   

Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.  

Social Workers    

As a Jointly Accredited Organization, American Psychiatric Association (APA) is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. APA maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive up to 1.00 general continuing education credits. 

***Continuing education requirements vary from state to state. Many state boards grant reciprocity with national accrediting organizations and other state boards. It is the responsibility of each professional to understand the requirements for license renewal or check with the state or national licensing board and/or professional organization to become more familiar with their policies for acceptable continuing education credit. Social workers and Psychologists should contact their regulatory board to determine course approval.    

Faculty and Planner Disclosures 

The American Psychiatric Association adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CME activity - including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others - are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.  

Faculty  

  • Charles E. Auslander, III has served Athens-Clarke County as a judge for 17 years.  He served in the Magistrate Court from 2002–2011, and in the State Court since 2011. Throughout his judicial career, Judge Auslander has been an advocate for rehabilitation and restoration as alternatives to incarceration, fines, and other traditional sentencing methods used in our criminal justice system. He has focused on identifying and addressing the underlying cause of criminal behavior, whether it be substance use disorder, a mental health diagnosis, or past trauma. Judge Auslander has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.  
  • Laura McCoy, FPM is DUI Treatment Court Case Manager with the Western Judicial Circuit in Georgia. Ms. McCoy has no relevant financial relationships to disclose. 
  • Tony Sanchez is Director of Partnerships at Faces and Voices of Recovery. Mr. Sanchez has no relevant financial relationships to disclose. 

Program Planners 

  • Teri Brister, PhD, LPC, National Alliance on Mental Illness. Dr. Brister has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.  
  • Amy Cohen, PhD, American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Cohen has no relevant financial relationships to disclose. 
  • John Torous, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Torous has no relevant financial relationships to disclose. 
  • Sherin Khan, LCSW, Thresholds. Ms. Khan has no relevant financial relationships to disclose. 

Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities 

The American Psychiatric Association is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities. If you have trouble accessing any of APA’s online resources, please contact us at 202-559-3900 for assistance. 

Technical Requirements 

This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using any of the following: 

The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari 

Internet Explorer 11+ 

This Web site requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player. 

Optimal System Configuration: 

Browser: Google Chrome (latest and 2nd latest version), Safari (latest and 2nd latest version), Internet Explorer 11.0+, Firefox (latest and 2nd latest version), or Microsoft Edge (latest and 2nd latest version) 

Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version) 

Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher 

Minimum Requirements: 

Windows PC: Windows 8.1 or higher; 1 GB (for 32-bit)/2 GB (for 64-bit) or higher RAM; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content 

Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with latest updates installed; Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor; 512 MB or higher RAM; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content 

For assistance: Contact educme@psych.org for questions about this activity |  

Contact support@smicaladviser.org for technical assistance 

 

 

Summary
Availability:
On-Demand
Expires on Jul 30, 2028
Credit Offered:
1 CME Credit
1 Psychology CE Credit
1 Social Work CE Credit
1 COP Credit
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