Graduate Certificate of Forensic Psychiatric Practice

Program Overview

The Graduate Certificate of Forensic Psychiatric Practice equips psychiatrists with specialized knowledge and skills in forensic practice. It covers principles of risk assessment, expert testimony, forensic report writing, and ethical conduct. The program offers a range of elective units, allowing students to tailor their studies to their career aspirations in forensic psychiatry.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The Graduate Certificate of Forensic Psychiatric Practice is designed for psychiatrists who wish to specialize in forensic practice. Students will learn the academic and practical skills relevant to this subject matter, including principles of risk assessment, expert testimony, writing forensic court reports, and ethical conduct. This course is the only dedicated qualification of its type available in Australasia.

Outline:

This course comprises 3 core units and 1 elective unit.

• Core units:
• Psychiatry in Forensic Contexts (12.5 credit points)
• Fundamentals of Criminal Law Process (12.5 credit points)
• Problem Behaviours 1 (12.5 credit points)
• Elective units:
• Principles of Violence Risk Assessment and Management (12.5 credit points)
• Working with Difficult Personalities in the Forensic Context (12.5 credit points)
• Substance Misuse and Offending (12.5 credit points)
• Trauma and Offending (12.5 credit points)
• Problem Behaviours 2 (12.5 credit points)
• Working in Corrections and Youth Justice (12.5 credit points)
• Development, Developmental Disability and Offending (12.5 credit points)

Careers:

This course will prepare students for careers in forensic psychiatry, including positions in:

• Mental health courts
• Prisons
• Youth justice centers
• Private practice
• Academia