Forgotten Victims: The Forensic Interview

In this episode, Scott and Staci discuss specific interview guidelines that are useful when interviewing individuals with disabilities.

In this episode, Scott and Staci discuss Intellectual Disability and Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities.

In this episode Scott and Staci, talk about Cerebral Palsy. They dive deep into what Cerebral Palsy is and focus on conducting forensic interviews with individuals with Cerebral Palsy.

In this episode, MCG Founder, Scott Modell, Ph.D. and Senior Consultant, Dermot Whelan Police Sgt., Retired. interview Patricia Gunning, J.D about her experience prosecuting crimes against individuals with disabilities.

Before entering private practice, Ms. Gunning served as the Special Prosecutor and Inspector General for the New York State Justice Center. A 2002 graduate of St. John’s Law School, she also served as the Chief of the Special Victims Unit with the Rockland County District Attorney’s office, managing all phases of the prosecution of cases involving the abuse and neglect of individuals with mental and physical disabilities, the physical and sexual abuse of children and the elderly, as well as victims of domestic violence. In addition, she conducted training on issues related to special victims for law enforcement officials, medical professionals and local community groups. From 2003 to 2008, Gunning was an Assistant District Attorney for Kings County, where she served in a trial unit and in the Crimes Against Children Bureau.

In this episode, Staci and MCG Senior Consultant, Dermot Whelan, Police Sgt., Retired, discuss disability awareness training with Niagara University First Responders' Project Director, David Whalen.

David Whalen founded Disability Awareness Training (DAT) in September 2004. He specializes in training law enforcement, emergency responders, human service providers, public, private, and school transportation, corporations and businesses, places of worship, and educators. The training is designed to both sensitize and educate the audience on all aspects of disabilities including, but not limited to, definitions of disabilities, etiquette and interaction skills, stigma and misperceptions, proactive approaches to community inclusion and integration, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and overcoming barriers through advocacy. Specific topic areas include emotional disturbance/mental health awareness and responsiveness, developmental disabilities, co-morbidities and dual diagnosis, and pertinent legislation. He has presented to over 650 audiences.

In this episode, Staci and MCG Senior Consultant, Kate Homan, MS, interview Dr. Sarah Thomas, PsyD, HSPP about her experience as a clinical psychologist working in the fields of behavioral and mental health.

Dr. Thomas graduated from Indiana State University and Louisiana State University Medical School. Dr. Thomas currently directs a team of mental health professionals in a pediatric behavioral health agency in Indiana that largely serves neurodivergent youth. She holds specialty training in early childhood and trauma-focused assessment and treatment. Dr. Thomas held a past role as the mental health representative on a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) and psychologist at Child Advocacy Center that served the Gulf Coast area. Dr. Thomas regularly consults with child protection, law enforcement, medical, and legal representatives for the benefit of children's voices. She enjoys working within a team of other professionals (behavior analysts, speech language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists) to enhance the skills and relationships of children within the neurodiversity spectrum. Dr. Thomas finds purpose in enhancing the safety and meaningful connections within her communities.

In this episode, Scott and Staci interview Chris Dubble, MSW about his experience working with older adult victims and adult protective services professionals.

In this episode, Scott Modell, Ph.D, and Staci Whitney, LMSW discuss communication considerations as well as engagement and rapport with individuals who do not speak.

In this episode, Scott and Staci discuss why some victims are chosen by offenders over others.

In this episode, we have special guest, Dermot Whelan, Senior Consultant for MCG. Staci and Dermot discuss the importance of offering multiple perspectives on a case when training.