Day One: Enhancing Fundamental Skills for Experienced Forensic Interviewers
Experienced interviewers know that often, the most difficult challenge during an interview isn’t eliciting an initial disclosure from a child, but figuring out the best way to formulate open-ended prompts and structure follow-up questioning.  Aimed at experienced interviewers committed to excellence and continuous improvement of fundamental skills, this pre-Colloquium Institute will be a combination of presentations, discussion and activities focused on: 1) Lessons from recent research that can inform experienced forensic interviewers; 2) How to get the most out of narrative event practice (NEP) and how to use NEP to organize and inform questioning strategies throughout the interview; and 3) Using critical thinking skills to develop more effective and precise approaches to substantive questioning aimed at maximizing reliable details from children. Patti Toth, JD, Kate Homan, MS

Day Two: Working Through Barriers in Forensic Interviews/Forensic Interviewer Forum

Once forensic interviewers have mastered the typical flow of an interview with children in the disclosure  process, it is important to layer additional skills to the basic process. This presentation will address working through barriers that are sometimes presented by children in forensic interviews. The afternoon presentation provides an opportunity for forensic interviewers to discuss current trends in child forensic interviews. The presenters represent different forensic interview models so that diverse perspectives can be discussed.   Julie Kenniston, MSW