Understanding and working with people with high levels of psychopathy

People with psychopathic personality traits are amongst the most challenging and concerning cases for professionals to work with. This one day training will give participants an overview of the latest research and best practice recommendations for working with people with significant psychopathic traits.

This workshop will cover the nature and definition of psychopathy; the aetiology and development of psychopathy; comorbidity, differential diagnosis and overlaps with other conditions; the association with offending and violence; and its life course. But the main focus will be on relevant practice skills and knowledge such as interview skills, assessment issues, treatment approaches, and risk assessment and management. Videos and case studies will be used to enhance the practical application of the training.

This is not training in using a particular instrument to assess psychopathy and no such prior training is required to attend. The day will be suitable for a wide range of professionals who work with or want to develop their skills in relation to people with psychopathic traits, including those who work in forensic or general mental health services, criminal justice services, law enforcement, child and family protective services, legal settings or other support/intervention services particularly for people who commit offences or at risk of offending. If you have questions about your suitability for the workshop, please contact FMHPDP@swin.edu.au

This workshop will be facilitated by Dr Rajan Darjee: Clinical Director (Psychiatry), Forensic Behavioural Assessment and Consultation Services (FBACS); Adjunct Associate Professor, Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science (CFBS), Swinburne University of Technology.

Dr Darjee has extensive experience working in forensic settings in the UK and Australia, including in secure hospitals and prisons. But his primary area of experience and interest is community forensic mental health, which has been his main area of work for over 15 years. He has considerable experience and expertise in working with people with mental illnesses, personality disorders and paraphilic disorders who have committed, or pose a risk of, violent and sexual offending, in criminal justice, law enforcement and mental health contexts. He also works as an expert report writer and witness, primarily in criminal cases, across Australia. He has authored over 90 publications in the field of forensic mental health, including co-editing the Routledge International Handbook of Sexual Homicide Studies, and co-authoring Version 2 of the Risk for Sexual Violence Protocol (RSVP-V2).