USING MOCK TRIALS TO TEACH STUDENTS FORENSIC CORE COMPETENCIES IN MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY John K. Miller, Deanna Linville, Jeff Todahl, and Joe Metcalfe University of Oregon This article provides a description of a university-based project that used mock trials to train both practicum-level marriage and family therapy and law students in forensic work, and a qualitative investigation of student experiences with the training. The content of the training focused on American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) core competencies that relate specifically to the legal aspects of therapy. This article describes the didactic training the students received to prepare for the mock trials, the structure and protocol of the mock trials themselves, and the specific AAMFT core com- petencies addressed in the project. The results of an analysis of focus group interviews with participating law school (n = 15) and marriage and family therapy (n = 19) students are presented as well as the results of a 36-item Knowledge, Skills, and Comfort Level Questionnaire completed by participating marriage and family therapy students. Participants discussed the value of the training with regard to preparation for mock trial procedures, preparation for testimony, importance of documentation, and cross-discipline collaboration issues. The article concludes with a discussion of how this type of training may be used in developing students’ skills with regard to forensic and legal core competencies, and future research directions. WHY TRAIN MFT STUDENTS IN FORENSIC WORK? Family law is the single largest area of law practiced in the United States. Over one third of all civil cases filed in the United States courts of general jurisdiction are domestic relations cases (Wardle & Nolan, 2002). These cases include child custody issues, child welfare, divorce, wrongful death, personal injury, physical disability, and vocational issues. Marriage and family therapists (MFTs) are increasingly being called upon to testify in the courts (La Forge & Henderson, 1990; Nichols, 1980; Riley, Hartwell, Sargent, & Patterson, 1997). Testifying in the courts sometimes presents unique challenges for therapists given the competing mandates for client care and forensic testimony. There are two main ways family therapists become involved in the courtroom legal processes. One is as an ‘‘expert’’ witness where the therapist is compen- sated financially for his or her time and appears in court voluntarily. The other way is through a court order to appear in court at a certain time with regard to a specific case as a ‘‘fact’’ witness. Family therapists are more likely to be called to court as a ‘‘fact’’ witness (La Forge & Henderson, 1990). Although MFT graduate programs include coursework on the basic legal, ethical, and professional issues pertaining to practice, most MFT students get little education or training in the skills needed in providing testimony in the courts (Riley et al., 1997). MFT ethics classes John K. Miller, PhD, Deanna Linville, PhD, and Jeff L. Todahl, PhD, Department of Counseling Psychology, Couples and Family Therapy Program, University of Oregon; Joe Metcalfe, JD, Assistant Professor, Director of Clinics and Externships, University of Oregon School of Law. Portions of this article were presented at the 2007 AAMFT Annual Conference in Long Beach, California. Address correspondence to John K. Miller, 5251 University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-5251; E-mail: jkmiller@uoregon.edu Journal of Marital and Family Therapy doi: 10.1111/j.1752-0606.2009.00148.x October 2009, Vol. 35, No. 4, 456–465 456 JOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY October 2009