Learn how to implement and manage the Mental Competency Assessment & Training (MCAT) Program for competency restoration. This course covers core services, best practices, and training strategies designed to equip agencies with the tools needed to run an effective competency restoration program.
This course provides in-depth training on administering and implementing the Mental Competency Assessment & Training (MCAT) Program for agencies and organizations responsible for competency restoration. Participants will gain knowledge of the curriculum’s structure and phases and how to deliver its components effectively in both in-person and remote settings.
The course highlights the MCAT Program’s comprehensive design, which integrates interactive digital tools such as puzzles, flashcards, fill-in-the-blank exercises, and guided relaxation activities. These materials are accessible through subscription and can be seamlessly administered in e-learning environments or secure facilities, making the program flexible and adaptable to diverse organizational needs.
In addition to curriculum delivery, the training emphasizes psychometric strength by introducing participants to the role of the Mental Competency Evaluation Scale (MCES) and Juvenile-Mental Competency Evaluation Scale (J-MCES) competency assessments in tracking client progress within the MCAT Program. The course highlights the robust reliability and validity evidence established for these measures and demonstrates how their integration provides agencies with an evidence-based framework for monitoring restoration outcomes. Participants will review the MCES Program’s psychometric properties, built over decades of clinical and forensic use, and examine outcome data from pre- and post-test comparisons that illustrate measurable gains in competency restoration. In addition, the course provides guidance on interpreting and presenting psychometric findings within agency reports and shows how to utilize the Psychwest data storage service to securely retain results for compliance, longitudinal tracking, and evidence-based reporting.
Another key focus is professional documentation and reporting. The course provides practical instruction on preparing update reports for the court, including proper use of advanced legal and clinical terminology to ensure clarity, accuracy, and professional credibility.
Finally, participants will be trained to utilize the Goal Progress Indicator (GPI), a visual reporting tool designed to track client advancement through the program’s phases. The GPI allows agencies to demonstrate progress at a glance, communicate effectively with courts, and maintain high standards of accountability in restoration efforts.
Note: To receive American Psychological Association (APA) Continuing Education Credit, participants must complete a post-test with a passing score of 75%. Participants are also asked to complete a course evaluation.
Learning Objectives — Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Describe the structure of the MCAT Program and its application in agency-based competency restoration.
2. Identify how interactive activities (e.g., puzzles, flashcards, guided relaxation) can be delivered in both in-person and e-learning formats.
3. Explain the role of qualified evaluators in administering the MCES and J-MCES assessments to track progress within the MCAT Program, and recognize how pre-/post-test outcomes support best practices in competency restoration.
4. Demonstrate how to prepare clear, court-ready updates by incorporating evaluator input, psychometric data, and appropriate legal/clinical terminology.
5. Utilize the Goal Progress Indicator (GPI) to visually monitor and report restoration progress.
6. Explain how the subscription model provides ongoing access to program resources, updates, and new training opportunities.
7. List at least three best practices for implementing and managing an agency-based competency restoration program.
Craig West, Psy.D., CEO
Dr. Craig West is a licensed clinical psychologist and the President and CEO of Psychwest, Clinical & Forensic Psychology, Inc. Since 2002, he has specialized in clinical and forensic services for courts and communities, with a focus on competency to stand trial. Dr. West developed the Mental Competency Assessment & Training (MCAT) Program in 2007, along with the Mental Competency Evaluation Scale (MCES) and Juvenile-Mental Competency Evaluation Scale (J-MCES), to provide court-connected assessment and restoration tools. He has conducted a wide range of forensic evaluations and provides continuing education for psychologists, attorneys, and judges on competency restoration and forensic best practices.
The instructor, Dr. Craig West, is the developer and publisher of the Mental Competency Evaluation Scale (MCES), Juvenile-Mental Competency Evaluation Scale (J-MCES), and the Mental Competency Assessment & Training (MCAT) Program. As such, there is a relevant commercial interest in these assessment instruments and training materials. This interest has been fully disclosed in accordance with APA continuing education requirements, and all educational content is presented in a balanced, evidence-based, and academically rigorous manner.
The material in this course is primarily drawn from the Mental Competency Assessment & Training (MCAT) Program Manual and curriculum in addition to some information on the Mental Competency Evaluation Scale (MCES), Juvenile-Mental Competency Evaluation Scale (J-MCES) along with the MCES/J-MCES Technical and Interpretive Manual and MCES/J-MCES Administration and Scoring Manual. They are presented as accurate and useful for agencies implementing competency restoration services. Statements about the program’s structure, delivery, and outcomes rest on its documented phases and lesson plans and on the pre-/post-test comparisons accumulated through clinical and forensic use; where findings are preliminary or based on limited samples, that is identified as such. The MCAT Program is a structured psychoeducational curriculum for teaching court-relevant knowledge and building rational understanding. It is not treatment for an underlying mental illness and does not replace psychiatric care, medication management, or clinical services, and it does not establish whether a defendant is competent or restorable — that opinion requires a qualified evaluator. Its content is general to competency restoration rather than tailored to any jurisdiction’s statutes or procedures, and agencies remain responsible for adapting delivery to a client’s cognitive, linguistic, and cultural needs. This course addresses implementing and managing the program; it does not by itself qualify a participant to conduct competency evaluations. The most common risk is delivering the curriculum as rote drilling or treating attendance and activity completion as evidence of restoration rather than assessing genuine rational understanding. The most severe risk is contributing to an erroneous competency determination — reporting a client as restored when they are not, or continuing restoration with a client unlikely to be restored and thereby prolonging detention. Progress should be corroborated by a qualified evaluator, and the determination of competency remains with the court.
Accommodations. If you need an accommodation to participate in this course, contact us at psychwestinc@psychwest.com or (530) 751-1122 and we will make every reasonable effort to accommodate your request.
Browse our available CE opportunities, and find the one that fits your goals!
Each course purchase includes 12 months of access. Paid subscribers can purchase discounted courses for their team.
All course content is online, practical, and easy to follow, with CE credits available where applicable. Learn at your own pace, anytime, anywhere!
Agencies with an active paid subscription can buy CE course seats at the subscriber rate and assign seats to staff right from the dashboard. Each purchase provides 12 months to assign the courses to your staff and for the staff members to take the course and access the course material.
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