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National Board of Forensic Evaluators, Inc.

History: NBFE was initially established in 2003 to enhance skills of licensed mental health professionals and forensic counselors, otherwise not effectively trained, or recognized by the public or private sector, as well as by the legal or mental health field. Eligible candidates will be professionally recognized and nationally credentialed with NBFE certification. In 2009 NBFE became a not-for-profit charitable corporation. NBFE was established to promote and serve the continuing education needs of licensed mental health professionals and forensic counselors nationally. Additionally, NBFE serves families of difficult children by providing specialized treatment plans. This is accomplished through a professional team approach used to assess and diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, autism, disruptive behaviors, oppositional defiant disorders, and various other problematic child behavioral issues. Forensic mental health evaluations have historically been under the dominion of psychiatrists and psychologists. The American Board of Forensic Psychology, first chartered in 1976, restricts its membership candidates to doctoral degrees in psychology accredited by APA, CPA, or doctoral programs meeting designated criteria specific to psychologists. Similarly, in order to become a forensic psychiatrist, one must first be a board certified psychiatrist, successfully graduate from medical school, perform an internship of one-year, and meet other closely related regulations that are designated criteria specific to psychiatry.

Dr. Norman Hoffman, NBFEs Founder, quickly learned that, although he possessed years of experience and highly credible training in the court arena, he had to deal with the historic truth; the court placed little weight on those outside of being a psychologist or psychiatrist. Historically, only two mental health professions, psychiatry and psychology, were considered by the legal and mental health field, qualified to perform forensic mental health evaluations. After years of facing the scrutiny of Voir Dire *, Dr. Hoffman took on his greatest challenge creating a credible-evidentiary based process, training and certifying eligible licensed professional counselors to testify in court as experts. There are over two-hundred thousand, licensed, (non-psychiatrists --psychologists) mental health professionals in the United States. Many of whom are looking towards obtaining specialized certification training and stature in providing forensic mental health evaluations, and expert court testimony. Therefore, it became necessary to develop a credible and professionally recognized training/certification process for licensed mental health professionals. Thus, NBFE was created.

Approval and Endorsement NBFE is the only forensic mental health counselors credentialing body recognized and endorsed by the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), Florida Mental Health Counselors Association (FMHCA), Licensed Professional Counselors Association of Georgia, Inc. (LPCA), Suncoast Mental Health Counselors Association (SMHCA), Washington Mental Health Counselors Association (WMHCA), Utah Mental Health Counselors Association (UMHCA) and Vecchi Group International (VGI). . The American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) and the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association (FMHCA) have agreed to partner with NBFE's credentialing process as well as to endorse the credentialing of forensic mental health evaluators, workshops and homestudies for its national and State members. For those members who become NBFE credentialed as a forensic mental health evaluator, NBFE will grant 3 CEU's (30 Contact Hours) towards State license renewal. Our advisory board consists of licensed marriage & family therapists, attorneys, licensed mental health counselors, forensic mental health evaluators, licensed social workers, licensed psychologists, clergy, physicians, and certified hypnotherapists.

Mission: The NBFE certification is the nations only renowned and prestigious training and certification program recognized and endorsed by the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), Florida Mental Health Counselors Association (FMHCA), Washington Mental Health Counselors Association (WMHCA), Utah Mental Health Counselors Association (UMHCA) the Licensed Professional Counselors Association-Georgia, the Suncoast Mental Health Counselors Association (SMHCA, LIfeWorksGroup, Darsy, Black & Associates, Emerald Coast Mental Health Counselors Association) and Vecchi Group International (VGI). Our trainers are recognized scholars who have thousands of hours of proven experience in the forensic mental health arena. The National Board of Forensic Evaluators has three primary missions. The first one being to promote and serve the continuing education needs of mental health professionals. This is accomplished by educational seminars, workshops, publications via a highly specialized team of trained forensic mental health professionals. NBFE trains and certifies eligible licensed professional counselors to be certified forensic mental health evaluators by a rigorous process involving training, mentoring and a written and oral examination protocol. The second is to serve families by providing specialized assessments, educational materials and treatment plans. This is accomplished through a professional team approach used to assess and diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, autism, disruptive behaviors, oppositional defiant disorders and various other problematic child behavioral issues. The third is to serve the needs of our veterans and nursing home residents by promoting entertainment modalities throughout our senior communities. Additionally, establish and serve the needs of At-Risk children and families by promoting entertainment modalities throughout local communities. Entertainment will include, but not limited to music, games, traveling singers, musical theatre, games, comedy, art exhibits, etc. Tax exemption application and annual filing are available from the NBFE board upon request.

Founder: At first glance, a clinic, a courtroom, and a nightclub have little in common. One offers treatment; one hears testimony, and one echoes timbre and tempo long into the night. Yet, surface dissimilarities have proven no barrier to Dr. Norman Hoffman. A licensed clinical marriage and family therapist and mental health counselor, certified forensic mental health and child custody evaluator, and accomplished jazz musician. Over the course of his career, Dr. Hoffman has pioneered the integration of these seemingly separate studies to become a leading authority on child development, music therapy, and forensic evaluation as well as the author of a groundbreaking book that could change the way parents raise their children. Interestingly, however, he hardly set out to be a pioneer. As a child growing up in a challenging neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia, Hoffman dreamt of becoming a professional jazz pianist, a dream inspired by his father, a Philadelphia police officer and a “Vice Cop,” who was also a musician. In pursuit of this goal, Hoffman attended Philadelphia's prestigious University of the Arts, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree, and soon, he found himself working with mentally challenged children and adolescents as a music therapist in the Department of Psychiatry at the world renowned Devereux Foundation in Devon, Pennsylvania. While there, he saw the rhythm in music reach and transform an autistic child, and this observation led Hoffman back to school to continue his studies in psychology at Villanova University. By 1967, he had earned both a master’s and a Doctor of Music Therapy from Combs College of Music. After working in the psychiatric department at the Devereux Foundation, Dr. Hoffman was accepted in the Clinical Internship at the world acclaimed Menninger Memorial Hospital. After completing a one-year internship, he achieved a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the less traditional higher educational arena and studied at the Thomas A. Edison College where he was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy in Psychotherapy. In 1994, he sought academic and scholarly studies, in the more traditional academic arena. and completed a Doctoral degree from the University of Sarasota, in Human Services Counseling. One year later, he sought to explore his knowledge of religious studies and in 1995, he obtained a Doctor of Pastoral Psychology from the Florida Religious University. Dr. Hoffman was now armed with academic knowledge and the professional experience to authenticate it. In 1974, Hoffman published his first book, Hear the Music! A New Approach to Mental Health. It was a landmark study, but an innovation that would prove to be only the first in Hoffman's groundbreaking career. By this time, Dr. Hoffman had relocated to Florida, where he spent 6 years as Coordinator of the Day Treatment Program for the Community Mental Health Center of Palm Beach County. This was followed by a six-year tenure with the Hazleton/Nanticoke Mental Health/Mental Retardation Center in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, where Hoffman served in various positions, including Substance Abuse Coordinator, Intake Services Coordinator, and Director of Outpatient Services. While there, Hoffman also made his first foray into the then-largely-unrecognized field of forensic evaluation, providing custody evaluations for children and families in conjunction with Pennsylvania's Luzerne County Court. In 1982, Hoffman stepped into the role of Executive Director of Pompano Beach Counseling Services in Pompano Beach, Florida, where he supervised the psychotherapeutic practice specializing in adult, child, and adolescent behavioral disorders, substance use and abuse, marital and family therapy, sexual abuse, and custody evaluations. Hoffman also earned the traditional industry licenses and certifications of mental health counselor, marriage and family therapist, and a nationally certified clinical mental health counselor, child custody evaluator and certified forensic behavioral analyst. Although gaining clinical experience working with children and families, he soon became disillusioned by the flaws of traditional therapy, which, often, blamed parents for the mental and behavioral challenges of their children. Not one to accept the status quo, Hoffman took his next pioneering step and developed a comprehensive treatment approach based on the recognition that, all too often, families suffer when children run wild, parents are blamed, and antisocial behavior is allowed to flourish. Instead of pointing the finger at parents, Hoffman offered the revelation that "bad children can happen to good parents." In his eye-opening book by the same name, Dr. Hoffman outlines the genetic causes of many behavioral problems and creates a new textbook for parents looking for help. Bad Children Can Happen to Good Parents: A Survival Manual for Parents of Difficult Children advocates for comprehensive assessment and offers a simple and effective treatment method that focuses not on "fixing" children but rather on helping parents "rewire" their children so they can live fulfilling and successful lives. Determined to use his knowledge to serve, not only his own patients, but also those outside his immediate sphere of influence, Hoffman has dedicated himself to educating parents, therapists, clinicians, and policy makers that parents are often not to blame for their children's difficulties, that psychiatric medicines may not be the best treatment options, and that good kids-and good parents can result from the proper understanding and appropriate treatment. To this end, in 2003, he founded the National Board of Forensic Evaluators, Inc, (NBFE), located in Ormond Beach, Florida and specializing in training and certifying licensed professional counselors nationally while serving at-risk families of difficult children by providing professional assessments and specialized treatment plans. Dr. Hoffman recognized, that all too often, the therapists closest to a family’s troubles were scrutinized regarding credentials and even denied recognition when testifying in the family and criminal courts. Hoffman utilized his own experience as an expert courtroom witness in mental health, childhood custody, and competency evaluations to establish the National Board of Forensic Evaluators, Inc. (NBFE) in 2003. NBFE offers a rigorous forensic evaluator training and certification program for therapists and is the only forensic mental health counselors credentialing organization recognized and endorsed by the American Mental Health Counselors Association. Today, as Clinical Director of the Counseling and Psychotherapy Center in Ormond Beach, Florida, Dr. Hoffman continues to break through conventional barriers to provide families with the help and guidance they need. But he has not forgotten his musical foundation. He credits music with inspiring his collaborative approach to working with parents and professionals, and he continues to perform and write the jazz that started it all.

Executive Director: Aaron Norton is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with certifications in addictions, alcohol and drug counseling, rehabilitation counseling, clinical mental health counseling, trauma treatment, forensic mental health evaluation, and forensic behavioral analysis. He serves as Executive Director of the National Board of Forensic Evaluators, a national not-for-profit board officially endorsed by the American Mental Health Counselors Association that provides training, certification, and professional advocacy for licensed mental health professionals specializing in forensic mental health evaluation. He is an Adjunct Instructor at the University of South Florida's College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, as well as a doctoral candidate in the Counselor Education and Supervision program at USF. He serves as Southeastern Regional Director for the American Mental Health Counselors Association and President-Elect and Chair of Education, Training Standards, and Continuing Education for the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association. He also works at Integrity Counseling, a group private practice, providing therapy, forensic and clinical evaluation, and clinical supervision to mental health counselor and marriage and family therapist interns as a Qualified Supervisor. Norton has more than 15 years of experience in the counseling profession, specializing in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues, cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety and depressive disorders, and substance abuse treatment. He is recognized as a Diplomate and Clinical Mental Health Specialist in Substance Abuse and Co-Occurring Disorders by the American Mental Health Counselors Association, and he was awarded Mental Health Counselor of the Year by the American Mental Health Counselors Association and Counselor Educator of the Year by the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association in 2016. An experienced writer, presenter, and trainer, he has been published in Addiction Professional, American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, Journal of Individual Psychology, and The Advocate Magazine, the official magazine of the American Mental Health Counselors Association.