Assessment and Diagnosis Training Program
Enroll in the Online Self-Study and complete the certification training on your schedule.
12 CE hours available for behavioral health clinicians
Today’s diagnostic landscape is more complex—and more critical—than ever. With diagnoses influencing access to care, legal decisions, and identity, clinicians must make ethical, accurate, and culturally informed choices that account for both scientific criteria and human complexity.
This self-paced, 12-hour training equips mental health professionals with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to conduct diagnostic assessments grounded in both DSM-5-TR criteria and real-world clinical judgment. It’s a thoughtful, practical course for those who want to refine their approach to diagnosis and provide more responsible, person-centered care.
Get trained to diagnose ethically, accurately, and confidently.
$397 · 12 CE hours · ADTC certificate included
Led by Dr. Jason Buckles, Ph.D., LPCC—an expert in DSM assessment, developmental disabilities, and behavioral consultation—this program draws from over 20 years of experience working with clinicians, agencies, and communities across diverse populations. Dr. Buckles has taught DSM coursework at the graduate level and continues to provide training at the state level on co-occurring diagnoses.
Dr. Buckles blends historical insight, social context, and technical precision to help participants develop a diagnostic approach that is clinically rigorous and ethically grounded. His teaching style is accessible and reflective, encouraging participants to engage critically with diagnostic frameworks while staying rooted in empathy and respect for the client.
Topics covered include the historical evolution of diagnostic systems, the social construction of mental illness, DSM-5 to DSM-5-TR changes, the structure and function of the Mental Status Examination, psychiatric assessment components, the biopsychosocial model, diagnostic categories (including trauma-related, mood, anxiety, psychotic, and substance use disorders), and special considerations for grief, cognitive differences, and intellectual disability.
Instructor
Dr. Jason Buckles, Ph.D, LPCC, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, earned his Bachelor’s in Psychology at New York University in 1996. While there, he worked on diagnostic projects at Bellevue Hospital and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. He earned his Master’s in Counseling at The University of New Mexico in 2001 and PhD in Special Education at The University of New Mexico in 2016. His dissertation focused on the experiences of direct support professionals who support people with sexually challenging behavior.
Since 2002, Jason has been the owner of Talkabout Inc., a Behavior Consultation agency specializing in supports for people with intellectual disability and concurrent mental health diagnoses. From 2012 through 2016, Jason was the Statewide Clinical Director of the New Mexico Department of Health – Bureau of Behavioral Support, overseeing statewide systems of behavioral support consultation. From 2016-2019, Jason was the Executive Director of A Better Way of Living, a CQL-accredited agency that provides life-wide supports for people with intellectual disability. He is currently a contracting consultant with the New Mexico Department of Health, where he supervises the sexual risk screening program, the ongoing development of behavior support systems, and provides statewide trainings on co-occurring mental health conditions for people with intellectual disability, among other topics.
For several years Jason has also served as the Program Manager for the Developmental Disability/Mental Illness project with the University of New Mexico. For most of the past 20 years he was a part-time instructor at both The University of New Mexico, teaching Introduction to Intellectual Disability and at New Mexico Highlands University, teaching DSM Assessment for Counselors.
Key Takeaways:
- A more confident diagnostic process: Conduct accurate, clinically informed, and culturally sensitive assessments using DSM-5-TR.
- Clear understanding of diagnostic complexity: Navigate the overlap, controversies, and limitations of current diagnostic models.
- Practical tools for daily clinical use: Apply ethical decision-making, cultural formulation, and parsimony in diagnostic formulation.
Why this Training Program?
- Earn your certificate: Participants receive the Assessment and Diagnosis Training Certificate (ADTC) upon course completion.
- Taught by a trusted expert: Dr. Buckles combines academic rigor with decades of field experience in assessment and supervision.
- Focused on real-world application: Learn how to balance DSM guidelines with the needs, stories, and strengths of the individual in front of you.
Learning Objectives:
- Explain the historical pathways to our current system of definition, assessment, and labeling of mental disorders.
- Examine the social construction paradigm as it relates to the foundations and structure of the DSM model.
- Discuss aspects of the history of treatment planning in relation to the ethics of how mental disorders have been defined.
- Discuss the terminology and methods associated with comprehensive and longitudinal completion of the mental status examination.
- Explain significant changes made between DSM-5 and DSM-5-TR.
- Specifically, detail diagnostic requirements for a range of categories, including stressor and trauma-related disorders, depressive and bipolar conditions, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, and psychotic disorders.
- Illustrate ways to consider the ethical and responsible application of DSM-5-TR processes.
- Discuss aspects of considerations for special circumstances and populations such as bereavement, cognitive and communication differences, and adjustments for persons with intellectual disability.
As you seek to bridge clinical expertise with compassionate care, this course offers a grounded, comprehensive guide to modern mental health diagnosis.
Enroll today—and earn your certificate—as a meaningful step forward in your professional growth.
This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Instruction consists of 12 hours of video instruction and a post-test.
*DSM and DSM-5 are registered trademarks of the American Psychiatric Association. The American Psychiatric Association is not affiliated with nor endorses this seminar.
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Availability: From the time of registration, you have six months to access the coursework.
Who Should Attend: This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.
Teaching Methods: This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.
How to attend: Directions for completing a course can be found by clicking here.
This program was recorded January 21 and 22, 2025.
Testimonials
Bridgette Nalumu
Public health consultant, Green and Purple Consultancy Network
Lora Verley
Clinical Therapist, Bayless Integrated Healthcare
Jackie Tanna
Therapist, Region One Mental Health
Jackie Bell-Russell
Therapeutic Behavioral Strategist, Rialto Unified School District