Episode 26 / Unconscious Bias in a Forensic Interview with Joshua Bissell

In this episode, Staci Whitney, LMSW and MCG Senior Consultant, Kate Homan MS are joined by Program Director for the Children's Advocacy Centers of Michigan, Joshua Bissell. Josh shares his experience working on a project that works to improve the forensic interview system for marginalized and vulnerable communities. Over the last two years, his team created a training that explains why forensic interviewers need to focus on bias and resources that also help guide interviewers in this process.

As the Program Director for the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Michigan (CACMI) team, Joshua is committed to providing support to CAC leaders and their staffs across the state. In addition to helping members prepare for accreditation and re-accreditation, his support ranges from on-site training to phone consultations, active troubleshooting of difficult dilemmas and planned delivery of content expertise and practical advice. His personal mission is to ensure that every CAC staff person has an opportunity for professional development and growth as experts in their field and to foster a collaborative network where even the smallest programs feel supported.

In a previous life, Joshua worked as a licensed social worker in the state of Louisiana developing a social services program embedded within the New Orleans Police Department Special Victims Section. He spent years working with the Child Abuse, Adult Sex Crimes, and Domestic Violence units and served as a forensic interviewer and case manager at the New Orleans Children’s Advocacy Center. He received undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Sociology and his master’s degree in social work at Tulane University. In his free time, he enjoys disc golfing and board games and likes to write short stories in the genre of science fiction and fantasy.