TWO GOALS
The Two Goals of an Effective Clinician Defendant
Become a capable member of the defense team
Gain a clear understanding of the legal system and your critical role within it. Learn how to execute that role with skill, strategy, and clinical integrity.
Move through the emotional and psychological impact
Understand, accept, and begin to process the toll of litigation and adverse medical events — with tools rooted in physician-specific coaching.
Why This Course is Important
Every day, clinicians provide exceptional care under intense scrutiny. When an adverse event occurs, it’s natural to feel fear and doubt. But with Dr. Pensa’s guidance, they’ll learn how to move beyond these emotions and step into a place of confidence, clarity, and control.
Dr. Pensa has been in their shoes, and her expert coaching insights combine decades of real-world experience, compassion, and strategies tailored specifically for healthcare professionals. She has become a trusted voice and effective guide for medical defendants, because she 'gets it', and she 'gets them.'
COURSE OUTLINE
Defense LEAP: 8 Modules
Complete at your own pace · Revisit any module for a full year
1. Introduction & Litigation Roadmap
• Introduction and Course Overview
• The Origins of Litigation Stress
• The Litigation Roadmap: Getting Oriented
• Your Two Big Goals
2. Understanding the Legal Landscape
• Basic “Legalese”
• Players and Their Roles
• Playing the Long Game
• Introduction to the Coaching Model
3. The Aftermath of an Adverse Event
• ‘Deservingness’ and the Myth of Error-less Medicine
• Trauma Responses and Mitigation Strategies
• Physician Stories and the Power of Narrative
• Application of The Coaching Model
4. Self-Coaching for Performance Under Pressure
• Thoughts, Beliefs, Habits and The Auto-Pilot Mind
• Common Thought Traps in Litigation
• Approaching D-Day (Deposition)
• The Expert Edge: Cuts Like a Knife
5. Mastering Deposition Performance
• Spoken and Unspoken Goals
• Pre-deposition Preparation
• In-the-Moment Performance Techniques
• Managing Fear, Reactivity & Manipulation
6. Legal Concepts & Personal Resilience
• Next Level Legalese
• Litigation as Transition and Catalyst
• Radical Self Care
• Relationship Maintenance and Repair
7. Settlement vs. Trial—Navigating Next Steps
• Practical considerations & emotional impact
• Overview of a Trial
• Jury Considerations
• Introduction to Effective Trial Testimony
8. Integration, Reflection, & Future Choices
• Making Sense (When It’s Not Easy to Find)
• Remembering Your Tools: Integration and Practice
• Love It or Leave It: Your Medical Career
FOR ORGANIZATIONS
License Defense LEAP for your insureds.
Integrate Defense LEAP into your organization and offer every clinician defendant a substantive layer of support — the tools and context to understand the litigation process and perform well within it.
Organizations that license the content can request specific branding and an introductory video with organization-specific messaging.
All for less than the cost of one hour of expert case review per user.
If you've ever watched a defensible case become more difficult because a defendant was overwhelmed, reactive, exhausted, or poorly prepared for the realities of litigation, then you understand the value of early intervention.
What Physicians Are Saying
"This program broke down the litigation process step by step, helping me understand what to expect and how to prepare effectively."
"No one teaches us how to deal with the emotional toll of litigation—until now. This program was exactly what I needed."
"You can get so much out of it for relatively little time. It's like a roadmap that will keep you from driving in circles for hours and hours."
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