A Peek Behind the Curtain: Reflections on Forensic Interviewing

The Monthly Mindset - July 2026

By Melanie Pignotti, LCPC, CAC CEO

This July 6-10 we mark National Forensic Interviewer Week, a time to recognize a profession that most people have not heard of or truly understand.

Before becoming CEO of CAC, I spent much of my career as a forensic interviewer and conducted more than 3,000 forensic interviews with children. When I was doing that work, people would often ask me the same question: "Isn't that hard?"

The answer was always yes.

But that's not the first thing that comes to mind when I think about forensic interviewing.

When I graduated from college and learned this job existed, I was immediately interested. It combined psychology, child development, communication and investigative work in a way that few careers do. It was challenging, endlessly interesting and no two days were alike.

The forensic interview is often one of the first steps in a much larger investigative process.

Interviewers work closely with law enforcement, child protection professionals, prosecutors, medical providers, victim advocates and others on the Multidisciplinary Team. The interview is one piece of the puzzle, but it's a critical piece.

Looking back, there are five things I learned from the work.

• First, children are far more capable than most adults realize. Disclosure is a process. Children must be ready to tell. But when they are given support, a safe environment and thoughtful questions, they can talk about incredibly difficult experiences with a level of detail that often surprises people.

• Second, I am more resilient than I thought. You do not do this work for long without learning something about yourself. I learned that resilience is not about becoming hardened; it's about continuing to show up, stay present and do the job well.

• Third, you can never predict what's going to happen in an interview. Every child, family and situation is different. Sometimes children disclosed exactly what was expected. Other times they shared things that seemed impossible to understand at first. After enough interviews, very little about human behavior surprises you.

• Fourth, being the first person a child tells is both an honor and a heavy responsibility. There were times when I knew a child had been carrying a secret completely alone until that moment. That is not something you forget.

• Fifth, you cannot do this job forever. I loved forensic interviewing, but it asks a lot of the people who do it. At some point, many interviewers transition into different roles. That doesn't mean you stop caring about the work. It just means the work needs you in a different way.

There are also a few things I wish the public understood about forensic interviewing.

• The process really works.

• Children rarely lie about sexual abuse. I think many people are more comfortable believing children lie than confronting the reality that abuse occurs.

• Real forensic interviews look very little like what you see on television. Sorry, Olivia Benson.

• There isn't a script. There are evidence-based protocols and best practices, but every interview is a conversation. The skill is knowing how to listen and where to go next.

• And forensic interviewers are constantly learning. We routinely watch our own interviews and those of our peers. It's one of the few professions where reviewing your work is built into the job, and that's a good thing.

As I reflect on National Forensic Interviewer Week, I am grateful for the years I spent in the interview room. More than anything, I remember being consistently impressed by children and their ability to share difficult truths when given the opportunity.

I am also grateful that when I stepped away from conducting interviews, there were talented professionals ready to carry the work forward. It has been a privilege to watch our own forensic interviewers continue that tradition of excellence at CAC. Their skill, professionalism and dedication to children remind me every day why this work matters.

So, I would like to thank CAC ‘s forensic interviewers. The torch has been passed to exceptionally capable hands, and our children, families and community are better because of the work you do.