1 Hour / 1 CE

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on An Introduction to Violence Risk/Threat Assessment: Initial Versus Comprehensive Assessment is presented by Kelly A. Watt, Ph.D. in partnership with Protect International Risk and Safety Services. 

Leading authorities, including in the field of violence risk/threat assessment, distinguish between initial versus comprehensive assessments of risk. In this program, Dr. Watt helps violence risk/threat assessment professionals to understand the distinction, explain it to stakeholders, and use it to more effectively deliver services and manage liability. She also provides a high-level overview of different approaches to conducting initial risk assessments, which are the type of risk assessments most often conducted by violence risk/threat assessment professionals.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

  • 1 Describe initial versus comprehensive assessments of violence risk
  • 2 Describe the distinction between initial versus comprehensive assessments of violence risk to more effectively deliver services and manage liability
  • 3 Describe an overview of the different approaches to conducting initial risk assessments

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for mental health professionals and allied clinicians who are involved in violence risk and threat assessment, regardless of their career stage. Whether you are new to the field or an experienced practitioner seeking to deepen your expertise or refresh your knowledge, this program provides comprehensive instruction in the structured professional judgment approach to violence risk and threat assessment. Participants will gain practical skills and insights relevant to a variety of settings where evaluating and managing potential violence is critical.

  • Experience Level

    This training is applicable for all career stages: entry-level, mid-career, and experienced professionals.

    • Beginners new to violence risk and threat assessment

    • Intermediate clinicians seeking to expand their knowledge and skills

    • Advanced practitioners looking for a refresher or deeper understanding of structured professional judgment approaches

  • Practice Setting

    • Mental health professionals (psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors)

    • Allied clinicians working in forensic, correctional, or law enforcement settings

    • Professionals specializing in forensic psychology, threat assessment, or risk management

    • Clinicians working with individuals or organizations where violence risk evaluation is essential

    • Practitioners in correctional facilities, forensic hospitals, law enforcement agencies, community mental health, and private practice

Presented By

Kelly A. Watt, PhD

Dr. Kelly A. Watt works as a Threat Assessment Specialist at Protect International and is a member of the Mental Health, Law, and Policy Institute at Simon Fraser University in Canada. Dr. Watt is the editor of the Intelligence newsletter which is disseminated on behalf of threat assessment professional associations in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia Pacific, and that provides recent advances in research, practice, and the law related to threat assessment around the globe.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Kelly A. Watt, PhD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Approaches to Risk Assessment

  • Understand the distinction

  • Effectively deliver services

We are proud to partner with

Protect International Risk and Safety Services

Protect International Risk and Safety Services

We are proud to partner with Protect International Risk and Safety Services for this training. Protect International's threat assessment professionals are internationally recognized experts that have developed some of the world's most widely used and best-validated threat assessment tools. Protect International provides services and products related to violence risk assessment and management, also known as threat assessment and management. Protect International services and products include threat assessment training and support, case assessment and management, legal consultation, policy review and development, and program evaluation and research; along with threat assessment manuals, worksheets, licenses, and software applications for those tools.

Learn More About Our Partner

CE Sponsorship Information

Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by, recognized by, or maintains sponsorship provider status with the following boards and agencies. We maintain responsibility for all content in our CE/CPD programs. For more information, visit here. 

  1. American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.

  2. Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.

  3. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

  4. National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).



Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0356 and the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0073. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6811. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CONCEPT Professional Training, #1480, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. CONCEPT Professional Training maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 11/22/23-11/22/26. Social workers completing this course receive (clinical or social work ethics) continuing education credits.