1 Hour / 1 CE

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on An Introduction to Violence Risk/Threat Assessment: Legal Issues is presented by Brianne Layden, Ph.D. in partnership with Protect International Risk and Safety Services.

Every violence risk/threat assessment has the potential to be reviewed by a court, tribunal, or review board. For this reason, violence risk/threat assessment professionals need to understand the key legal issues relevant to the services they deliver. In this program, Dr. Layden identifies the major legal duties that influence the practice of violence risk/threat assessment across jurisdictions. She discusses how these duties sometimes conflict and offers recommendations for avoiding, resolving, or mitigating them. Throughout, she uses case vignettes from her own practice to illustrate key points.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe major legal duties that influence the practice of violence risk/threat assessment across jurisdictions
  • 2
    Describe conflicts that may arise among the various legal duties that influence the practice of violence risk/threat assessment
  • 3
    Describe steps that can be taken to avoid, resolve, or mitigate conflicting legal duties relevant to the practice of violence risk/threat assessment

  • Intended Audience

    This training is intended for mental health and allied professionals who are involved in violence risk and threat assessment, including those specializing in forensic psychology, risk assessment, or threat management. The program provides foundational knowledge, with a particular focus on the structured professional judgment approach, equipping participants with practical skills to evaluate and manage potential violence.

    • Mental Health Professional
    • Psychologist
    • Psychiatrist
    • Social Worker
    • Counselor
    • Law Enforcement Professional
    • Probation/Parole Officer
    • Legal Professional
    • Forensic Psychologist
    • Threat Management Specialist

  • Experience Level

    This training is designed for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals seeking foundational knowledge of legal issues in violence risk/threat assessment.

      Beginner: Participants are new to violence risk/threat assessment or have limited experience with the legal duties and conflicts involved. They seek to understand major legal duties, recognize potential conflicts among these duties, and learn basic steps to avoid or mitigate such conflicts.

  • Practice Setting

    Practice settings for professionals involved in violence risk and threat assessment are diverse, often high-stakes environments where safety, legal, and ethical considerations are paramount. These professionals typically work in settings where they assess, manage, and mitigate potential risks of violence, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and interfacing with legal systems. Their work environments may include clinical, forensic, community, or institutional contexts, each requiring a nuanced understanding of both psychological and legal frameworks.

    Examples of practice settings:

    • Hospitals and psychiatric units (inpatient and outpatient)
    • Community mental health centers
    • Correctional facilities and juvenile detention centers
    • Law enforcement agencies and police departments
    • Probation and parole offices
    • Courts and legal offices (e.g., providing expert testimony or consultation)
    • Forensic assessment clinics
    • Threat management units within corporations, schools, or universities
    • Private practice specializing in forensic or risk assessment
    • Government agencies focused on public safety or national security

Presented By

Brianne Layden, PhD, Threat Assessment Specialist at Protect International Risk and Safety Services Inc.

Dr. Brianne Layden obtained BA, MA, and PhD degrees in psychology at Simon Fraser University. She is a clinical and forensic psychologist specializing in the assessment and management of risk for violence toward the self and others. She works as a Threat Assessment Specialist at Protect International Risk and Safety Services Inc., is a contract psychologist with Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission of British Columbia, is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Simon Fraser University, and is the associate editor of Intelligence, an e-newsletter that keeps professionals up to date about recent advances in threat assessment around the globe. She also serves as a Member-at-Large for the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services. Her expertise involves the assessment and management of self-directed violence and personality disorders, particularly borderline personality disorder, and intersecting risks (e.g., general and self-directed violence). She has provided training workshops and invited presentations for forensic mental health, law enforcement, corrections, security, victim services and higher education, and has co-authored over 50 articles and conference presentations. She is currently in the process of developing structured professional judgment tools for the assessment and management of self-directed violence.

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Brianne Layden, PhD
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.