10 Hours / 10 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Assessing & Managing Risk for Self-Directed Violence (Suicide) is presented by Brianne Layden, PhD in partnership with Protect International Risk and Safety Services.

It is all too often, we see professionals relying solely on their clinical judgment or using predictive tools in their assessments of risk for self-directed violence (suicide). Dr. Layden describes the benefits of utilizing the structured professional judgment (SPJ) approach to assess and manage self-directed violence that is both informed by the literature and incorporates clinical judgment. In addition, Dr. Layden describes the results of a recent systematic review of the literature on risk factors related to suicide and how these data have informed the development of new SPJ guidelines: The Self-Directed Violence – 20 (SDV-20).

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe the nature of self-directed violence and self-directed violence risk
  • 2 Describe the principles of self-directed violence risk assessment focusing on Structured Professional Judgment (SPJ) approaches
  • 3 Describe existing SPJ guidelines for self-directed violence risk assessment
  • 4 Describe research evidence on risk factors for self-directed violence
  • 5 Describe the basis for the development of new SPJ guidelines: The Self-Directed Violence – 20 (SDV-20)
  • 6 Describe key concepts underlying the assessment and management of self-directed violence risk
  • 7 Describe the application of decision theory to evaluating self-directed violence risk
  • 8 Describe methods for combining multiple risk factors when formulating self-directed violence risk
  • 9 Describe the administration procedures for the Self-Directed Violence–20 (SDV-20)
  • 10 Describe the application of the SDV-20 to a practice case
  • Intended Audience

    This training program is designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of professionals involved in assessing and managing self-directed violence, including suicide risk. It is intended for individuals at all stages of their careers who play a role in identifying, assessing, or intervening with individuals at risk for self-directed violence.

    • Mental Health Professional
    • Clinician
    • Specialist in suicide risk assessment and management
    • Criminal justice professional
    • Security professional
    • Health care provider
    • Social service worker
    • Education professional (e.g., school counselor, administrator)
    • Human resources professional
  • Experience Level

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

    • Beginner: Participants new to self-directed violence risk assessment, seeking foundational knowledge of risk factors, the principles of Structured Professional Judgment (SPJ), and an introduction to the SDV-20 guidelines.
    • Intermediate: Participants with some experience in risk assessment, looking to deepen their understanding of SPJ approaches, integrate research evidence into practice, and apply decision theory and the SDV-20 to case formulation.
    • Advanced: Participants with substantial experience in risk assessment and management, aiming to refine their application of SPJ guidelines, critically evaluate new research, and enhance their use of the SDV-20 in complex clinical scenarios.
  • Practice Setting

    Professionals who assess and manage self-directed violence, including suicide risk, work in diverse environments where they interact with individuals at risk. These settings may be clinical, institutional, educational, or organizational, and often require collaboration with multidisciplinary teams. The work environment is typically structured to support confidential, sensitive, and evidence-informed assessment and intervention, with access to relevant resources and support systems.

    • Outpatient mental health clinics
    • Inpatient psychiatric units or hospitals
    • Emergency departments
    • Correctional facilities and juvenile detention centers
    • School counseling offices and educational institutions
    • Community health centers
    • Social service agencies
    • Employee assistance programs within workplaces
    • Law enforcement agencies
    • Crisis intervention centers and hotlines

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.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Brianne Layden, PhD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Principles of self-directed violence risk assessment and management:
    The nature of self-directed violence and self-directed violence risk
    Principles of self-directed violence risk assessment focusing on Structured Professional Judgment (SPJ)

  • Assessing and managing risk for self-directed violence:
    Administration of the Self-Directed Violence-20 (SDV-20) guidelines

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.

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.