6 Hours / 6 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on the Assessment of Risk for Violence in Juveniles is presented by Debra Beader, Ph.D., in partnership with The American Academy of Forensic Psychology.

The assessment of risk for violence in juveniles is pertinent for many court proceedings, including transfer to the adult criminal justice system. This program includes an examination of relevant case law, risk assessment measures, best practices in evaluation procedures, and communication of data and opinions to judges, attorneys, and probation officers. Related topics (e.g., psychopathy, treatment amenability, and risk management programming) are addressed as well, as are issues related to adolescents’ biological, psychological, and social development.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe how the Juvenile Justice System has evolved in general and specifically regarding risk assessment
  • 2 Describe pathways to normative and non-normative adolescent development
  • 3 Describe the key elements of the Risk/Needs/Responsivity Principle
  • 4 Describe salient risk and protective factors for juveniles
  • 5 Describe how age, gender, culture, and ethnicity inform risk assessments and risk-related judicial decision-making
  • 6 Describe key elements of the assessment and report-writing process

  • Intended Audience

    This training is intended for mental health professionals who work with adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system, with a focus on those specializing in juvenile forensic assessment and intervention. It is designed for individuals who provide psychological, psychiatric, or social work services to justice-involved youth.


    Examples of Relevant Professionals:
    • Mental Health Professionals
    • Psychologists working with justice-involved youth
    • Psychiatrists providing care to adolescents in the juvenile justice system
    • Social workers supporting youth in the juvenile justice system
    • Professionals specializing in juvenile forensic assessment and intervention

  • Experience Level

    This training is appropriate for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at various stages of experience with juvenile violence risk assessment and related court proceedings.

    • Beginner: Participants new to juvenile risk assessment or forensic mental health will gain foundational knowledge of the juvenile justice system, risk/needs/responsivity principles, and relevant case law.

    • Intermediate: Participants with some experience in forensic or juvenile assessment will deepen their understanding of best practices in evaluation, report writing, and the integration of developmental, cultural, and contextual factors in risk assessment.

    • Advanced: Participants with extensive experience in forensic mental health or juvenile justice will refine their skills in complex case analysis, advanced risk management programming, and nuanced communication of findings to legal professionals.

  • Practice Setting

    These professionals work in court-connected, secure, and community behavioral health settings, conducting juvenile violence risk assessments, forensic evaluations, and developmentally informed treatment planning grounded in relevant case law. Their practice includes collaborating with legal stakeholders, preparing reports and testimony, and implementing risk management and intervention programming across legal-clinical systems.


    Examples of Practice Settings:
    • Juvenile detention and correctional facilities
    • Juvenile and family courts (court-based clinics/services)
    • Probation departments and community supervision programs
    • Community mental health clinics serving justice-involved youth
    • Hospital-based adolescent forensic units and emergency services
    • Residential treatment centers and secure care programs
    • School-based diversion and reentry programs
    • Child advocacy centers and multidisciplinary teams

Presented By

Debra Baeder, PhD Chief Forensic Psychologist for the State Forensic Service in Maine

Dr. Debra Baeder is board certified in forensic psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. She is the Chief Forensic Psychologist for the State Forensic Service in Maine. Her responsibilities are the evaluations of adult defendants on issues of competence and criminal responsibility, presentence evaluations, and evaluations of insanity acquittees who have petitioned the Court. She also coordinates the juvenile evaluation program for the State Forensic Service. In that capacity, she conducts pre-adjudicatory, pre-dispositional, adjudicative competence, and bindover evaluations. She consults with and trains other examiners contracted with the State Forensic Service, trains psychiatric residents at the Maine Medical Center, and works on relevant legislative issues. Dr. Baeder also provides workshops on juvenile forensic topics in Maine and nationally.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Debra Baeder, PhD
We are proud to partner with

American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP)

American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP)

We are proud to partner with the American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP) for this training. AAFP is a non-profit organization of board-certified forensic psychologists whose mission is to contribute to the development and maintenance of forensic psychology as a specialized field of study, research, and practice. The Academy does this by providing high-quality continuing education workshops, providing a forum for the exchange of scientific information among its members, and conferring awards upon outstanding students and practitioners in the field of forensic psychology.

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.