1 Hour / 1 CE

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Diversity Issues in Violence Risk Assessment: General Principles and Best Practice is presented by Kelly A. Watt, Ph.D., in partnership with Protect International Risk and Safety Services.

Consideration of issues in diversity is a critical component of violence risk assessment and management that is often overlooked. There has been an intense debate in this field about whether established tools consider diversity issues and how these tools can best consider diversity issues.

This program provides an overview of some general principles and best practices that can be applied to consider diversity issues when conducting assessments. Additionally, the program discusses the suitability of these principles and the different approaches used for assessing and managing violence risk, including Unstructured Professional Judgment, Structured Professional Judgment, and Actuarial Risk Assessment. Finally, cases illustrate the importance and implications of the consideration of diversity issues when assessing and managing violence risk. The remaining programs in this series provide focused discussions regarding diversity issues related to youth and emerging adults, culture, gender, and sexuality.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe general principles that can be applied to the consideration of diversity issues when conducting assessments.
  • 2 Describe best practices that can be applied to the consideration of diversity issues when conducting assessments.
  • 3 Describe the suitability of these principles and practices when applied to different approaches in risk assessment and management.
  • 4 Describe the general principles and best practices to violence risk assessment and management.
  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for individuals seeking to enhance their expertise in violence risk assessment and management, with a focus on mental health, forensic, legal, and related fields. It is tailored for professionals who want to deepen their understanding of these topics and apply practical knowledge within their respective disciplines.

    • Mental Health Professional
    • Psychologist
    • Psychiatrist
    • Counselor
    • Social Worker
    • Allied Professional in Forensic or Clinical Psychology
    • Legal Professional (e.g., attorney, judge, legal advocate)
  • Experience Level

    This training is appropriate for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at various stages of experience in violence risk assessment and management, with a focus on the consideration of diversity issues.

      Beginner: New to violence risk assessment or with limited experience considering diversity issues; seeking foundational knowledge of general principles and best practices.
  • Practice Setting

    Professionals who complete this training typically practice in environments where violence risk assessment and management are essential, often within mental health, forensic, legal, or multidisciplinary settings. These environments require careful consideration of diversity issues and the application of evidence-based assessment models. Practitioners may work with diverse populations and complex cases, collaborating with other professionals to ensure comprehensive and culturally informed risk management.

    Examples of practice settings:

    • Psychiatric hospitals and inpatient mental health units
    • Outpatient mental health clinics and community mental health centers
    • Forensic hospitals and correctional facilities
    • Private practice specializing in forensic or clinical psychology
    • Courts, legal offices, and government agencies
    • Social service agencies and child protective services
    • University counseling centers and academic research settings
    • Multidisciplinary teams in law enforcement or public safety organizations

Presented By

Kelly A. Watt, PhD Threat Assessment Specialist at Protect International

Dr. Kelly A. Watt obtained her BA in psychology at Simon Fraser and her MA and PhD in psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She worked as a Psychology Fellow at Vancouver Coastal Health between 2008 and 2010. She currently works as Threat Assessment Specialist at Protect International and a Workplace Consultant at Competence Center Bergen. She is a member of the Mental Health, Law, and Policy Institute at Simon Fraser University. Her expertise is in the field of clinical- community-forensic psychology, with a special focus on violence risk assessment and management, victim safety planning, coordinated community responses, and threat assessment teams. She has co-authored more than 75 articles, chapters, reports, and presentations and is the co-author of manuals for risk assessment and safety planning, including the Risk for Sexual Violence Protocol (RSVP), and the Aid to Safety Assessment and Planning (ASAP). She is currently the editor of Intelligence, the newsletter of the Canadian, American, European, and Asia Pacific associations of threat assessment professionals. She also currently serves the chair of special interest group for the Canadian Association of Threat Assessment Professionals. She has provided over 120 invited presentations and workshops for mental health, law enforcement corrections, security, victim services, social services, human resources, occupational health and safety, and legal professionals in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

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

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.