1 Hour / 1 CE

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Diversity Issues in Violence Risk Assessment: Youth and Emerging Adults is presented by Jodi Viljoen, Ph.D., in partnership with Protect International Risk and Safety Services.

This program provides an overview of key ways in which violence risk assessment practices should be developmentally informed when working with adolescents and transition-age youth (approximately 12 to 25 years old). First, although many of the risk and protective factors relevant to older adults are also applicable to adolescents, certain factors are critical during specific developmental periods, including critical transition periods. Second, the six- to seven-year period typically associated with adolescence (i.e., 12 to 18 years old) is increasingly being recognized as excessively narrow in light of social and neurodevelopmental influences, which have implications for assessing and managing violence risk. Third, youth and emerging adults generally are more “contextually bound” than more mature adults, with specific social contexts being more salient during particular developmental periods. Dr. Viljoen will present a case illustrating the application of these developmental considerations.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe the age-crime curve and its trajectories
  • 2 Describe key areas of development that occur during adolescence and early adulthood
  • 3 Describe neurodevelopmental issues relevant to violence risk for youth and emerging adults
  • 4 Describe the framework of the social-ecological model to violence risk assessment

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for mental health and allied professionals who want to enhance their understanding of developmentally informed violence risk assessment for adolescents and transition-age youth. It is particularly relevant for those specializing in forensic psychology, clinical psychology, or related disciplines that involve assessing and managing risk in younger populations. The program is suitable for professionals seeking to deepen their expertise and apply practical knowledge in evaluating and managing risk among youth.

    • Mental Health Professional
    • Psychologist
    • Social Worker
    • Counselor
    • Psychiatrist
    • Clinician specializing in or interested in forensic or clinical psychology
    • Allied professional working with youth

  • Experience Level

    This training is designed for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals with varying levels of experience in violence risk assessment with adolescents and transition-age youth (ages 12–25).

      Beginner:       Participants are new to developmentally informed violence risk assessment, seeking foundational knowledge of risk and protective factors, neurodevelopmental influences, and the social-ecological model as they apply to youth and emerging adults.

  • Practice Setting

    Professionals who participate in this training typically work in environments where they assess, support, and manage the mental health and behavioral needs of adolescents and transition-age youth (ages 12–25). These settings often involve multidisciplinary teams and may include both clinical and forensic contexts. The work environment is focused on evaluating risk and protective factors, understanding developmental and contextual influences, and applying evidence-based practices to support youth during critical developmental periods.

    Examples of practice settings:

    • Outpatient mental health clinics serving adolescents and young adults
    • Inpatient psychiatric units or hospitals
    • Juvenile justice facilities or detention centers
    • School-based mental health programs
    • Community-based youth services or crisis intervention centers
    • Forensic assessment centers or court clinics
    • Private practice specializing in youth and emerging adults
    • Residential treatment programs for adolescents
    • Child and adolescent psychiatry departments
    • Social service agencies working with at-risk youth

Presented By

Jodi Viljoen, PhD

Dr. Jodi Viljoen, R. Psyc. is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at Simon Fraser University, an Associate Director of the Institute for the Reduction of Youth Violence. She is an author of a the Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability (START:AV) and a risk reduction guide called the Adolescent Risk Reduction and Resilient Outcomes Work-Plan (ARROW).

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Jodi Viljoen, 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.