Fear Management

Presented by: Kelly A. Watt, PhD

1 Hour / 1 CE

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Fear Management is presented by Kelly A. Watt, Ph.D., in partnership with Protect International Risk and Safety Services.

Managing the fear experience by potential victims and targets of violence is an important and often overlooked task when conducting violence risk assessment and management. Fear experienced by potential victims or targets may be problematic in two ways: It may be viewed as “too low” or “too high” by the professional or team conducting the violence risk assessment. The hope is that the level of fear will be “just right” and consistent with the scenarios of future violence that a professional or team thinks are plausible, useful, and consensual.

This program discusses the possible implications of victim fear that is viewed as “too low” or “too high,” both of which could lead to increased risk and decreased safety. For instance, some research suggests that up to 50% of women who were killed by their current or former intimate partner were not fearful of lethal violence. In addition, this program reviews factors that may be contributing to perceptions of fear as well as possible strategies that can be used to manage fear at both an individual and institutional level.

Learning Objectives

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

1 Describe the implications of victim fear when conducting violence risk assessments
2 Describe factors that may contribute to perceptions of fear
3 Describe strategies that can be used to manage fear

Intended Audience

This training is designed for mental health and allied professionals who want to enhance their understanding of managing fear experiences in the context of violence risk assessment and management. It is particularly relevant for those specializing in forensic psychology, clinical psychology, or related fields where evaluating and mitigating risk to potential victims is a key component of practice.

Examples of Relevant Professionals:
- Mental Health Professionals (psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, social workers)
- Forensic psychologists
- Clinical psychologists
- Allied professionals involved in risk assessment and management
- Social workers specializing in forensic or clinical settings
- Counselors working with at-risk populations
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.
- Beginner: Participants new to violence risk assessment will gain foundational knowledge about the implications of victim fear, contributing factors, and basic strategies for managing fear in potential victims and targets.
- Intermediate: Participants with some experience in violence risk assessment will deepen their understanding of how perceptions of fear impact risk management and learn to apply nuanced strategies to address fear at both individual and institutional levels.
- Advanced: Participants with extensive experience in violence risk assessment will refine their skills in evaluating complex cases where victim fear is misaligned with plausible risk scenarios and contribute to developing best practices for managing fear within multidisciplinary teams.
Practice Setting

Professionals practice in multidisciplinary clinical and forensic environments across community, healthcare, and justice systems, where they assess and manage violence risk and coordinate safety planning with teams and stakeholders.

Their work centers on calibrating victim/target fear with plausible risk scenarios and implementing individual- and institutional-level strategies to reduce harm.

Examples of Practice Settings:
- Community mental health clinics and outpatient programs
- Forensic hospitals and secure psychiatric units
- Correctional facilities and probation/parole services
- Emergency departments and hospital-based violence intervention
- Domestic violence shelters and victim advocacy agencies
- Law enforcement, courts, and specialty dockets
- School, university, and workplace threat assessment teams

Presented By

Kelly A. Watt, PhD

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.

We are proud to partner with

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.

American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.
Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.
National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).

Sponsorship Approval Statements

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), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7190. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Palo Alto University, #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. Palo Alto University 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. Continuing and Professional Studies, Palo Alto University, is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0103. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT), 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. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies, is recognized by 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.