Foundations of Violence Risk Assessment and Management
Presented by: Stephen D. Hart, PhD, Laura Guy, PhD, and Kevin Douglas, PhD, LLB
40 Hours / 40 CEs
On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training
This on-demand professional training program on Foundations of Violence Risk Assessment and Management is presented by Kevin S. Douglas, PhD, LLB; Laura S. Guy, PhD and Stephen D. Hart, PhD, in partnership with Protect International Risk and Safety Services.
This badge-earning program can be shared digitally on platforms like LinkedIn or your resume and counts towards a certificate. Enroll in this program to earn credit towards Violence Risk Assessment Certificate and share your new digital credentials with prospective employers and colleagues.
This program provides professionals with general risk assessment and management principles and focuses on the most common forms of violence (e.g., general violence, sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and stalking). It provides professionals with practical skills related to using specific risk assessment tools and knowledge about implementing violence risk assessment and management procedures.
The topics covered include foundational principles of violence risk assessment and management and the use of standardized, evidence-based procedures for risk assessment and management, including the HCR-20-V3, RSVP, SARA-V3, B-SAFER, and SAM. Violence Risk Assessment and Management programs are the only one in the field that has been subjected to systematic empirical research and evaluations that indicate that the vast majority of participants recommend this program.
The program accommodates varying levels of experience in risk assessment, from beginner to advanced, and is relevant for professionals from diverse backgrounds, including investigative psychologists and senior police officers working with threat assessment departments, as well as clinical forensic psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and nurses.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:
- 1 Describe the nature of violence and violence risk
- 2 Describe the principles of violence risk assessment
- 3 Describe the Structured Professional Judgment (SPJ) approach
- 4 Describe the principles of violence risk management
- 5 Describe scenario planning approaches
- 6 Describe the process of case formulation
- 7 Describe the literature regarding general or “typical” violence including that committed by people with mental health, personality, or substance use problems
- 8 Describe the use of the Historical-Clinical-Risk Management-20 (HCR-20-V3)
- 9 Describe the administration of the Historical-Clinical-Risk Management-20 (HCR-20-V3)
- 10 Describe the literature regarding unwanted contact and communication, including physical violence, by people who are angry or obsessed
- 11 Describe the use of the Guidelines for Stalking Assessment and Management (SAM)
- 12 Describe the administration of the Guidelines for Stalking Assessment and Management (SAM)
- 13 Describe the literature regarding violence against current or former intimate partners
- 14 Describe the use of the Spousal Assault Risk Assessment Guide (SARA-V3)
- 15 Describe the administration of the Spousal Assault Risk Assessment Guide (SARA-V3)
- 16 Describe the use of the Brief Spousal Assault Form for the Evaluation of Risk (B-SAFER)
- 17 Describe the administration of the Brief Spousal Assault Form for the Evaluation of Risk (B-SAFER)
- 18 Describe the literature regarding diverse forms of sexual violence towards intimate partners, family members, acquaintances and strangers
- 19 Describe the use of the Risk for Sexual Violence Protocol (RSVP)
- 20 Describe the administration of the Risk for Sexual Violence Protocol (RSVP)
Training Instructors:
Stephen D. Hart, PhD
Dr. Stephen D. Hart obtained BA, MA, and PhD degrees in psychology at the University of British Columbia. He has been on faculty in the Department of Psychology at Simon Fraser University since 1990, and has held the rank of Professor since 2001. He also served as a Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Bergen in Norway between 2000 and 2021. His expertise is in the field of clinical-forensic psychology, with a special focus on the assessment of violence risk and psychopathic personality disorder.
Laura Guy, PhD
Laura S. Guy obtained her BA in psychology at McGill University in Quebec, MA in clinical (forensic) psychology at Sam Houston State University in Texas, and PhD in clinical (forensic) psychology at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. She completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in forensic psychology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS). She has Board Certification in Forensic Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology and is registered to practice psychology in Canada and the United States.
Kevin Douglas, PhD, LLB
Dr. Kevin S. Douglas received his law degree (LL.B.) in 2000 from the University of British Columbia, and his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in clinical (forensic) psychology from Simon Fraser University. He spent three years on faculty at the University of South Florida in Tampa, and has been on faculty at Simon Fraser University since 2004. He currently is Professor and Associate Chair, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University. He is also a Guest Professor of Applied Criminology at Mid-Sweden University, and a Senior Research Advisor at the University of Oslo.
Earning a Certificate
This is a badge-earning program, which means it will help you earn a certificate that can be showcased on digital platforms like LinkedIn.
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.
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.