1.5 Hours / 1.5 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on HCR-20 Research Update is presented by Kevin S. Douglas, Ph.D., LLB., in partnership with Protect International Risk and Safety Services.

The Historical-Clinical-Risk Management 20 (HCR-20) is one of the most frequently used violence risk assessment and management instruments worldwide. It has been translated into 20 languages and adopted or evaluated in 35 countries.

The third version of the HCR-20 (HCR-20 V3) was published in 2013 by Kevin Douglas, Stephen Hart, Chris Webster, and Henrik Belfrage. This program provides a brief synthesis of all HCR-20 research and then focuses on an up-to-date review of research on the HCR-20 V3. This is not a complete training on the instrument; it is only an overview of the research. 

Studies on the HCR-20 V3 have been carried out in Canada, the USA, the UK, Sweden, Norway, Germany, and the Netherlands, with ongoing research being carried out in several additional countries. Findings on the reliability and validity of the HCR-20 V3 have generally been consistent with previous HCR-20 research and research on the Structured Professional Judgment model more broadly. 

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe the duty to accommodate in cases where a mental disorder is present
  • 2 Describe managing parallel investigations
  • 3 Describe the use of voluntary or involuntary leave as an interim or long-term management strategy
  • 4 Describe balancing the right to privacy versus freedom of information

  • Intended Audience

    This training is intended for professionals in mental health, criminal justice, and victim support who want to gain comprehensive knowledge and practical skills in using the HCR-20 Version 3 for violence risk assessment and management. It is suitable for those specializing in forensic psychology, clinical risk assessment, or related areas that involve structured professional judgment in evaluating potential violence.

    Examples of Relevant Professionals:

    • Mental health professionals (e.g., psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers)
    • Criminal justice professionals (e.g., correctional officers, probation/parole officers, law enforcement)
    • Victim support professionals (e.g., victim advocates, counselors)
    • Forensic psychologists and clinicians specializing in risk assessment

  • Experience Level

    This training is appropriate for a range of experience levels among licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals.

    • Beginner: Participants new to violence risk assessment or the HCR-20 will gain foundational knowledge of the Structured Professional Judgment model and the HCR-20 V3, including its research base and core concepts.

    • Intermediate: Participants with some experience in risk assessment or prior exposure to the HCR-20 will deepen their understanding of recent research, reliability and validity findings, and practical considerations in applying the HCR-20 V3 in diverse settings.

  • Practice Setting

    Practitioners apply the HCR-20 V3 within clinical, justice, and victim service systems, working in both secure and community-based environments where structured professional judgment guides prevention and management of violence risk. Work typically occurs within multidisciplinary teams under organizational and legal frameworks that require clear documentation, interagency coordination, and ongoing case monitoring.

    Examples of Practice Settings:

    • Inpatient psychiatric units and forensic hospitals
    • Correctional facilities (jails, prisons) and detention centers
    • Probation and parole services
    • Courts, pretrial services, and specialty court programs
    • Law enforcement behavioral health units and threat assessment teams
    • Community mental health and outpatient clinics
    • Secure residential treatment and community supervision programs
    • Victim services agencies and advocacy centers
Presented By

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. He received a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Career Scholar Award (2005-2010), and was the recipient of the Saleem Shah Award for Early Career Excellence in Psychology and Law (2005), awarded jointly by the American Psychology-Law Society and the American Academy of Forensic Psychology. Dr. Douglas has authored over 150 journal articles, books, or book chapters.

He has given over 150 invited presentations or workshops across 12 countries. His research and professional activities include violence risk assessment and management, the association between various mental and personality disorders (i.e., psychosis; psychopathy) and violence, and dynamic (changeable, treatment-relevant) risk factors, in both youth and adults. He is co-author of the Historical-Clinical-Risk Management-20 (HCR-20) violence risk assessment measure, which has been translated into 20 languages and is the most broadly used violence risk assessment measure around the world (roughly 35 countries) in correctional, forensic, and psychiatric settings. Its purpose is to help guide decisions about violence potential and how to reduce it. Dr. Douglas is lead author on the latest (third) revision of the HCR-20, published in 2013. His work has been funded, to the amount of approximately $5,000,000, by the National Science Foundation in the US, and, in Canada, by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Overview of all HCR Research

  • Up-to-Date HCR-20 Version 3 research

  • Findings on the reliability and validity of the HCR-20 V3

  • Research on the Structured Professional Judgment model

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).


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.