20 Hours / 20 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

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

The quality of violence risk assessment and management plan depends heavily on the quality of the information on which it is based. Interviews are an essential component of the information base for a violence risk assessment, and the information collected through an interview serves to inform both findings and opinions. At the same time, good interviewing skills can also serve as an important intervention strategy related to managing the risk of a perpetrator or increasing the safety of a victim.

This program focuses on reviewing foundational issues in conducting violence risk assessments and management interviews. It provides a discussion of various styles, techniques, and questions for gathering data during a clinical interview. The program also focuses on special issues that arise within this context, including current mental status, mental disorder, violent thoughts, and malingering. Participants are given an opportunity to build their skills in this area through practice cases.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe the purpose of violence risk assessment and management interviews
  • 2 Describe how to determine timing & location of violence risk assessment and management interviews
  • 3 Describe the process of violence risk assessment and management interviews
  • 4 Describe the underlying assumptions and theory of violence risk assessment and management interviews
  • 5 Describe the preparation and structure of a violence risk assessment and management interviews
  • 6 Describe core components of obtaining consent & establishing rapport for violence risk assessment and management interviews
  • 7 Describe options related to recording violence risk assessment and management interviews
  • 8 Describe possible reactions to violence risk assessment and management interviews
  • 9 Describe the relevance and importance of mental disorder, violent thoughts, and malingering when conducting a violence risk assessment and management interview
  • 10 Describe assessment tactics and management tactics for mental disorder, violent thoughts, and malingering when conducting violence risk assessment and management interviews

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for individuals involved in or interested in forensic assessment and violence risk evaluation, particularly those who conduct interviews to inform risk assessments and management plans. It is also suitable for professionals currently conducting forensic evaluations as well as those seeking to add forensic evaluation to their practice.

    • Mental Health Professional
    • Clinician
    • Forensic Evaluator
    • Violence Risk Assessor

  • Experience Level

    This program is designed for beginner-level licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals seeking foundational knowledge and skills in interviewing for violence risk assessment and management.

    • Beginner: Participants are new to violence risk assessment and management interviews, seeking to understand the purpose, process, and structure of these interviews, including preparation, obtaining consent, establishing rapport, and addressing special issues such as mental disorder, violent thoughts, and malingering. Participants will build core interviewing skills through discussion, demonstration, and practice cases.

    • Intermediate: Participants have some experience conducting clinical or forensic interviews and wish to deepen their understanding of structured professional judgment (SPJ) approaches, case formulation, and dynamic risk management strategies. Emphasis is placed on improving the accuracy and defensibility of risk-related documentation and testimony.

    • Advanced: Participants are experienced evaluators or forensic practitioners seeking to refine interviewing techniques in high-stakes contexts, navigate complex presentations such as psychopathy or severe mental illness, and integrate advanced risk communication strategies into multidisciplinary case management.

  • Practice Setting

    Professionals who conduct forensic assessment and violence risk evaluation typically work in secure, structured environments where safety, confidentiality, and thorough documentation are prioritized. These settings often involve collaboration with legal, correctional, or healthcare teams and require adherence to ethical and legal standards. The work may involve direct interviews with individuals who are at risk of violence or have a history of violent behavior, as well as the development of risk management plans based on comprehensive assessments.

    Examples of practice settings:

    • Forensic psychiatric hospitals or units
    • Correctional facilities (prisons, jails, detention centers)
    • Court clinics or forensic assessment centers
    • Community mental health centers with forensic services
    • Private practice specializing in forensic evaluation
    • Government agencies (e.g., probation, parole, child protective services)
    • Academic or research institutions conducting forensic assessments

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

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Foundation: Participants learn about issues related to conducting violence risk assessment, and management interviews
    Styles
    Techniques
    Questions

  • Special Issues: Participants learn about special issues that arise within this context, including current mental status, mental disorder, violent thoughts, and malingering/response style
    Build Skills
    Practice Cases

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.