Continuing & Professional Studies, Palo Alto University

This on-demand professional training program on Violence Risk Assessment for Youth Using the SAVRY is presented by Ivan Kruh, PhD, and Gina Vincent, PhD in partnership with the National Youth Screening & Assessment Partners (NYSAP).

The SAVRY Version 2 (Borum, Bartel, & Forth, 2006) assesses risk for violence/aggression, non-violent reoffending, residential aggression, and the dynamic risk and protective factors associated with these acts among adolescents. The SAVRY is a well-validated risk assessment instrument for violence, with evidence of its validity for both girls and boys and across several racial/ethnic groups. 

The program includes a brief overview of research on adolescent offending, developmental issues related to risk, and known dynamic and static risk factors. This is followed by a discussion of the different approaches to decision-making; namely, unstructured clinical judgment, actuarial, and structured professional judgment (SPJ). 

The bulk of the program is spent teaching participants how to collect data needed to use the SAVRY, how to rate its items, and how to make final determinations of one’s level of risk. The program also covers the risk-need-responsivity framework and developing clinical formulations for treatment/intervention recommendations. 

This program is designed for clinicians practicing in areas in which assessing a youth’s violence risk or risk for general offending is relevant. In most cases, this will be clinicians who conduct assessments of youth involved in the legal system, in either forensic mental health contexts (i.e., court-based evaluations) or other juvenile justice contexts (e.g., juvenile correctional settings). There may be traditional clinical contexts for which these skills may also be relevant, such as residential treatment settings or psychiatric hospitals.  

The National Youth Screening & Assessment Partners (NYSAP) is a technical assistance and research group dedicated to helping juvenile justice and related programs nationwide. Since 2000, NYSAP has assisted juvenile justice systems to make decisions about adolescents that are consistent with youths’ health and positive development and with the community’s interests by helping systems use reliable, evidence-based methods for screening and assessment. We provide training, technical assistance, and quality implementation services to agencies and programs in the areas of risk screening and risk-needs assessment, behavioral health screening, and competence to stand trial evaluations.

NYSAP professionals have played a key role for 25 years in research on juveniles’ competence to stand trial and in developing juvenile competence standards for forensic clinical practice, law, and policy. In response to the growing demand for juvenile competence evaluations nationally, we provide consultation to assist agencies in developing or refining their juvenile competence service delivery system, as well as creating and conducting quality assurance procedures. We train clinicians and juvenile justice stakeholders (e.g., judges, attorneys, and community partners) in practice standards for conducting high-quality juvenile competence evaluations.

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.