20 Hours / 20 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability: Adolescent Version (START-AV) is presented by Jodi Viljoen, PhD and Keith Cruise, PhD. 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 Juvenile Forensic Assessment Certificate and share your new digital credentials with prospective employers and colleagues.

The START:AV is a risk assessment guide for adolescents. Rather than focusing on a single outcome (e.g., violence), the START:AV provides an integrative assessment of adolescents’ risks for Harm to others and rule violations and Harm to the adolescent. Whereas many tools focus primarily on risk factors, START:AV places a large emphasis on strengths in addition to vulnerabilities.

In addition, given that adolescence is a period of enormous change, the START:AV facilitates a dynamic approach by orienting professionals to strengths and vulnerabilities that are potentially modifiable. This program focuses on providing participants with the skills needed to use the START:AV to assess strengths, vulnerabilities, and risks. In addition, the program introduces participants to the use of START:AV in intervention planning. Throughout the program, there is a focus on working through case examples.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe an integrative assessment of adolescents’ risks for harm to others
  • 2 Describe the assessment of adolescents’ risk rule violations
  • 3 Describe the assessment of adolescents’ risks of harm to the adolescent
  • 4 Describe the START-AV in intervention-planning
  • 5 Describe the role of static and dynamic strength risk factors in risk assessment
  • 6 Describe the role of static and dynamic strength risk factors in risk management
  • 7 Describe the strengths in client management and safety planning
  • 8 Describe the vulnerabilities in client management and safety planning
  • 9 Describe how to administer START assessments
  • 10 Describe how to interpret START assessments
  • 11 Describe how to implement START assessments
  • 12 Describe the administration, interpretation, and implementation through case examples

  • Intended Audience

    This training is intended for clinicians who wish to develop or enhance their skills in assessing adolescent risk and protective factors using the START:AV (Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability: Adolescent Version) tool. It is particularly relevant for those specializing in forensic psychology, adolescent mental health, juvenile justice, correctional or community-based youth services, and also applies to professionals working with adults with mental health, personality, or substance-related disorders.

    • Mental Health Professional
    • Forensic Psychologist
    • Adolescent Mental Health Clinician
    • Juvenile Justice Clinician
    • Correctional Services Clinician
    • Community-Based Youth Services Clinician
    • Adult Mental Health Clinician
    • Substance Use Disorder Clinician

  • Experience Level

    This training is designed for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at all experience levels who wish to enhance their skills in adolescent risk assessment and intervention planning using the START:AV.

    Beginner:
    New to adolescent risk assessment or the START:AV model; seeking foundational knowledge of integrative risk assessment, including strengths and vulnerabilities, and basic administration of the START:AV.

    Intermediate:
    Some experience with risk assessment tools; looking to deepen understanding of dynamic and static risk factors, and apply START:AV principles to intervention planning and case examples.

    Advanced:
    Experienced in adolescent risk assessment; aiming to refine skills in complex case formulation, advanced interpretation of START:AV results, and integration of strengths-based approaches into safety planning and management.

  • Practice Setting

    Clinicians who use the START:AV tool typically work in environments where comprehensive assessment of adolescent risk and protective factors is essential for safety, treatment, and intervention planning. These settings often involve multidisciplinary teams and require collaboration with families, schools, legal systems, and community agencies. The practice environment may be fast-paced, involve high-stakes decision-making, and require sensitivity to the unique developmental needs and challenges of adolescents. Professionals may also work with adults who have complex mental health or substance use needs, applying similar assessment principles.

    • Inpatient or outpatient adolescent mental health clinics
    • Juvenile detention centers or correctional facilities
    • Forensic assessment units within hospitals or community agencies
    • Community-based youth services organizations
    • School-based mental health programs
    • Substance use treatment centers for youth or adults
    • Adult mental health services with a focus on risk assessment and management
    • Multidisciplinary case management teams serving at-risk youth

Presented By

Jodi Viljoen, PhD

Dr. Jodi Viljoen, R. Psyc. is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology at Simon Fraser University, an Associate Director of the Institute for the Reduction of Youth Violence. She is an author of a the Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability (START:AV) and a risk reduction guide called the Adolescent Risk Reduction and Resilient Outcomes Work-Plan (ARROW).

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Jodi Viljoen, PhD

Presented By

Keith Cruise, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychology - Fordham University; Co-Director Center for Trauma Recovery and Juvenile Justice

Keith Cruise is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and Adjunct Professor of Law at Fordham University. Dr. Cruise conducts research on the clinical-forensic assessment of youth within the juvenile justice system. Various research projects have focused on developing and validating specialized risk assessment protocols, investigating the utility of mental health screening instruments with justice-involved youth, and understanding the connection between trauma exposure, trauma reactions, and delinquent behavior. Dr. Cruise also conducts forensic evaluations of justice-involved youth including post-disposition assessments of risk and treatment amenability, providing expert testimony to juvenile courts, and providing technical assistance and consultation to local and state juvenile justice systems. Dr. Cruise is a Co-Principal Investigator on a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention investigating the impact of trauma screening on service delivery and legal outcomes for justice-involved youth, and is a Co-Director of the Center for Trauma Recovery and Juvenile Justice (CTRJJ), a technical assistance center that is part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN).

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Keith Cruise, PhD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Rationale for its development and an overview of the START-AV assessment model

  • Role of static and dynamic risk factors in risk assessment

  • Strengths and vulnerabilities of client management and safety planning

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.
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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.