1 Hour / 1 CE

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on The Importance of Risk Communication: Long Reports is presented by Brianne Layden, PhD in partnership with Protect International Risk and Safety Services.

Risk communication is one of the most important and most challenging strategies for ensuring that management strategies are implemented, and violence is prevented. This program focuses on best practices related to the structure, content, and process of expert testimony. Case illustrations highlight promising practices and challenging issues when providing expert testimony (e.g., maintaining neutrality and objectivity). This program is appropriate for those new to the field of violence risk/threat assessment, as well as experienced professionals who are looking for an update on issues and best practices related to risk communication.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe basic elements and core virtues related to long reports
  • 2 Describe promising practices and challenging issues related to writing long reports

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for mental health and allied professionals who provide expert testimony related to violence risk and threat assessment. It is particularly relevant for those specializing in forensic psychology, forensic psychiatry, or similar disciplines where professional opinions are required in legal or administrative settings. The program equips attendees with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively assess, communicate, and testify about violence risk and threats.

    Examples of Relevant Professionals:

    • Mental Health Professionals (psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, counselors)
    • Forensic psychologists
    • Forensic psychiatrists
    • Allied professionals involved in violence risk or threat assessment (e.g., psychiatric nurses, case managers)
    • Professionals who provide expert testimony in legal, administrative, or clinical settings

  • Experience Level

    This training is designed for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at various stages of experience in violence risk/threat assessment and expert testimony.

    • Beginner: Participants are new to violence risk/threat assessment and seek foundational knowledge of risk communication, report writing, and expert testimony practices.

    • Intermediate: Participants have some experience with risk assessment and expert testimony and are looking to deepen their understanding of best practices, relevant research, and challenging issues in report writing.

    • Advanced: Participants are experienced professionals seeking to refine their skills, stay current with emerging research, and address complex issues in risk communication and expert testimony.

  • Practice Setting

    Professionals work in high-stakes, legally oriented, interdisciplinary environments where structured violence risk and threat assessments inform decisions and safety planning. Their work emphasizes impartial evaluation, clear risk communication, report writing, and expert testimony within formal proceedings and organizational contexts.

    Examples of Practice Settings:

    • Criminal and civil courts
    • Administrative tribunals and regulatory hearings
    • Forensic psychiatric units and inpatient hospitals
    • Outpatient clinics handling forensic referrals
    • Correctional facilities and community supervision agencies
    • School, university, and workplace threat assessment teams
    • Law enforcement and government consulting units
    • Private practice expert witness and consulting services
Presented By

Brianne Layden, PhD

Dr. Brianne Layden obtained BA, MA, and PhD degrees in psychology at Simon Fraser University. She is a clinical and forensic psychologist specializing in the assessment and management of risk for violence toward the self and others. She works as a Threat Assessment Specialist at Protect International Risk and Safety Services Inc., is a contract psychologist with Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission of British Columbia, is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Simon Fraser University, and is the associate editor of Intelligence, an e-newsletter that keeps professionals up to date about recent advances in threat assessment around the globe. She also serves as a Member-at-Large for the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services.

Her expertise involves the assessment and management of self-directed violence and personality disorders, particularly borderline personality disorder, and intersecting risks (e.g., general and self-directed violence). She has provided training workshops and invited presentations for forensic mental health, law enforcement, corrections, security, victim services and higher education, and has co-authored over 50 articles and conference presentations. She is currently in the process of developing structured professional judgment tools for the assessment and management of self-directed violence.
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.