Use of Violence Risk Assessment to Guide Treatment Planning in Forensic Settings
Presented by: Mollimichelle (Cabeldue) McClendon, PhD and Lyndsay Brooks, PsyD
3 Hours / 3 CEs
On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training
This on-demand professional training program on the Use of Violence Risk Assessment to Guide Treatment Planning in Forensic Settings is presented by Mollimichelle McClendon, PhD, and Lyndsay Brooks, PsyD.
Mental health professionals have long been essential in providing courts with insights into various mental health issues, particularly in assessing the potential risks individuals might pose to society. There are numerous situations that might necessitate a formal violence risk assessment, such as when determining whether someone should be released from a hospital, moved to less intensive supervision, included in diversion programs, assessed for workplace suitability, placed appropriately within a facility, or in other instances where there's a concern about an individual's potential threat to others. For forensic patients in inpatient treatment, a key factor for discharge is often their assessed risk level to others.
Inpatient clinicians play a crucial role in preparing patients for a safe community reintegration. This process is enhanced by the violence risk assessment, which not only provides risk estimates but also aids clinicians in identifying key treatment targets. This program aims to explore how risk assessment can guide treatment professionals in formulating treatment plans that address the risk factors impeding discharge from inpatient care while also focusing on the patient's strengths and protective factors. The program emphasizes the broader applications of violence risk assessment in treatment planning and intervention beyond merely deciding on patient placement or discharge.
Participants in this program gain practical skills for clinical and forensic inpatient settings. These skills are useful for clinicians providing direct care and for forensic evaluators in making informed treatment recommendations during violence risk assessments and other forensic evaluations.
The program blends lectures with case studies. The presenters use a didactic approach, presenting various violence risk assessment methodologies, empirically-based risk factors linked to violence, and how risk assessments can directly influence treatment in inpatient forensic settings. We'll cover specific applications of this information, including its role in treatment planning for patients like those adjudicated Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI). The discussion includes common risk factors affecting discharge and re-hospitalization of forensic patients, along with evidence-based treatments for these risks (e.g., substance abuse, lack of insight). Case studies demonstrating how risk assessments have informed treatment plans in these settings are presented.
This intermediate-level training program is designed for licensed providers (e.g., psychologists, LPCs, LCSWs) working with forensic patients in various environments, such as state hospitals and secure forensic treatment facilities.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:
- 1 Identify relevant landmark cases that inform violence risk assessment
- 2 Describe types of violence risk assessment, including unstructured, actuarial, and structured professional judgment approaches
- 3 Describe major risk factors associated with violence and other negative outcomes (e.g., recidivism, elopement, vulnerability to harm, self-harm, and others)
- 4 Describe various risk factors that may impact treatment planning in general
- 5 Describe the use of risk assessment to guide treatment planning with NGRI acquitees specifically
Presented By
Mollimichelle (Cabeldue) McClendon, PhD, Licensed Psychologist/Private Practice
Mollimichelle McClendon, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist in Texas, Colorado, and Louisiana. She completed a forensic postdoctoral fellowship through Tulane School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences with clinical work at Eastern Louisiana Mental Health System which included conducting criminal forensic evaluations. Dr. McClendon has trained and worked in various state hospital systems including New York, Virginia, Colorado, Louisiana, and Texas with various forensic populations. Dr. McClendon currently works in private practice completing criminal forensic evaluations including competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility (sanity), mitigation, violence risk assessment, and other relevant psychological testing including assessment of feigning/malingering. Dr. McClendon also publishes in the areas of violence risk assessment, trauma in offender populations, feigning/malingering assessment, competency to stand trial treatment issues and specifically, improving the competency restoration process.
Presented By
Lyndsay Brooks, PsyD, Washington State Behavioral Health Administration
Lyndsay Brooks, Psy.D. received her master’s and doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University. She is licensed as a psychologist in the states of California, Texas, Illinois, and Washington. She completed an APA-accredited internship with the Federal Bureau of Prisons and received her postdoctoral training at the Loma Linda VA in an APA-accredited postdoctoral fellowship training program. Her professional background includes working as a forensic evaluator and clinical supervisor in state hospitals, teaching, supervising students, and providing professional consultation. Most recently, Dr. Brooks served as the Director of Psychology at Austin State Hospital before transitioning to the Washington State Behavioral Health Administration where she completes forensic evaluations for the inpatient psychiatric population. She has focused a great deal of her training, professional experience, and research interests on conducting high quality forensic and psychodiagnostic evaluations, providing evidence-based therapy, and staying actively involved in student training.
Training Outline
Key topics covered in this training include:
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Various approaches to violence risk assessment
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Empirically derived risk factors associated with violence
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Ways in which risk assessment can be used to directly inform treatment in inpatient forensic settings
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.
American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.
Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.
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.