1 Hour / 1 CE

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Violence Risk/Threat Assessment Case Illustrations: Violence in Health Care is presented by Kelly A. Watt, PhD, in partnership with Protect International Risk and Safety Services.

Case Illustrations are one of the most powerful ways to demonstrate the use of a tool for assessing and managing violence risk, as well as how it can be implemented in practice. This program focuses on the use of the Historical-Clinical-Risk-Management-20 Version 3 (HCR-20 V3), to assess risk for general violence in healthcare settings. The case illustrations highlight both promising practices and challenging issues related to the use of structured professional judgment guidelines, such as the HCR-20 V3, in this sector, including reviewing policies and procedures for identifying and responding to violence risk and creating an ad hoc team to coordinate risk management.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe an overview of the use of the HCR-20 V3 through case illustrations
  • 2 Describe structured professional judgement guidelines for the assessment and management of risk for general violence
  • 3 Describe promising practices and challenging issues related to the use of structured professional judgment guidelines in health care settings

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for mental health and allied professionals who assess and manage the risk of general violence using structured professional judgment (SPJ) tools, with a particular focus on healthcare settings. The program covers evidence-based guidelines such as the HCR-20 V3 and is suitable for both newcomers and experienced practitioners seeking foundational knowledge or a refresher in SPJ approaches. While the primary emphasis is on healthcare environments, the content is also relevant to professionals working in various organizational and community settings.

  • Experience Level

    This training is applicable for all career stages: entry-level, mid-career, and experienced professionals.

    • Suitable for beginner, intermediate, and advanced professionals

    • Designed for those with varying levels of experience in risk assessment and violence prevention

    • Appropriate for individuals seeking to enhance their expertise in structured professional judgment tools and evidence-based protocols

  • Practice Setting

    • Clinical mental health settings (e.g., psychologists, clinical social workers, counselors)
    • Allied professional environments focused on threat assessment and management
    • Forensic psychology and clinical practice
    • Health care settings
    • Community-based, forensic, and multidisciplinary environments

Presented By

Kelly A. Watt, PhD

Dr. Kelly A. Watt works as a Threat Assessment Specialist at Protect International and is a member of the Mental Health, Law, and Policy Institute at Simon Fraser University in Canada. Dr. Watt is the editor of the Intelligence newsletter which is disseminated on behalf of threat assessment professional associations in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia Pacific, and that provides recent advances in research, practice, and the law related to threat assessment around the globe.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Kelly A. Watt, PhD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • General Violence

  • Promising Practices

  • Challenging Issues

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.