8 Hours / 8 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on the HCR-20 V3 Practice Cases is presented by Stephen Hart, Ph.D., Kelly Watt, Ph.D., and Brianne Layden, PhD. in partnership with Protect International Risk and Safety Services.

This on-demand professional training program focuses on using the Historical-Clinical-Risk-Management-20 Version 3 (HCR-20 V3) to assess and manage violence risk. Each of the practice cases is derived from real, sanitized cases across correctional and forensic psychiatric settings. Participants will sharpen and maintain their skills in administering the HCR-20 V3. This program includes an overview of the HCR-20 V3, a self-directed case review, completion of the HCR-20 V3 worksheet, and a case review/discussion. 

This case allows participants to practice administering the HCR-20 V3 with review from internationally recognized experts. Emphasis is placed on rating the presence and relevance of each HCR-20 V3 item, formulating past violence, scenario planning about future violence, developing case management strategies and tactics, and providing summary judgments about overall risk.

Case #2 focuses on an adult male currently held in a forensic psychiatric facility. The evaluee was found Not Criminally Responsible on account of Mental Disorder (NCRMD; the equivalent of Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity) concerning charges of assault and assault with a weapon as a youth. Participants are tasked with completing a violence risk assessment for his upcoming Review Board hearing.


HCR-20 V3

The HCR-20 (Version 2; Webster, Douglas, Eaves, & Hart, 1997) has become the world’s most widely used and best-validated violence risk assessment and management instrument. It has been translated into 20 languages and adopted or evaluated in more than 35 countries. It helps professionals in diverse settings decide who poses a higher versus lower risk for violence, either within institutions or the community, and devise and monitor violence risk management plans.

Note: An electronic copy of the HCR-20-V3 manual is provided for review, so having a hard copy of the manual is not required to complete this program.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe an overview of the administration of the HCR-20 V3
  • 2 Describe structured professional judgment (SPJ) guidelines for the assessment and management of risk for general violence
  • 3 Describe the rating, formulation, and conceptualization of risk for violence for Case #2
  • 4 Describe the development of case management strategies and tactics for an individual found Not Criminally Responsible on account of Mental Disorder using the HCR-20 V3 framework
  • 5 Describe the process of scenario planning to evaluate potential future violence risk in preparation for a Review Board hearing
  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for mental health and allied professionals seeking to enhance their expertise in violence risk and threat assessment, with a focus on practical skill development in case conceptualization and formulation using the structured professional judgment approach. It is suitable for individuals specializing in forensic or clinical psychology, risk assessment, or public safety-focused mental health services, as well as those involved in violence risk assessment and management across a range of professional backgrounds.

    • Mental Health Professional
    • Psychologist
    • Psychiatrist
    • Social Worker
    • Counselor
    • Forensic Psychologist
    • Clinical Psychologist
    • Allied Professional involved in risk assessment and management
    • Public Safety or Law Enforcement Personnel with a mental health focus
  • 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 violence risk assessment and management using the HCR-20 V3.

    Beginner:
    New to structured professional judgment (SPJ) approaches or the HCR-20 V3; seeking foundational knowledge in administering and scoring the instrument, and understanding its application in forensic and correctional settings.

    Intermediate:
    Familiar with risk assessment tools and basic SPJ principles; seeking to deepen skills in case formulation, scenario planning, and development of risk management strategies using the HCR-20 V3.

    Advanced:
    Experienced in violence risk assessment and management; seeking to refine advanced skills in complex case conceptualization, scenario planning for Review Board hearings, and integrating expert feedback into practice.

  • Practice Setting

    Professionals who complete this training typically work in environments where violence risk assessment and management are essential to public safety and clinical care. These settings are often multidisciplinary, involving collaboration among mental health, forensic, and public safety professionals. Workplaces may include secure forensic psychiatric hospitals, correctional facilities, community mental health centers, court clinics, and law enforcement agencies with specialized mental health units. The practice environment is structured, with access to clinical records, risk assessment tools, and opportunities for case consultation and review. Professionals regularly engage in case formulation, scenario planning, and development of risk management strategies for individuals with complex mental health and legal needs.

    • Forensic psychiatric hospitals and secure treatment units
    • Correctional institutions (prisons, jails, youth detention centers)
    • Community mental health agencies serving justice-involved clients
    • Court-based mental health clinics or diversion programs
    • Specialized law enforcement or public safety teams with mental health expertise
    • Outpatient forensic assessment services
    • Multidisciplinary risk review panels or Review Boards
    • Academic or research settings focused on violence risk assessment and management

Presented By

Kelly A. Watt, PhD, Threat Assessment Specialist at Protect International

Dr. Kelly A. Watt obtained her BA in psychology at Simon Fraser and her MA and PhD in psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She worked as a Psychology Fellow at Vancouver Coastal Health between 2008 and 2010. She currently works as Threat Assessment Specialist at Protect International and a Workplace Consultant at Competence Center Bergen. She is a member of the Mental Health, Law, and Policy Institute at Simon Fraser University. Her expertise is in the field of clinical- community-forensic psychology, with a special focus on violence risk assessment and management, victim safety planning, coordinated community responses, and threat assessment teams. She has co-authored more than 75 articles, chapters, reports, and presentations and is the co-author of manuals for risk assessment and safety planning, including the Risk for Sexual Violence Protocol (RSVP), and the Aid to Safety Assessment and Planning (ASAP). She is currently the editor of Intelligence, the newsletter of the Canadian, American, European, and Asia Pacific associations of threat assessment professionals. She also currently serves the chair of special interest group for the Canadian Association of Threat Assessment Professionals. She has provided over 120 invited presentations and workshops for mental health, law enforcement corrections, security, victim services, social services, human resources, occupational health and safety, and legal professionals in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

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Kelly A. Watt, PhD

Presented By

Stephen D. Hart, PhD, Faculty in the Department of Psychology at Simon Fraser University

Dr. Stephen D. Hart obtained BA, MA, and PhD degrees in psychology at the University of British Columbia. He has been on faculty in the Department of Psychology at Simon Fraser University since 1990, and has held the rank of Professor since 2001. He also served as a Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Bergen in Norway between 2000 and 2021. His expertise is in the field of clinical-forensic psychology, with a special focus on the assessment of violence risk and psychopathic personality disorder. He has co-authored more than 250 books, chapters, and articles. He has served as editor of two scientific journals; a member of the editorial board of eight journals; and ad hoc reviewer for more than 40 journals. He has served as an executive committee member of several professional organizations, including President of the American Psychology-Law Society and the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services. He has received various distinctions for his professional work, including the Career Achievement Award from the Society of Clinical Psychology, the Saleem Shah Award for Early Career Research Excellence in Psychology and Law from the American Psychology-Law Society and the American Academy of Forensic Psychology, and the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals. He maintains an active practice in violence risk assessment. He has consulted with government agencies from more than 25 countries; led more than 500 training workshops around the world; and given expert evidence before courts, tribunals, inquests, review boards, and parliamentary committees in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

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Stephen D. Hart, PhD

Presented By

Brianne Layden, PhD, Threat Assessment Specialist at Protect International Risk and Safety Services Inc.

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.

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Brianne Layden, PhD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Review case materials; begin to complete the HCR-20 v3 worksheet for the case

  • Consultation Review
    Clarifications regarding the case, scoring, etc.

  • Case Review & Discussion
    Review of case ratings, conceptualization, formulation, scenario planning, and discussion of threat management planning

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.

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.