Risk Assessment for Violence: Key Concepts, Tools, and Practice
Summary
Risk assessment is the practice of determining the credibility and severity of a potential threat, as well as the probability said threat will become a reality. Risk assessment also seeks to predict an individual’s general capacity and tendency to react to situations violently, while understanding the factors that aggravate and motivate one’s decision to act violently and then offering strategies to mitigate said factors when possible. The goal of this training is to enhance forensic mental health professionals’ ability to identify risk factors of violent behavior and accurately assess consumers who are escalating and/or potentially violent. To accomplish this, this training educates clinical staff on the foundations of violence risk assessment, with discussions about key concepts of violence risk assessment, the guiding research with special attention paid to cultural and demographic influences, and specific tools/strategies for the assessment of risk. Other topics include identifying specific pathways to violence, an introduction to and the practical application of scenario planning as it pertains to risk management, and an intro to threat assessment, as it overlaps with violence risk assessment.
Presented By
Nicole L. Paglione, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist (California) and clinical director of Gateways CONREP, Los Angeles and San Diego Counties’ conditional release program for individuals committed under PC 1026, Guilty, but Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity; PC 2962, Offenders with a Mental Health Disorder, Parolee; and PC 2972, Offenders with a Mental Health Disorder, Former Parolee. She began her training within the state hospital system but left the state to work for CONREP in 2011, where she began as Los Angeles County’s only full-time forensic evaluator for the aforementioned commitments. In 2015, Dr. Paglione became the Director of Evaluations, overseeing the evaluations of approximately 900 individuals treated within the state hospital system, as well as conducting various risk assessments with a focus on suitability for release to a lower level of care and readiness for unconditional release from forensic treatment and supervision. As Clinical Director, Dr. Paglione now oversees the treatment and supervision of these offenders with mentally illness in the community, as well as the work of CONREP’s Evaluation Unit. She is frequently called to provide expert testimony with regard to the assessment of violence risk, and she is responsible for training Gateways CONREP’s clinical staff in the administration of risk assessment tools, court report writing, and the provision of forensic treatment. Outside of Gateways CONREP, Dr. Paglione is a member of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (LA Chapter). She contracts with agencies/institutions to conduct threat assessments and provide threat assessment training to school districts throughout the country, and she conducts violence risk assessments in private practice for the purpose of sentence mitigation in criminal courts.
Learning Objectives
- Define key concepts related to violence risk assessment
- Review of the research that guides the assessment of violence risk
- Identify the difference between affective/impulsive and predatory/planned aggressors
- Understand differences and points of overlap between risk assessment and threat assessment
- Identify the difference between transient and substantive threats
- Identify cultural and/or demographic issues related to risk assessments
- Review of different risk assessment tools and their application
CE Credit |
Intended Audience |
Experience Level |
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6 CE Available for CPA, BBS, BRN
Additional Continuing Education Information |
This training is intended for mental health and related professionals.
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This training is appropriate for beginner, intermediate, and advanced level clinicians.
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