Use of Violence Risk Assessment to Guide Treatment Planning in Forensic Settings

3 Hours | 3 CEs

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 in clinical and forensic inpatient settings. These skills are useful for clinicians providing direct care and forensic evaluators 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 the discharge and re-hospitalization of forensic patients, along with evidence-based treatments for these risks (e.g., substance abuse, lack of insight). Case studies are presented on how risk assessments have informed treatment plans in these settings.

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.