Description
Individuals with SMI present in a variety of clinical settings for assessment. Broad based psychiatric evaluations will generally include assessments of suicide and violence risk. Traditional training focuses on the assessment of suicide risk, but clinicians often feel less comfortable with violence risk assessment. Fortunately, violence itself among patients has a low frequency, but it remains critical to examine violence risk to attempt to minimize its potential and take action to prevent it when possible. Still, there have been many studies that have examined risk factors for violence, which have concluded that overall mental illness alone accounts for at most 3-5% of violence in society. Individuals with serious mental illness have slight increased risk of violence compared to the general population, but this risk is heightened further when substance use is involved. Violence risk assessment in clinical settings requires an analysis of many factors, including historical factors, clinical factors as well as factors that might trigger violence in the future. In addition, violence risk assessments must include an analysis of the factors that increase risk as well as ways to mitigate such risk as treatment interventions are considered. This webinar will provide clinicians with a general guide to violence risk assessment in persons with serious mental illness.
Format
Recorded webinar, non-interactive, self-paced distance learning activity with post-test.
This presentation was recorded on June 1, 2021.
Learning Objectives
Describe some of the challenges clinicians face in considering violence risk assessment
Discuss studies that have examined the relationship of serious mental illness and violence
Describe clinical approaches to violence risk assessment and risk mitigating interventions
Outline
- Clinical contexts and challenges for violence risk assessment
- Overview of research on violence risk assessment
- Screening, evaluation, and structured assessments
Target Audience
Physician (Non-psychiatrist), Physician Assistant, Psychologist, Counselor, Social Worker, Peer Specialist/Peer Support
Instructional Level
Advanced
Estimated Time to Complete
Estimated Duration: 1.0 hours
Program Start Date: July 30, 2025
Program End Date: July 30, 2028
Ongoing Interdisciplinary Discussion Board
After completing the course, engage with colleagues in the mental health field through the Webinar Roundtable Topics discussion board. This is an easy way to network and share ideas with other clinicians who participate in this webinar. Access through the discussion tab.
How to Earn Credit
After completing the evaluation, participants will have the opportunity to claim their hours of participation and download the appropriate certificate. Physicians may obtain an official CME certificate, other healthcare professionals may receive a CE certificate (as applicable), and all other attendees may generate a certificate of participation. Each certificate will reflect the event date and total hours earned.
Continuing Education Credit
In support of improving patient care, American Psychiatric Association (APA) is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Physicians
The APA designates this live event for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Psychologists
Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.
Social Workers
As a Jointly Accredited Organization, American Psychiatric Association (APA) 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 under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. APA maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive up to 1.00 clinical continuing education credits.
Continuing education requirements vary from state to state. Many state boards grant reciprocity with national accrediting organizations and other state boards. It is the responsibility of each professional to understand the requirements for license renewal or check with the state or national licensing board and/or professional organization to become more familiar with their policies for acceptable continuing education credit. Social workers and Psychologists should contact their regulatory board to determine course approval.
Faculty and Planner Disclosures
The American Psychiatric Association adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CME activity - including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others - are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.
Faculty
- Debra A. Pinals, MD serves as the director of the Program in Psychiatry, Law, and Ethics and as a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School. She is a clinical adjunct professor at the University of Michigan Law School. She also is the medical director of behavioral health and forensic programs for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. She is board certified in psychiatry and forensic psychiatry, and is a board certified in addiction medicine. From 2008 to 2016, she was the assistant commissioner of forensic services, and between 2012 and 2014, she was the interim state medical director for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. During her career she has been a clinical psychiatrist in community mental health, inpatient settings, forensic and correctional facilities, emergency rooms, and court clinics. Dr. Pinals reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
- Charles Scott, MD is Chief, Division of Psychiatry and the Law, Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Training Director, and Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the University of California, Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, California. He is Board Certified in General Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and has Added Qualifications in Forensic Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry. Dr. Scott is a Past-President of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL) and is also Past-President of the Association of Directors of Forensic Psychiatry Fellowships. He lectures nationally on the topics of malingering, violence risk assessment, juvenile violence, substance use and violence, the assessment of sex offenders, correctional psychiatry, DSM-5 and the law, and malpractice issues in mental health. Dr. Scott reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
Program Planners
- Teri Brister, PhD, LPC, National Alliance on Mental Illness. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
- Stacy Coyle, PsyD, The Ross Center. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
- Tristan Gorrindo, MD, American Psychiatric Association. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
- Sherin Khan, LCSW, Thresholds. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities
The American Psychiatric Association is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities. If you have trouble accessing any of APA’s online resources, please contact us at 202-559-3900 for assistance.
Technical Requirements
This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using any of the following:
The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari
Internet Explorer 11+
This Web site requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player.
Optimal System Configuration:
Browser: Google Chrome (latest and 2nd latest version), Safari (latest and 2nd latest version), Internet Explorer 11.0+, Firefox (latest and 2nd latest version), or Microsoft Edge (latest and 2nd latest version)
Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version)
Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher
Minimum Requirements:
Windows PC: Windows 8.1 or higher; 1 GB (for 32-bit)/2 GB (for 64-bit) or higher RAM; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with latest updates installed; Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor; 512 MB or higher RAM; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
For assistance: Contact educme@psych.org for questions about this activity | Contact support@smicaladviser.org for technical assistance