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 April 29, 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.
• Review risk factors.
• Screening, evaluation, and structured assessments.
• Presenter Q&A

Target Audience

Counselor, Peer Specialist/ Peer Support, Physician (non-psychiatrist), Physician Assistant, Psychologist, Social Worker

Instructional Level

Intermediate

Estimate Time to Complete

Estimated Duration: 1.0 hour
Program Start Date: June 1, 2021 
Program End Date: June 1, 2024

Ongoing Interdisciplinary Discussion Board

If there are any topics covered in this webinar that you would like to discuss with colleagues in the mental health field, post a question or comment on SMI Adviser’s Webinar Roundtable Topics discussion board (https://smiadviser.org/discussion).This is an easy way to network and share ideas with other clinicians who participate in this webinar.

How to Earn Credit

Participants who wish to earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, CE credit for psychologists, CE credit for social workers, or a certificate of participation may do so by completing all sections of the course, including viewing the full video and submitting an evaluation. A multiple-choice quiz is provided based on the content. A passing score of 75% must be achieved. After evaluating the program, course participants will be provided with an opportunity to claim hours of participation and print an official CME certificate (physicians), CE certificate (psychologists), CE certificate (social workers), or certificate of participation (other disciplines) showing the completion date and hours/credits earned.

Continuing Education Credit

Physicians

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The APA designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Psychologists

The American Psychiatric Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. American Psychiatric Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Social Workers 

American Psychiatric Association, provider #1743, 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. American Psychiatric Association maintains responsibility for this course. 

ACE provider approval period: 05/18/2020 - 05/18/2021 and 05/18/2021 - 05/18/2024. 

Social workers completing this course receive 1.0 (clinical) continuing education credits.

Faculty and Planner Disclosures

Instructors

• 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.

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 website 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 SMIadviserhelp@psych.org for technical assistance