Pre-Conference Workshop

The Aid for Violence Risk Triage Workshop

PRESENTERS: Dr. Kelly A. Watt; Dr. Stephen D. Hart; Mr.Knut Rypdal; Dr. Helge Hoff

DATE: June 17, 2024

TIME: 9am - 5pm

CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS: 7 credits

COST: $300 CAD (includes 2 catered coffee break; lunch NOT included)

DESCRIPTION: 

Many professionals struggle to know when they have reason to be concerned about violence risk, how to prioritize cases, and what immediate actions to implement. The Aid for Violence Risk Triage (AVRT) is a newly released decision support aid in the form of a set of structured professional judgement (SPJ) guidelines. It is intended to help professionals make three major decisions about violence risk: (1) sorting concerns whether there are reasonable grounds to conclude the situation under consideration involves a risk for violence, (2) prioritizing concerns according to gravity of potential violence, and (3) responding with immediate actions to prevent violence. The AVRT has been under development for more than 20 years and is based on an extensive review of the scientific and professional literature and consideration of the law. The development was also based on research conducted on the AVRT in diverse settings (e.g., civil psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, law enforcement) in different countries (e.g., Canada, Norway, the United States). Finally, the development was also based on feedback from experts around the world who have received training on and have implemented the AVRT in diverse settings around the world (Canada, United States, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, England, Ireland, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan).

The first portion of the workshop reviews the development the AVRT, the nature and impact violence toward others, and professional responsibilities related to identifying and responding to violence risk. The second portion of the workshop introduces the AVRT and outlines the administration of this decision support aid by providing a detailed discussion of the six steps of the AVRT. The last portion of the workshop will guide participants through practice cases and discuss implementation issues and solutions. Illustrative examples from real cases and diverse settings will be used to illustrate learning objectives throughout the workshop.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 

1. Define the concept and impact of violence towards others and the professional responsibilities to identify and respond to violence risk
   
2. Introduce the Aid for Violence Risk Triage (AVRT), a decision support aid that is intended to help prevent violence by sorting, prioritizing, and responding to cases when information is received or collected that raises concerns about violence risk
3. Learn how to identify warning signs, prioritize cases, and implement immediate actions to prevent violence by administering the Aid for Violence Risk Triage (AVRT) with the use of practice cases