Risk Assessment & Treating Clients in Crisis

CPD

Handouts

Speaker

David Nowell, PhD Related seminars and products

Clinical Neuropsychologist

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David Nowell, PhD, is a clinical neuropsychologist in private practice in Northborough, Massachusetts. He offers consultations to patients on an inpatient rehabilitation unit and is an adjunct instructor in neuropsychology to graduate students in the Clark University psychology program. He serves as a physician advisor with the University of Massachusetts Medical School Disability Evaluation Service where he was the former clinical director of the Learning Disability Assessment Program. Dr. Nowell writes a popular blog at Psychology Today on motivation and time management and speaks internationally to clinicians on such topics as executive functioning, non-medication management of ADHD, and applying findings from Positive Psychology.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. David Nowell maintains a private practice and has employment relationships with Fairlawn Rehabilitation Hospital, Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, and Clark University. He is a presenter with TATRA Training and receives compensation. Dr. Nowell is an IME provider and receives compensation. He receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. David Nowell is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Massachusetts Neuropsychological Association, and the International Neuropsychological Society.

Objectives

• Discover the single most important principle of risk assessment.
• Implement best practices regarding documentation of risk assessment.
• Develop strategies for performing interview and mental status exams in adversarial situations.
• Provide distinct approaches for managing acute risk versus chronic risk.
• Discuss guidelines for determining appropriate level of intervention based on current risk.
• Identify appropriate steps to avoid malpractice claims.

Outline

High Risk Clients

• Suicide risk
• Risk-potentiating stressors
• Identify protective factors
• When to conduct and document risk assessment
• Frequency of assessment with your high risk clients
• Variables that contribute to increased violence

Clinical Skills Specific to Risk Assessment

• A comprehensible risk assessment protocol
• Best use of Mental Status Exam
• Strategies for eliciting key clinical data
• 6 techniques to increase validity in risk-assessment

Managing Clinical Risk

• Manage acute risk vs chronic risk
• Safety planning vs “safety contracts”
• Involving clients in safety
• School or workplace “threat assessment” versus self-harm assessment

Documentation

• The 3 P’s of effective clinical documentation: Parsimony, Payment, and Protection
• Documentation principles which drive excellent clinical care
• Avoiding malpractice claims
• Examples of effective clinical notes
• Risk-assessment worksheet

Target Audience

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