Principles and Practices of Risk Assessment: Introducing the Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability (START): Part 1 with Sarah Desmarais, PhD, from Policy Research Associates (PRA). This is part one of a two-part series: the second part will be held on Monday, June 6, 2022. This virtual consultation meeting is hosted and facilitated by the Northwest MHTTC and the Institute for Best Practices at the University of North Carolina.
In this two-part presentation, Dr. Desmarais will review the principles and practices of risk assessment and introduce the use of the Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability (START). START is a one-page, 20-item structured professional judgment instrument that guides the assessment and management of the short-term risk of violence, suicide, self-harm, victimization, substance abuse, unauthorized absence, and self-neglect. Part 1 will review the process of risk assessment, define the role of structured instruments in that process, and describe the Risk-Needs-Responsivity (RNR) framework as a strategy for mitigating risks and improving case outcomes in the context of ACT. It will also touch on current controversies or debates.
Part 2 will be held in June and will describe the START assessment and case management approach, provide example items and content, and introduce how to operationalize the RNR framework using START. Click here for the June event.
The Northwest MHTTC, in collaboration with the Institute for Best Practices at the University of North Carolina, co-facilitates a regular virtual consultation call with ACT teams and ACT stakeholders. Each meeting consists of a mini-didactic training on a topic of relevance and interest to ACT teams (at times circling back to topics related to navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and related issues as they come up), as well as opportunities to pose consultation questions and learn from other ACT teams and their shared experiences within ACT.
Maria Monroe-DeVita, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine and Director of the Washington State Center of Excellence in First Episode Psychosis or Lorna Moser, PhD, Director of the UNC ACT Technical Assistance Center in the UNC Department of Psychiatry’s Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health and Coordinator of the North Carolina ACT Coalition.
Dr. Desmarais is the Senior Vice President and incoming President at Policy Research Associates, Inc. (PRA). PRA is a certified Women-Owned Small Business that is a national leader in behavioral health and research, technical assistance, and training. Prior to joining PRA in 2021, Dr. Desmarais was a tenured Professor of Psychology and University Faculty Scholar at North Carolina State University. There she held leadership positions including serving as Director of the Center for Family and Community Engagement and Coordinator of the Applied Social and Community Psychology Graduate Program. Before that, she was an Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida with joint appointments in the Department of Community and Family Health and the Department of Mental Health Law & Policy. Dr. Desmarais works on issues at the intersection of public health, community safety, and social justice. She has authored more than 130 peer-reviewed publications and has provided technical assistance, evaluation services, and consultation to behavioral health, criminal justice, and intelligence agencies throughout the United States and abroad on problems and solutions for implementation, policy, and practice. Dr. Desmarais’s current research is focused on evidence-based practices for reducing detention rates, especially among people with behavioral health needs.
Lorna Moser, PhDDr. Moser is the Director of the UNC ACT Technical Assistance Center in the UNC Department of Psychiatry’s Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health; and Coordinator of the North Carolina ACT Coalition.
Maria Monroe-DeVita, PhDDr. Monroe-DeVita is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine and the Director, Washington State Center of Excellence in First Episode Psychosis.
