Date: April 1, 2026
Time: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm ET / 8:00 am – 10:00 am PT
Format:   Live interactive training offered via Zoom

Presented by: Kerensa Hocken (see bio)

You must attend the entire live training and complete an evaluation to be eligible for CE credits. If you seek only psychology credits, the evaluation is optional, and you can remain anonymous.

Online Training Description:

Recent advances in assessment and treatment underscore the importance of gaining a comprehensive understanding of each client. Without a thorough appreciation of how risk and protective factors emerge and interact in each individual’s life, assessments are less likely to be valid or effective in informing treatment approaches. Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) provides a framework for working with clients and their:

• Levels of shame
• Self-criticism
• Emotional regulation
• Capacity for compassion towards themselves
• Patterns of experiencing threats in their environment

Each of these are areas that can contribute to risk-relevant processes, either supporting or hindering treatment engagement.

Dr. Hocken, one of the world’s top authorities in Forensic CFT, developed this training out of concern that current assessment practices often fail to adequately integrate risk, need, and protective factors in ways that promote meaningful change and address the root contributors to risk.

The training begins by outlining the theoretical foundations of CFT and its conceptualization of human harmfulness. It then takes a look at how compassion-focused approaches enhance risk assessment by shaping the orientation of the practitioner, and by providing a trauma-informed perspective on criminogenic need.

The training culminates in a practical model for putting all these concepts to the purpose of applying them to compassion-informed risk formulation and integrating it with Structured Professional Judgment (SPJ) tools.

As a result of this training, participants will be able to:

1) Explain the relevance of a compassion-focused element in risk assessment
2) Integrate CFT concepts into assessments using structured professional judgment (SPJ) measures
3) Apply a model for compassion-focused case conceptualization

Interactive Follow-Up Meeting

Attendees are invited to join an open discussion 15 minutes following the end of the training, where you can engage with fellow attendees by turning on your camera and microphone. This is an opportunity to share your experiences and contribute to a meaningful exchange of ideas. Time will be allocated to address questions or insights from the training. Please note that attendance is optional and will not affect your eligibility for a training certificate.

We can refund your training fee up to 24 hours prior to the start of the training.

To view all training details and review our list of frequently asked questions, please click here to visit the promotional page.