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Crisis Psychotherapy and Psychiatric Emergencies
A Continuing Education Program for Licensed Mental Health Clinicians
Empathian | Robert E. Feinstein, MD
Psychiatric emergencies and acute trauma are among the most clinically demanding situations a
mental health professional will face — yet most clinicians enter practice with limited training in how
to respond. This intensive one-day continuing education program directly addresses that gap,
providing clinicians across all disciplines with a foundational understanding of Crisis Intervention
Psychotherapy (CIP): an evidence-informed, problem-solving, trauma-focused treatment model for
patients experiencing acute trauma or psychiatric emergencies.
CIP is designed for real-world flexibility. It can be delivered across any mental health setting —
inpatient, outpatient, telehealth, or community-based — and can be applied in a single session or
extended over a full 20-session course of treatment. The model is particularly well suited to the
assessment and treatment of patients who have experienced common acute traumas: suicide
attempts, violence, sexual assault, motor vehicle accidents, sudden loss of a loved one, and natural
or man-made disasters including mass casualty events.
Participants will move from theoretical grounding through structured clinical application — learning
to conduct a CIP intake, apply the 8 core elements of assessment, develop an acute treatment
plan, and navigate the phases of CIP treatment. The program integrates evaluation and
management of suicide and violence risk within the CIP framework, and closes with live group
supervision of participant cases involving complex trauma and acute risk.
Participants will gain practical, integrative competencies across the full arc of crisis psychotherapy,
including:
- The theoretical framework, clinical scope, and evidence base of Crisis Intervention Psychotherapy (CIP)
- Application of the 8 core elements of CIP assessment to diverse acute presentations
- Conducting a structured CIP intake and developing an organized acute case formulation
- Building a problem-oriented, trauma-informed treatment plan across the phases of CIP
- Trauma-specific clinical strategies for suicide attempts, violence, sexual assault, sudden loss, and disaster trauma
- Suicide and violence risk evaluation and management integrated within the CIP framework
- Live case supervision with peer discussion of complex cases involving acute trauma and risk
1
Describe the theoretical framework, core principles, and clinical applications of Crisis Intervention Psychotherapy (CIP) across diverse mental health settings and patient populations
2
Apply the 8 core elements of CIP assessment to patients presenting with acute trauma, psychiatric emergencies, or crisis states, and integrate findings into an organized clinical formulation
3
Conduct a structured CIP intake and develop a problem-oriented, trauma-informed acute treatment plan tailored to the specific nature of the presenting crisis
4
Identify and apply trauma-specific CIP interventions for patients who have experienced suicide attempts, violence, sexual assault, sudden loss, or disaster-related trauma
5
Evaluate and manage suicide and violence risk within the CIP framework, incorporating risk assessment findings into case formulation and treatment planning
6
Demonstrate integrative clinical reasoning through live group supervision of complex cases involving acute trauma, suicidality, and violence risk drawn from participants’ own caseloads
| # | Time | Session Title |
|---|---|---|
| 8:15 – 8:30 | Introduction & Program Overview | |
| 1 | 8:30 – 9:30 | Introduction to Crisis Intervention Psychotherapy — Theoretical Framework & Clinical Scope |
| 2 | 9:30 – 10:45 | The 8 Core Elements of CIP Assessment — Video Demonstration & Discussion |
| 10:45 – 11:00 | Break | |
| 3 | 11:00 – 12:00 | Live Supervision — Complex Case Presentations & Group Discussion |
| 12:00 – 1:00 | Lunch | |
| 4 | 1:00 – 2:00 | Suicide Risk Assessment and Management within the CIP Framework |
| 5 | 2:00 – 3:00 | Violence Risk Assessment and Management within the CIP Framework |
| 3:00 – 3:15 | Break | |
| 6 | 3:15 – 4:15 | Live Supervision — Complex Case Presentations with Suicide & Violence Risk (Group Discussion) |
This intensive, one-day program combines evidence-based didactic instruction, structured case examples, and live group supervision to ensure that skill transfer is immediate and clinically applicable. Participants will have the opportunity to apply CIP assessment tools in real time and to present complex clinical cases for structured expert supervision and peer discussion in a smallgroup format.
This program is designed for licensed mental health clinicians — psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and counselors — practicing across inpatient, outpatient, emergency, and community settings who assess or treat patients presenting with acute trauma, psychiatric emergencies, or crisis states.
This activity has been designed to meet the educational needs of licensed mental health clinicians. 6.25 CE credit hours, will be provided upon program completion. All content is derived from peerreviewed literature and evidence-informed clinical frameworks. No commercial support has been received for this activity, and planners have no relevant financial conflicts of interest to disclose.
$350
per person practicing clincian
$250
per person recent graduates ( 3 years)
$100
Students ( With an ID)
Robert E. Feinstein, MD is a board-certified psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Northwell/Zucker/Hofstra School of Medicine, with over 40 years of clinical, supervisory, and academic experience. He is founder and CEO of Empathian and has held senior academic leadership roles across Columbia University, New York Medical College, the University of Colorado, and Dell Medical School. He is the author of more than 100 publications and three Oxford University Press textbooks
Immersive Training in Outpatient Violence Prevention
A Continuing Education Program for Licensed Mental Health Clinicians
Empathian | Robert E. Feinstein, MD
Violence in clinical settings represents one of the most pressing and undertreated challenges in
healthcare today. Mental health professionals face rates of verbal and physical aggression that far
exceed those of most other professions — yet formal training in violence prevention remains rare
and inconsistent. This continuing education program directly addresses that gap, providing licensed
mental health clinicians with an integrated, evidence-based framework for recognizing, assessing,
managing, and preventing violence across inpatient and outpatient settings.
Drawing on decades of clinical and academic expertise, the curriculum moves systematically
through five interlocking domains: situational awareness and emergency preparedness; behavioral
de-escalation of the acutely agitated patient; structured violence and suicide risk assessment using
the VASA Scale; clinical interviewing of the potentially violent patient; and the legal and ethical
obligations arising from Tarasoff, Duty to Protect, and Red Flag laws. The course closes with
concrete tools for safety planning at discharge and active threat response in the clinical
environment. Each seminar is highly interactive, with participants engaged through case practice,
video observation, and structured group discussion.
Participants will gain practical, integrative competencies across the full arc of clinical violence
prevention, including:
- Situational awareness and environmental safety assessment in outpatient settings
- Behavioral de-escalation techniques for the acutely agitated or threatening patient
- Structured violence and suicide risk assessment using the validated VASA Scale
- Clinical interviewing strategies for the potentially violent patient
- Legal and ethical obligations under Tarasoff, Duty to Protect, and Red Flag laws
- Safety planning and structured discharge protocols following violence risk assessment
- Active threat response and shots-fired protocols for the clinical environment
1
Identify environmental risk factors and implement situational awareness strategies to enhance safety in outpatient clinical settings
2
Apply evidence-based behavioral de-escalation techniques to effectively manage acutely agitated or potentially violent patients
3
Conduct structured violence and suicide risk assessments using the VASA Scale and integrate findings into clinical decision-making
4
Demonstrate effective clinical interviewing skills when evaluating patients who present with threats, agitation, or a history of violence
5
Articulate clinician obligations under Tarasoff, Duty to Protect statutes, and relevant Red Flag laws, and apply these to real-world clinical scenarios
6
Develop individualized safety discharge plans and apply structured protocols to manage patients following a violence risk assessment
7
Describe active threat response procedures, including shots-fired protocols, and apply these to clinical workplace safety planning
8:00 – 8:15
Introduction & Program Overview
8:15 – 9:15
1
Violence Prevention Overview, Situational Awareness & Emergency Preparedness
Violence Prevention Overview, Situational Awareness & Emergency Preparedness
9:15 – 10:15
2
Behavioral De-Escalation of the Acutely Agitated Patient (with Video Observation)
Behavioral De-Escalation of the Acutely Agitated Patient (with Video Observation)
10:15 – 10:30
Break
10:30 – 11:45
3
Clinical Interviewing & Violence/Suicide Risk Assessment — VASA Scale (with Case Practice)
Clinical Interviewing & Violence/Suicide Risk Assessment — VASA Scale (with Case Practice)
11:45 – 12:45
4
Tarasoff, Duty to Protect & Red Flag Laws — Participant Case Discussion
Tarasoff, Duty to Protect & Red Flag Laws — Participant Case Discussion
12:45 – 1:30
Lunch
1:30 – 2:45
5
Safety Discharge Planning — Case Practice Example & Group Discussion
Safety Discharge Planning — Case Practice Example & Group Discussion
2:45 – 4:00
6
Active Threat Response — Shots Fired Protocol: Group Discussion & Simulation
Active Threat Response — Shots Fired Protocol: Group Discussion & Simulation
This intensive, one-day program combines video observation, evidence-based didactic instruction, case practice examples, and structured group discussion to ensure that skill transfer is immediate and clinically grounded — not merely informational. Participants will have the opportunity to apply assessment tools in real time, discuss their own clinical cases, and receive expert guidance in a small-group format.
This program is designed for licensed mental health clinicians — psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and counselors — practicing across inpatient and outpatient settings who encounter patients with a history of, or risk for, violence, aggression, or threats to self or others.
This activity has been designed for 6.75 Credit hours to meet the educational needs of licensed mental health clinicians. All content is derived from peer-reviewed literature and validated clinical instruments. No commercial support has been received for this activity, and planners have no relevant financial conflicts of interest to disclose.
$350
per person practicing clincian
$250
per person recent graduates ( 3 years)
$100
Students ( With an ID)
Robert E. Feinstein, MD is a board-certified psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Northwell/Zucker/Hofstra School of Medicine, with over 40 years of clinical, supervisory, and academic experience. He is founder and CEO of Empathian and has held senior academic leadership roles across Columbia University, New York Medical College, the University of Colorado, and Dell Medical School. He is the author of more than 100 publications and three Oxford University Press textbooks.