Chris Hart is a Senior Lecturer at Kingston University and St George¿s, University of London, UK and retired nurse consultant for South West London & St George's Mental Health NHS Trust. He has extensive experience in the areas of forensic psychiatry, liaison psychiatry and psychiatric intensive care and has taught risk assessment to a wide range of health professionals, from consultant psychiatrists to paramedics, over the past decade.

Introduction 1. About This Guide 2. Cultural Diversity3. Gender and Sexuality4. A Note about Terminology Part 1: Risk Assessment: An Overview 1. Introduction 2. Key Issues to Determine from a Risk Assessment 3. Organisational Issues and Risk Assessment and Risk Management 4. Risk of Suicide and Self Harm 5. Risk of Dangerousness, Violence and/or Homicide 6. Developing a Common Language for Assessing and Communicating Risk Part 2: General Principles of Risk Assessment 1. Different Approaches to Risk Assessment 2. Making Use of the Information Gained from Assessment 3. Translating the Assessment into a Formulation 4. The Safety of the Clinician and Patient 5. Taking a Referral Part 3: Undertaking a Risk Assessment 1. First Impressions 2. Initial Communications and Developing a Rapport 3. Key Interview Skills 4. Other Interview Techniques 5. Things to Avoid 6. Closing, or Finishing, the Interview 7. Risk Assessment in the Context of a Full Mental Health Assessment 8. Defining the Risk 9. Short Assessments and Re-Assessments ¿ The Key Principles 10. Developing a Formulation Part 4: Developing a Risk Management Plan 1. Introduction 2. Mental Capacity 3. Negotiating and Writing a Care Plan for the Purposes of Writing a Care Plan 4. Therapeutic Risk Taking or Positive Risk Management 5. Relapse Profiles and Crisis Plans 6. Record Keeping and Good Documentation Summary and Conclusions