The Danger Assessment, a groundbreaking instrument that assesses the risk of an abused woman to be seriously injured or killed by an intimate partner, is now being offered to all Veterans Administration (VA) clinical staff thanks to a licensing agreement with the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.
Professor Jacquelyn Campbell, PhD, RN, FAAN, creator of the Danger Assessment, led a training session in November at the VA offices in Baltimore, attended or livestreamed by more than 800 VA clinical staff nationwide. VA employees can access Campbell’s recorded training session to
obtain certification.
“The VA recognizes the Danger Assessment as the gold standard of lethality assessments,” says LeAnn Bruce, PhD, national program manager of the VA’s Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program.
The online Danger Assessment training and certification typically costs $150 per person (and is available at dangerassessment.org). Campbell also offers live trainings across the nation.
“It’s just an awesome opportunity,” says Campbell, who developed the Danger Assessment in 1986. She notes that studies suggest combat veterans diagnosed with PTSD have a higher prevalence of intimate partner violence. “PTSD doesn’t cause domestic violence but can make it worse,” she says.
