In 2007 the Washington State Legislature passed the Substitute House Bill (SHB) 1456, an act relating to home visits by mental health professionals. This law went into effect in July 2008.
In this legislation, there is a requirement for all community mental health workers who have direct contact with mental health consumers to undergo "annual training on safety and violence prevention topics" (per RCW 49.19.030). SHB 1456 also directed the Washington State Division of Social and Health Services (DSHS) to develop a training curriculum in collaboration with community providers and employee organizations representing community mental health workers in Washington State.


In 2009, the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR/DSHS) and the Washington Institute for Mental Health Research and Training (WIMHRT/UW) began conducting training for any licensed community mental health agency staff using this new curriculum. The curriculum consists of a set of 8 compact disks (CD's) and is disseminated to agencies via a "Train the Trainer" model. These training CD's and accompanying materials have now been adapted for use in an online training format through Relias.


Washington residents: In order to receive the training for free, please contact Support at 1-800-910-0223.

• All Staff 1-Online Marty Smith Safety Training: Creating a Culture of Safety
• All Staff 2-Online Marty Smith Safety Training: Centering
• All Staff 3-Online Marty Smith Safety Training: Personal Safety Techniques
• All Staff 4-Online Marty Smith Safety Training: Show of Strength Techniques
• All Staff 5-Online Marty Smith Safety Training: Dealing with the Aftermath
• Clinical 10-Online Marty Smith Safety Training: Safety During Outreaches
• Clinical 11-Online Marty Smith Safety Training: Working in Emergency Rooms
• Clinical 12-Online Marty Smith Safety Training: Working in Correctional Settings
• Clinical 13-Online Marty Smith Safety Training: Keeping the Inpatient Unit Safe
• Clinical 1-Online Marty Smith Safety Training: A Safe Office Space
• Clinical 2-Online Marty Smith Safety Training: Communication Strategies
• Clinical 3-Online Marty Smith Safety Training: General Clinical Strategies
• Clinical 4-Online Marty Smith Safety Training: De-Escalation Techniques
• Clinical 5-Online Marty Smith Safety Training: Working with Potentially Aggressive Youth
• Clinical 6-Online Marty Smith Safety Training: Working with Children
• Clinical 7-Online Marty Smith Safety Training: Working with Older Adults
• Clinical 8-Online Marty Smith Safety Training: Working with Developmentally Disabled Individuals
• Clinical 9-Online Marty Smith Safety Training: Working with Forensic Clients
• New Hire 1-Online Marty Smith Safety Training: Safety Tips for New Employees
• Support Staff 1-Online Marty Smith Safety Training: Safety Tips for Support and Front Desk Staff