Building a workplace violence program for behavioral health units

Behavioral health units (BHUs) operate at the intersection of clinical care, emotional complexity, and elevated risk, but the standard approach to workplace violence prevention often falls short. Unlike general inpatient settings, BHUs serve a patient population that may present with acute psychiatric crises, co-occurring substance use disorders, or circumstances such as police custody or homelessness, creating a uniquely challenging environment for frontline staff.

In this candid panel discussion, behavioral health leaders and clinical leaders will pull back the curtain on what it actually takes to build a workplace violence program that works in a BHU, not just one that checks a compliance box.

The strategic agenda

Join as Canopy's Senior Clinical Advisor, Jeanne Venella, talks with behavioral health leaders and clinical leaders to discuss:


1. Why BHUs are different
   And why cookie-cutter WPV programs miss the mark for these units
2. The cultural challenge
   How mission-driven staff can inadvertently normalize aggression, and how to shift that without sacrificing compassion
3. The multidisciplinary model
   How nursing, social work, security, and operations must work together (not in silos) to co-manage escalating situations
4. Technology's role and its limits
   Where tools like wearable duress systems add real value, and where culture change has to lead
5. Measuring what matters
   Moving beyond incident counts to track what staff actually feel, and how to demonstrate that your program is working