Threat Assessment/Violence Risk Management Services
THREATS & VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS (K-12) and COLLEGES / UNIVERSITIES
Threats and violence in k-12 Schools and colleges/universities is not a new phenomenon. However, there appears to be a trend toward increased incidents of serious violence that has the potential to cause significant emotional harm, physical harm, and even death of members of the university community. In the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting that killed 32 students and faculty and injured many more on April 16, 2007, the community is questioning what can be done to reduce the risk of violence on university and school campuses. Although establishing a campus Behavioral Assessment Team or Threat Assessment Team has become the "gold standard" since the Virginia Tech shooting, many schools are still lacking the training that is needed for the development of a skilled team. Additionally, schools often do not know "who to call" when they have a case suggestive of serious violence risk that requires further evaluation by a psychologist who is highly qualified and experienced in violence risk assessment and management.
In many cases, there are early signs of bizarre or threatening behavior and psychopathology among students, university employees, or outside parties. Unfortunately, the early signs of mental health problems and harassing / threatening behaviors by members of the university community are often overlooked or not reported. Sometimes patterns of pathological and harassing/threatening behaviors go unrecognized. When signs of problematic behaviors are identified, administrators often lack the resources to intervene effectively. Attempts at intervention are usually short-term solutions and the individual does not receive the long-term follow up that is needed to meet their mental health needs and to reduce risk. Administrators face an enormously difficult task of protecting the rights of the individual while reducing the risk of harm to the community. Failure to do so, can result in great damage to the reputation of the university, significant financial costs, and immeasurable human suffering and loss.
We provide a proactive threat management program with an emphasis on early intervention and a goal of reducing violence risk. National models for threat management emphasize utilization of a multidisciplinary team approach composed of administrators, educators, law enforcement, legal representatives, and mental health professionals. Our forensic expertise (including years of experience evaluating individuals with severe psychiatric problems who have been violent) can add a crucial element to this multidisciplinary team approach. We have extensive training and experience assessing for risk of future violence and identifying interventions. Our threat management program provided the following:
- Training to assist school administrators/educators in recognizing early signs of mental illness and pathological behaviors exhibited by employees or members of the university community;
- Coordination of the development of policy and procedures which includes an organized and centralized risk management approach;
- Training of campus Behavioral Assessment Teams/Threat Assessment Teams
- On call availability for threat assessment and psychiatric consultation when crisis situations surface;
- Thorough evaluation of individual mental health needs and violence risk;
- Recommendations for risk management and safety interventions;
- Team collaboration and triage;
- Debriefing in the event of a crisis.
Training on the Workplace Assessment of Violence Risk Instrument (WAVR-21)
Our consultant, Dr. Stephen White, is co-author along with Dr. J. Reid Meloy of the WAVR-21 (Workplace Assessment of Violence Risk - 21). See www.wavr21.com for more information. The WAVR-21 provides workplace Threat Management Teams and consultants with a structured and consistent approach to assessing the level of risk of workplace violence. After completing our training, the workplace threat assessment team will have a better understanding of the information needed to assess employee risk of workplace violence and will be more comprehensive in assessments. The Threat Assessment Team will learn that violence risk is dynamic or changes over time and that every step taken by the employer must be carefully planned in order to reduce risk. Our training includes case vignettes of potentially violent individuals so that the workplace threat assessment team gains experience assessing various scenarios of threat cases encountered at work.
Please feel free to contact us for further information or for a threat assessment consultation.
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Forensic Professionals, Inc. All rights reserved.