tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769799017883115838.post5512385468441995378..comments2023-08-11T12:02:34.669-04:00Comments on Current Issues in Threat Assessment & Threat Management: How to Find a Good Threat Assessment Consultant: 5 Questions to Ask Before You HireMarisa R. Randazzo, Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06445584167875014537noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769799017883115838.post-9349616898399851702011-01-18T18:42:29.379-05:002011-01-18T18:42:29.379-05:00The guideline for selecting a consultant indeed re...The guideline for selecting a consultant indeed reflects a bias towards the ability to assist teams in bridging the divide between knowledge and experience. There is no shortage of capable experts or academics that can synthesize research through literature reviews or meta-analysis and also deliver excellent lectures and presentations. These are necessary and noble contributions towards better understanding the precepts underlying the discipline of threat assessment. Such knowledge however should not be mistaken for, or represented as, experience.<br /><br />Often in the course of searching for a consultant institutions or organizations have already immersed themselves in the literature and have a rather high literacy with the varying approaches and models available. What they are often looking for is someone to assist in both the arena of threat assessment (what do we have) and threat management (what do we do). When they encounter new, unique or vexing challenges in the face of dynamic and sometimes dangerous situations, teams should feel secure in the knowledge that they are receiving advice from practitioners who have navigated perilous territory successfully in the past. A good consultant should be able to find their way through the trees and not simply deliver one to the forest's edge.Rich Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11540298276005548651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769799017883115838.post-41933652955846262022011-01-16T19:41:26.957-05:002011-01-16T19:41:26.957-05:00Hi All,
I received a few emails this weekend aski...Hi All,<br /><br />I received a few emails this weekend asking if I had posted on this blog as "Set the record straight". No, until the emails, I wasn't even aware of the blog. If I posted, I'd do it as I have below, with my name on it. I think the blog offers good advice on choosing a consultant, though I think there is room to distinguish threat assessment and management consultants from behavioral intervention consultants. I appreciate the contribution Gene, Marissa and their colleagues are making to our field, and hope this blog enriches the safety of our campuses and communities.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Brett A. Sokolow, Esq.<br />Executive Director, NaBITA<br />www.nabita.orgThe NCHERM Partnershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05333213826907796359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769799017883115838.post-72547103126935212142011-01-16T13:08:02.855-05:002011-01-16T13:08:02.855-05:00@ Setting the Record Straight (no ID provided, ple...@ Setting the Record Straight (no ID provided, please permit me disagree. My 20 years working in multiple areas of campus violence prevention as well as threat assessment tells me that while there are some areas of overlap in these experiences, nothing substitutes for actually conducting Threat Assessments. Certainly nowhere in the TA literature does there exist a call for presentation skills. Experience is a necessary if not sufficient criterion and to suggest otherwise feels a little like “I’m not an expert but I did sleep in a Holiday Inn”. I’m a professor of psychology (albeit not at an Ivy) and my classroom presentation skills and content expertise do not take the place of my experience. <br /><br />If we asked those considering hiring a potential TA consultant to list the skills they assume an expert would have, experience would be right up there. Hiring Authorities' responsibility to exercise due diligence is especially critical when ‘related experience’ is suggested as germane. They must look further into the backgound of such a potential consultant to insure the experience was acquired through first-hand participation. Sufficient proof is found through inquiries of former colleagues, i.e., “did you witness the exercise of the claimed expertise – when it mattered?” Table-top exercises and presentations do not equate with conducting an assessment and implementing a management plan when it counts. Bootstrapping ‘related’ experience that is not hands-on is an invalid indicator of expertise. <br /><br />Those trained in marketing or the law are experts in studying components of areas being litigated or marketed. That study does not impart expertise. It qualifies them to litigate or market. Those who market a program would never be called upon as an expert in court.<br /><br />Jeff Pollard<br />Professor of Psychology<br />Executive Director, Counseling & Psychological ServicesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769799017883115838.post-86539655359365974632011-01-14T14:38:58.113-05:002011-01-14T14:38:58.113-05:00@ Dr. Deisinger- Your note to A.M. suggests that a...@ Dr. Deisinger- Your note to A.M. suggests that a consultant should have worked a lot of threat cases to be a good consultant. Surely someone who has worked in other areas of violence prevention, sexual assault prevention or hazing prevention would have transferrable skill sets for Behavioral Intervention. There are many valid models and much, I would argue, comes from the across the board skill sets as well as the presentation skills of the trainer. You will not find many professors, even in the Ivy league, who have great practical experience in all fields, yet as trainers or consultants they are best in their class.<br /><br />As this blog seems to be hitting the media quite hard because of a piece on Tucson, I think it only right that I correct the assertion that the only good consultants are those who have worked significant threat type cases.Set the record straightnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769799017883115838.post-2489172163887528502011-01-14T14:18:43.753-05:002011-01-14T14:18:43.753-05:00I too would be interested in potential liabilities...I too would be interested in potential liabilities on the part of the consultant if something went wrong. <br /><br />We always hope that people who provide training are well trained but we know different. It was amazing after Virginia Tech how many new threat consultants came out of the woodwork. Our university joined a national group but jumped at the prices for simple documents. I think that pointed to another problem, that some consultants are charging huge prices for sub-standard services. We never want anything to happen, but if it did, again, could the consultant be on the hook with us? Seems everyone wants to sue over anything, we got threatened when a student got drunk and admitted to hospital and with budgets as they are we cannot afford to take a hit if the worst case happened.Concernednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769799017883115838.post-28554602556684980112011-01-14T12:44:12.496-05:002011-01-14T12:44:12.496-05:00Our institution uses the NaBita model. However, I ...Our institution uses the NaBita model. However, I saw this entry after reading your Tucson piece and now I am wondering if our consultant had the experience to train us. Interested in what you think benefits or potential libilities could be of different models. We obviously want to avoid harm but also want to avoid lawsuits.James P.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769799017883115838.post-90616505892571065362011-01-14T10:00:17.182-05:002011-01-14T10:00:17.182-05:00Jerry
We would welcome the opportunity to talk wit...Jerry<br />We would welcome the opportunity to talk with you about our approach to training and case management. <br /><br />While it initially makes some intuitive sense that "when someone makes a threat, they are dangerous", the reality is much more complicated. Several research studies have shown that expressed threats (verbal or written) have a varied relationship with actual violence. Sometimes those expressed threats are followed by actual acts of violence. However, people make many more threats than they ever carry through with. This doesn't make the threats appropriate or irrelevant, not at all. They may well (even if not reflective of intent to commit actual harm) provide us with insight about the motivations and concerns of the person expressing the threat. We must pay attention to such threats but, by themselves, they tell us little about the actual danger posed by the person.<br /><br />Also, many of the persons who escalate to more targeted expressions of violence, NEVER express threats to the persons they ultimately harm. The absence of expressed threats in those cases, cannot be taken as a sign of diminished risk.<br /><br />The significant mediators in understanding the danger, are the context in which the threats are made, and the behaviors that are present, regardless of the nature of the threats.<br /><br />Simplistic risk rubrics, that emphasize the presence of expressed threats as a key predictor result in both over-estimating risk where threats are expressed, and under-estimating risk where they are absent.<br /><br />Sigma's approach (and the standard for experienced practitioners in the field) is one that is contextually and behaviorally driven.<br /><br />Please contact Dr. Randazzo or me if you would like to discuss further!Gene Deisinger, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11762791674255751898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769799017883115838.post-83385547024024019032011-01-14T07:07:19.212-05:002011-01-14T07:07:19.212-05:00Our campus also had some people teach us behaviora...Our campus also had some people teach us behavioral intervention that really helped us realize that the biggest problem is reporting the information when people make threats and then putting them on the scale that has approx 9 levels. I don't know about prior experience of the trainer but it makes sense that when someone makes a threat they are dangerous. Would like to know more about your training though. I just read the Tucson blog and it made sense and so I will be in touch.Jerry Rnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769799017883115838.post-56507615424168321032011-01-13T21:36:08.378-05:002011-01-13T21:36:08.378-05:00A.M - It is important to review credentials carefu...A.M - It is important to review credentials carefully. There are a number of good resources available to colleges and universities, many of them with tremendous experience and demonstrated effectives. However, in the last few years, campus safety has become a cottage industry, attracting people with varied experience and background. Your post references a couple of things that would cause me concern. First, any purported threat assessment scale or process that is mainly based on what people say, is NOT a reliable means of evaluating the threat posed by a situation and is not likely to facilitate effective intervention strategies. Second, I would want to know a lot more about the "experts" actual experience in working cases. I don't understand how anyone could develop expertise in threat assessment and management without having worked a number of cases. Social scientists have estimated that it takes about 8-10,000 hours of experience to truly develop an expertise. That is a minimum of 4-5 years of full time devotion to the study and practice of a chosen field, and being subjected to the review of well-established experts. Dr. Randazzo and I each have over 16 years of direct involvement in assessing and managing cases. If one is truly working in threat assessment and management, there are ample opportunities to gain experience and refine skills across a broad range of cases. It is true that there are few cases of targeted violence involving mass casualties. What is lost, in our society's focus on high profile cases, are the significant number of more moderate threats that colleges and universities deal with on a regular basis. A true expert will have worked the whole range of these cases, and understand that the process and interventions must be scalable to meet the demands of the case, and utilize the resources available. Please feel free to contact us directly if you have further questions.Gene Deisinger, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11762791674255751898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769799017883115838.post-31022628010518946612011-01-13T20:00:00.884-05:002011-01-13T20:00:00.884-05:00Our college have worked with someone who had done ...Our college have worked with someone who had done some sexual assault and hazing work with us and they gave us a scale of threats on a chart mainly based on what people say which seems like a good indicator that someone is making a threat. I am not sure if they have worked on many cases, isn't that difficult as there seem to be so few cases?A.M. (Louisiana)noreply@blogger.com