Threat Assessment: Evidence-based Clinical Interviewing Techniques

Dr. Stephanie Leite is a clinical and forensic psychologist whose practice focuses on behavioral threat assessment. The quality of a threat assessment is only as good as the information gathered—and the quality of the information depends directly on the interviewer’s skill.

This intensive, practice-oriented session focuses on developing both the depth and breadth of interviewing techniques essential in high stakes situations. Participants will engage in hands-on exercises designed to strengthen their ability to gather detailed, nuanced information from students, staff, parents, and collateral sources.

The workshop addresses common interviewing pitfalls, explores techniques for building rapport with reluctant or guarded interviewees, and provides structured practice in asking questions that are hard. Expert threat assessment practitioners understand that interviewing is not an innate talent but a learnable skill that requires ongoing practice and refinement.

Topics covered include:

• Assessment themes
• Interviewing and small children vs. teens
• Bias
• Deception detection
• Trauma-informed interviewing
• Working with difficult interview subjects

3 CEs available to NYS LMHCs, LMFTs, LCSWs, LMSWs, LCATs, NYS Licensed Psychologists and NYS Licensed Psychoanalysts provided by Hudson Valley Professional Development, LLC upon successful completion of training.

Objectives:

Upon completion of the training, participants will be able to:

-apply evidence-based interview techniques to gather comprehensive and accurate information from persons of concern, collateral sources, and other stakeholders in threat assessment scenarios while maintaining trauma-informed and ethical practices.

-analyze verbal and nonverbal cues to identify potential deception and cognitive biases during clinical interviews, and implement corrective strategies to enhance the validity and reliability of threat assessment data.

-integrate multiple sources of information, including clinical records, behavioral observations, and Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), to formulate comprehensive threat assessments that inform evidence-based risk management and intervention planning.

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In accordance with the NY State Department of Education guidelines, in order to receive continuing education contact hours, a participant needs to be present for the duration of the workshop/training. Therefore, participants who arrive late or leave the event early will not be granted a certificate of completion.

​Cancellation Policy: Refunds will be provided for cancellations made in writing up to the day before the event.

Accommodations and Accessibility: HVPD welcomes participants with diverse abilities. Please contact us at info@hudsonvalleyprofessionaldevelopment.com to request accessibility accommodations. Accommodation requests are considered in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Dr. Stephanie Leite is the principal at Forensic Intelligence, LLC. She conducts corporate, municipal, and school-based safety assessments, specializing in complex presentations. All threat assessments emphasize the management portion of the process, assisting clients to manage current threat and avoid future threat. She is able to effective work on a case-by-case basis with extant threat assessment teams requiring a mental health professional.

Dr. Leite received her Psy.D. from the University of Hartford, having previously achieved a Masters from Boston University and a B.A. from Carleton College. She currently practices in the state of Connecticut as a forensic psychologist and in the arena of threat assessment and management.

Dr. Leite held pre-doctoral training positions at Long Lane School and the NW Center for Families and Children, completed her internship at The Village for Families and Children and her postdoctoral studies at the Institute of Living.

Dr. Leite's practice has been devoted to forensic psychology since 2003. In that time, she has evaluated hundreds of people in risk, competency, custody, criminal and threat assessment cases. She is a licensed psychologist in the states of Connecticut and New York, a member of the American Psychological Association, the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts and the Association of Threat Management Professionals, where she serves as the president of the New England chapter. She is a founding member and president of the Connecticut Psychological Association's Forensic Division and was awarded the 2014 President's award from the CPA.

As an educator, Dr. Leite has been an adjunct professor at the University of Hartford’s doctoral program in psychology since 2015 where she has taught integrated psychological assessment, forensic psychology, and introduction to neuropsychology. She is a forensic field mentor at Columbia University’s Reacher’s college. She has taught ethics at the American International College as well as seminars for lawyers and Guardian Ad Leitems (GALs) through CT's GAL Academy. She has led seminars at the Connecticut Psychological Association's annual conference (2012, 2014, 2107) and the FBI's TarGet and InfraGard programs (2014, 2015). She has spoken numerous times to the Connecticut Psychological Association’s Forensic Division as part of the State of the Science training series and to the New England , NW, and D.C. chapters of ATAP, the Joint Threat Assessment Training in 2018, both National VTACs in 2020-2021, and APATAP’s 2021 conference.

For the full calendar of upcoming Continuing Education trainings, visit our website: www.hudsonvalleyprofessionaldevelopment.com