Violence Risk and Threat Assessment Regional Event

Join us at the University of Indianapolis for a deep dive into assessing violence risks and threats, and gain the certification you need to make a difference. Dr. Brian Van Brunt will address all aspects of threat assessment, including intake and interviewing skills, assessing written threats, and developing risk mitigation plans.

He will provide a review of foundational concepts in violence risk and threat assessment, practical guidance on interviewing skills to gather information from the person being assessed, and direction on how to write a report that provides useful and accessible guidance to the referral source.

The class will use case studies to teach core concepts and allow time for interactive discussion and reflection. Supplemental resources, including research articles, checklists, informational one-sheets, discussion questions, and training exercises, will be provided.

Attendees will receive access to the Pathways Triage and Darkfox Violence Risk and Threat Assessment systems through January 2027. Group rates are available. Email bethany@dprep.com with questions.

Topics Include:

Groundwork in Violence Risk/Threat Assessment

• Defining threat, risk, and psychological assessments
• Review: affective/targeted, transient/substantive, risk/protective factors
• Key resources: articles, books, research, government papers, threat systems
• Threat assessment process/team related to BIT/CARE model

Conducting a Triage Assessment

• Defining triage assessments and identifying risk factors
• Understand the role of cultural and neurodivergence in risk/protective factors
• Walkthrough of scoring cases on Pathways and develop intervention plans
• Mitigation of bias with an expert system/checklist

Building a Trauma, Disability, and Culturally Informed Risk/Threat Mitigation Plan

• Rationale for the plan as continuous, research-informed and monitored
• Connecting the assessment to the mitigation plan
• Scope: mental health, academic support, social support, community support, religion

Violence Risk/Threat Assessment

• Defining VRA and the threshold for use
• Walkthrough of scoring cases on DarkFox and developing intervention plans
• Process: gather data, risk/projective factors, apply rubric, create risk narrative, interventions

Assessing Pictures, Videos, Writing, and Threats

• Online and written core assessment approaches
• Insider references in past attack manifestos and legacy tokens
• Case examples of social media and written threat assessment