Risk Mitigation Strategies That Reduce Threat
What Is Threat Assessment and Mitigation?
Schools, workplaces and community organizations prioritize the safety of their students, employees and members. Yet when a person begins to act strangely or makes others feel unsafe, these organizations search for ways to understand this person's risk of threat and violence to others. There may be a risk of targeted violence. Threat assessment and management is the evaluation process that identifies, evaluates and mitigates the risk of harm to other people that is the result of targeted violence.
Many schools, businesses and organizations have working threat assessment teams and procedures. These internal threat assessment teams respond to the everyday issues of disgruntled employees, customers and students.
As a Certified Threat Manager, Dr. Good consults with organizations to assess the level of threat an individual may pose and how to implement risk mitigation strategies that will reduce the risk of harm to all those involved. Occasionally it is necessary to have a clinical psychologist who specializes in behavioral threat assessment to evaluate an individual’s risk of threat to others in the current context and circumstances. The threat assessment psychologist preserves the confidentiality of the person, the employer, and school or organization while promoting safety and effective communication.
Examples of situations that may benefit from a Threat Assessment Services:
A disgruntled employee with a history of threats and substance use at work
An employee with a ruptured romantic relationship that has spilled into the workplace
A client who has threatened their doctor after the doctor did not prescribe pain medication
An employee with threatening behavior after being denied a promotion
A student who is following and threatening another student
Services in Threat Assessment
Threat Consultations
Dr. Good consults with organizations on specific situations and persons of concern. This is usually the initial step when an school or employer is worried about the behavior, actions, or threats by individual. A consultation leads to an assessment of the risk that person poses. Dr. Good makes recommendation to the threat assessment team on how to manage the risk. Occasionally the consultation leads to the recommendation that an Individual Threat Assessment Evaluation is warranted.
Individual Threat Assessment Evaluations
Dr. Good begins a consultation with the organization to understand the concerns, history, and current efforts of the internal threat assessment team. After gathering and reviewing the information, she provides a report that describes the level of concern that the individual poses and she makes recommendations for mitigating risk most effectively. She integrates her recommendations into the existing structures of the organization and initial management work of the team.
Training
One of the best ways to prevent workplace violence is by creating a work environment and culture that promotes effective communication and has managers trained in screening for possible threat. Dr. Good provides training and consultation on workplace and school environment policies and procedures.
Specialties
Dr. Good is a Certified Threat Manager, a certification granted by the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP). ATAP is the world’s leading multi-disciplinary professional association in threat assessment and management. Dr. Good has expertise in preventing targeted violence in K-12 schools, higher education institutions as well as human service organizations such as mental health clinics, substance abuse treatment centers, and domestic violence services. She has worked with local corporate employers and houses of worship.