Center for Education in Mass Violence and Suicide

Mass Violence and Suicide Resources

what is the International association of care and threat teams (Interactt)?

• Dr. Brian Van Brunt founded InterACTT in effort to offer comprehensive tools geared toward threat assessment and case management.  Joining him as a member of the InterACTT advisory board is the center's Dr. Lisa Pescara-Kovach.  InterACTT is comprised of a group of threat assessment, case management, counseling, and legal experts who came together to offer educational resources and trainings for K-12 school districts, workplaces, and colleges/universities.  There are a number of free resources and training options available.  If you are a school, workplace or hospital administrator, or are responsible for your agency's health and safety plan, visit www.interactt.org.  

 

What is Behavioral Threat Assessment and Why is it Important?

• Behavioral threat assessment is NOT profiling. Rather, it is best practice through applying what we know from research conducted by the FBI, Secret Service, USDOE, and other experts in effort to prevent incidents of targeted violence. Many school shooters possess similar social, school, family, and personality dynamics while workplace shooters possess some of the same traits in addition to a different set of precipitating factors. Relevant questions take all four areas into account. We cannot prevent every mass shooting through threat assessment, but we have to start here. Key questions examine the individual’s goals; possible target(s); talk/posting about shooting others; interest in previous shooters; fantasizing, planning, or preparing; hopelessness and, of course, bullying and alienation.
• In a threat assessment plan I created for the Oregon City School District in Oregon, OH, there is one counselor and one school resource officer in each building assigned to assist the concerned student, teacher, or staff member in completing the questionnaire. Information is then brought to a committee, which consists of counselors, SROs, an outside mental health representative, a principal, and other key individuals. Together, they assess the information and determine if there is no threat, or a low, medium, high, or imminent threat. Too often we work in ‘silos’ in fear of FERPA or HIPAA. However, Sandy Hook was a game changer. In January 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services released a statement regarding HIPAA. Specifically, mental health providers were encouraged to share information about an individual’s mental health if they feels the individual poses a serious threat to the health or safety of others.

 SUICIDAL? CALL YOUR NEAREST 9-1-1 OR THE NATIONAL SUICIDE HOTLINE (800)-273-TALK (8255)

• The University of Toledo Center for Education in Targeted Violence and Suicide supports the perspective that the optimal approach to addressing suicide is through a holistic approach. Specifically, we are dedicated to prevention, intervention, response and recovery. Prevention involves best practice in educating students, faculty, and staff on the warning signs that an individual is at risk of suicide. Intervention involves the response to the at-risk individual. Once identified as at-risk, members of the center ensure confidentiality and work with the individual and his/her family in effort to lessen the likelihood of suicide. In cases in which a suicide occurs at a school, university, or workplace, the members are available to guide the administration through the response. Proper response is of the utmost importance, as it lessens the likelihood of confusion and possible cluster suicides. Also part of the response process is working with the district, university, or workplace in helping lessen the psychological and productivity impact.

LOCAL SUICIDE RESOURCES

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*For a list of trained suicide speakers, contact lisa.kovach@utoledo.edu 

Prevention and Intervention RESOURCES

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Behavioral Threat Assessment - K through 12, college/university, workplace
Lisa Pescara-Kovach, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Education in Targeted Violence and Suicide
lisa.kovach@utoledo.edu
419.530.2048

active response RESOURCES

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Recovery

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Helpful Apps for your iphone or android device

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