PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID: BACK TO THE FUTURE
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Transcript PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID: BACK TO THE FUTURE
Threat Assessment in Schools:
Lessons Learned from
School Shootings
Marleen Wong, Ph.D.. Director
Assistant Dean and Clinical Professor
Director of Field Education
School of Social Work
University of Southern
[email protected]
Safe School Initiative 2000
US Dept of Education and Secret
Service
Joint study on targeted school violence
Develop useful information from prior school
attacks to prevent future attacks
Reviewed 37 incidents 1974-2000
Interviewed 10 attackers in prison
Thinking, planning and pre-attack behaviors
Patterned after the Exceptional Case Study
Project of the Secret Service – Lethal attacks
on public officials since 1949 (1999)
Safe School Initiative
US Dept of Education and Secret
Service
Targeted Violence Rarely Impulsive
Planned Attack in Advance
Observable Behaviors Caused Concern
or Indicated Need for Help
Attackers Had Difficulty Coping with
Significant Loses or Personal Failure
Violence is Progressive: There are
behavioral warning signs
Many Felt Bullied, Persecuted or Injured
by Others Prior to Attack
Many Considered or Attempted Suicide
Other Students Knew, Some were
Involved in Some Way
Most Had Access To or Had Used
Weapons Prior to Attack.
School Violence Myths
Myth: It won’t happen here
Reality: It can happen anywhere
Reality: Denial leads to the ignoring of
important warning signs.
Reality: Realistic awareness, not
paranoia, can increase school safety.
School Violence Myths
Myth: Sometimes people just snap!
Reality: The snap theory is a fairy tale
Reality: Violent behaviors are
progressive
Reality: There are observable signs
along the way
School Violence Myths
Myth: No crime has been committed.
There is nothing we can do about it
Reality: School shootings can be
prevented
Intervention stops the forward motion of
violent behavior
Reality: We need new ways of working
together
Threat Assessment
Concepts and Variables
Justification
Dehumanization
Human Target Selection
Site Selection
Emotionally Determined Sites
Sites of Opportunity
Developmental Realities
Some students may already possess
significant violence potential before they even
enter a school system
Contributing Factors?
Victim of Abuse
Chronic Violence in the Home or Community
Family Dynamics…“I will punch you in the
head”
THREE ELEMENTS TO BEGIN
Authority to Conduct an Assessment - A
formal policy identifying team members,
roles, threshold of concern for initiating a
threat assessment
Capacity to Conduct Inquiries – An
Investigative, inquisitive mindset, viewing
information with healthy skepticism – what
are the real FACTS
Multi-Systems Team Relationships
Boundary Spanners – Individuals who build
and maintain relationships across disciplines
and agencies
WHAT IF…?
A DVD Produced by
US Department of Education
US Department of Justice
Homeland Security
National Center for School Safety
Desired Characteristics of TAT Members
A Questioning, Analytical and Skeptical
Mindset
An ability to relate well to parents,
colleagues, other professionals and students
Solid knowledge of child development, the
school environment, safe schools practices
A school and community reputation for
fairness and trustworthiness
Ability to collect and evaluate information
Discretion
Respect for the authority given to YOU:
Take Actions that Help not Harm
THREAT ASSESSMENT
Threat or risk assessment is the
process of
Assessing risks to a particular
target, group of individuals, or
individual
Designing and implementing
intervention and management
strategies to reduce that risk or
threat.
THREAT ASSESSMENT
“Risk investigation is only as
good as the data.
Use of collateral/functional data
sources is essential.”
Does The District Have a Formal Policy
Regarding Oral or Written Threats by
Students or Staff?
LAUSD BULLETIN 1119.1
“All threats made against individuals or
groups…must be taken seriously and
investigated to determine whether they pose a
real danger to students or staff. Threats which
initially appear or ultimately prove to be pranks
or hoaxes are also taken seriously due to the
severe disruption that false threats often
impose on the daily operation of a school…”
WHO SHOULD BE ON THE THREAT
ASSESSMENT TEAM
Core Members at the School Site
Site Administrator – Principal/Educator
School Police Officer
School Mental Health Professional
(Counselor, School Psychologist, Social
Worker, Nurse or Attendance Worker)
Additional Members
District Administrator and/or Legal Counsel
ELEVEN KEY QUESTIONS
1. What are the student’s motives and
goals?
2. Have there been any communications
suggesting ideas or intent to attack?
11 Key Questions
3. Has the subject shown inappropriate
interest in any of the following?
School Attacks or Attackers
Weapons, including recent acquisitions
Incidents of mass violence such as
terrorism, workplace violence, mass
murderers
More Key Questions
4. Has the student engaged in attack
related behaviors?
5. Does the student have the capacity to
carry out an act of targeted violence?
More Key Questions
6. Is the student experiencing
hopelessness, desperation and/or
despair?
7. Does the student have a trusting
relationship with at least one responsible
adult?
8. Does the student see violence as an
acceptable or desirable…or the only way
to solve problems?
Key Questions 8-11
9. Is the student’s conversation and
“story” consistent with his or her
actions/reality?
10. Are other people concerned about
the student’s potential for violence?
11. What circumstances might affect the
likelihood of an attack?
Introduce Yourselves
Create a group of 3
Reach over to someone you don’t know –
Next to you; Behind you, or in front of you
Shake hands and introduce yourselves
Tell them your name
How many years you’ve worked in
schools
Where you were born
Managing Threats: Lessons Learned
from School Shootings
The perspectives of education, law
enforcement and mental health are essential
No one person on the Threat Assessment
Team should make a unilateral decision
The person making the threat is in a state of
“fluidity”
Interrupting the forward movement of
threatening behavior can be very effective
RESOURCES
LAUSD Crisis Counseling and
Intervention Services WEBSITE:
On LAUSD.NET
1) Go to “Offices”
2) Click on “Crisis Counseling and
Intervention Services”