NaBITA MEMBER NEWSLETTER
September 18th, 2013

Join NaBITA Today!

In NaBITA's monthly newsletter we share a Tip of the Week, spotlight a resource relevant to field, provide news, and share information about our upcoming events. In addition, each NaBITA newsletter brings you information relevant to the field of behavioral intervention and prevention, with current events and relevant resources. If you like the newsletter, we hope you will join NaBITA so that you can receive the weekly version of this great member benefit.

Resource Spotlight

NaBITA Threat Assessment Tool

The NaBITA Threat Assessmen Tool illustrates four measures of mental health related risk, five generalized risk measures and nine measures for aggression. With this tool, teams can accurately assess the potential for harm to self, harm to others, and harm to facilities, operations, and reputation.

Tip of the Week

"Baseline" Confusion

by Brett A. Sokolow, Esq.

In 2009, NaBITA introduced the concept of baseline-based threat assessment to higher education. Since then, it seems to have become widely misunderstood. Hopefully, this Tip of the Week will help. In an environment like a residential college, threat or risk assessment need not be done in a vacuum. Most threats that are directed at the community come from a member of the community, or someone closely associated with it. Thus, we potentially know a lot about the sources of threats to our communities. Let's mine that data, use it wisely, and assess risk within its context. We have to assume a "normal" baseline for any threatener whom we know nothing about. Normal means they are no closer to violence or harm than any other person who makes a similar threat or gesture. For those we know some history or context about, there are two relevant questions:

Is the individual off his/her baseline?
Does the individual have an elevated baseline?

I think the confusion comes from mingling these two concepts, or not understanding and operationalizing how they are distinct. For additional examples, considerations, and summaries regarding "baseline" confusion, click here.

Upcoming Events from NaBITA

2013 Annual NaBITA Conference and Campus Threat Management Institute

November 13-17, 2013 at Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs, FL

Registration deadline is October 31st

Keynote Speakers

Russell Palarea, Ph.D.
Founder and President of Operational Psychology Services, LLC
Evening keynote: Threat Assessment Principles: From Grievance to Violence
Lucinda Roy, M.F.A.
Alumni Distinguished Professor, Virginia Tech
Breakfast keynote: Cultural and Ethical Dimensions of Threat Assessment: Lessons Learned from Rampage Tragedies

Newly published faculty guide aids college professors dealing with aggressive behavior in the classroom

College and university faculty are asked to serve an increasingly diverse and at-risk population of students. The classroom is now the scene of disruptive and dangerous behaviors that range from speaking out of turn to the misuse of technology to potentially aggressive and threatening behaviors. Written by Brian Van Brunt, Ed.D. and W. Scott Lewis, J.D., A Faculty Guide to Addressing Disruptive and Dangerous Behavior provides the practical ideas and guidance necessary to manage and mitigate these behaviors, from two respected professionals who've developed and implemented the field's best practices. Grounded in research and theory that addresses the interplay of mental health, substance abuse and aggression that may enter the college classroom, this accessible book serves as a necessary guide for busy faculty members facing challenging situations in their classrooms.

For more information on the book, click here.

To invite the authors to speak with your faculty, contact Alisha DiGiandomenico at (610) 644-3387.

Announcing NCHERM Group Online Trainings

The NCHERM Group Online Trainings is a new endeavor to provide quality, distance learning education and discussion opportunities to colleges and universities across the country and around the world.

Bringing experts from numerous fields, The NCHERM Group and its affiliated associations, SCOPE, ATIXA and NaBITA, will bring you quality programs that address the most pressing needs in threat assessment, prevention education, sexual assault prevention, higher education legal issues, administrative best practices and risk management.

Fall 2013 Online Trainings Schedule

October 2: Hamsters in the Hallways: Navigating the Law Regarding Animals on Campus

October 16: Readmission Requirements following a Psychological Crisis

November 1: Addressing Disruptive and Dangerous Student Behavior in the Classroom

November 6: Training Front Office Staff to Identify, Report and Manage Disruptive and Dangerous Behavior

November 19: Managing the Suicidal Student on Campus

November 20: Forensic Threat Assessment: Hire a Specialist or Train Existing Staff?

December 3: Seven Things We Can Do To End Hazing

Click here for official press release.

Announcing J-BIT, a multi-disciplinary academic journal for BIT research

The National Behavioral Intervention Team Association announces the launch of its flagship, peer-reviewed academic journal, The Journal of Campus Behavioral Intervention (J-BIT). J-BIT is a multi-disciplinary journal intended to encourage academic research and scholarship regarding the function, design, operation, and assessment of campus Behavioral Intervention Teams (BITs) at two- and four-year colleges and universities.

To learn more about J-BIT, click here.