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THE NaBITA NEWSLETTER

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WELCOME TO THE FIRST EDITION OF THE NaBITA NEWSLETTER, OUR SEMI-ANNUAL COMMUNICATION WITH OUR MEMBERS, FRIENDS AND PARTNERS

Vol. 1, No. 1 June 2009

Cordially, Brett A. Sokolow, J.D., NaBITA 2009 President

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In This Issue

• NaBITA Membership Update
• Staff Changes at NaBITA
• Upcoming NaBITANARS
• Upcoming Events
• Model Program Spotlight
• NaBenefits
• NaBITA Partners
• Free Article -- Distinguishing Threat Assessment from Behavioral Intervention

 

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NaBITA Membership Update

NaBITA is pleased to announce that it has 53 institutional members at present who have joined us since January 15th.  We average one new member per week, and expect to have between 100-150 members by our first anniversary.  Our membership is spread across our three membership levels as follows:

Basic = 25

Standard = 10

Enhanced = 16

Charter = 2

 

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Staff Changes at NaBITA

As many of you know, W. Scott Lewis has stepped down from his position as NaBITA Executive Director.  While losing Scott is a loss for all of us, it is temporary.  He was recently chosen as President-Elect of the Association of Student Conduct Administrators (ASCA, formerly ASJA), and to best serve ASCA, Scott could not also continue in his role at NaBITA.  We congratulate him on his election and wish him well as he serves ASCA.  We look forward to welcoming him back to NaBITA when his tenure in the ASCA leadership comes to a close.

NaBITA's staff roster, at present:

• President – Brett A. Sokolow, Esq.

• Executive Director – Cori M. Sokolow, M.Ed.

• Vice President for Workplace Initiatives – W. Scott Lewis, JD (on leave)

• Vice President for Strategic Initiatives – Carolyn Reinach Wolf, Esq.
• Vice President for K-12 Initiatives – Saundra K. Schuster, Esq. (President-Elect)
• Associate Executive Director – Kate Halligan
• Events Coordinator – Rebecca White, M.Ed.
• Membership and Partnership Coordinator – Samantha Dutill

 

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Upcoming NaBITANARs -- A NaBITA-hosted Webinar

July 16th, 2009 -- CUBIT and the Case Management Model -- Promising Practices 

NaBITA Online Webinar presented by Brett A. Sokolow, JD, Erica Woodley, M.Ed., Jennifer Van Norman, M.A, CACIII, Amy Powell, MSW and Sherry Hazelwood.   1:00pm to 2:30pm EDT. Hosted by NaBITA.  Register here. 

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November 6th, 2009 -- We've Intervened...Now What? 

NaBITA/NCHERM Co-Sponsored Online Webinar presented by Brett A. Sokolow, JD and Brian Van Brunt, Ed.D. 

1:00pm to 2:30pm EDT.  Register online here.

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BASIC and STANDARD members are entitled to a 10% discount

This NaBITANAR is free for ENHANCED-level members.  Registration is still required, using the downloadable .pdf registration forms posted with each event online at www.nabita.org

 

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Upcoming Events

The NaBITA Annual Conference will be held in the first week of December.  Details will be posted soon.

September 11th, 2009 - - BIT by Bit: The Basics of Forming and Operating a Behavioral Intervention Team

AN NCHERM REGIONAL SEMINAR HOSTED BY SAINT MARY'S COLLEGE, NOTRE DAME, IN. 

Presented by W. Scott Lewis, J.D. and Saundra K. Schuster, J.D.  9:00am to 4:00pm EDT. Register here.

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September 22nd, 2009 -- Threat Assessment for Behavioral Intervention Teams

AN NCHERM REGIONAL SEMINAR HOSTED BY CLARK UNIVERSITY, WORCESTER, MA

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow, JD 10:00am to 3:00pm EDT.  Register here.

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Campus Threat Assessment, an organization run by Margolis, Healy and Associates will offer four regional threat assessment trainings funded by the US Department of Justice.  The locations are listed below:

Chicago, IL – September 30, 2009
Washington D.C. – October 14, 2009
San Diego, CA – December 9, 2009
Houston, TX – January 13, 2010

Visit or click www.campusthreatassessment.org for more details

 

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Model Program Spotlight

In each NaBITA Newsletter, we'll highlight a promising or model program that we believe will contribute to the prevention of school, campus and/or workplace violence. 

In this issue, we feature information about a model program from West Texas A&M University, designed by professors there to train teachers on classroom violence prevention.  We think you'll find information about this program worthwhile and invite you to visit the link to it on the NaBITA model programs page, or to click on any of the links below to learn more.

Click here for an abstract of the model

Click here for an enlightening interview with the creators of this model

Click here for a Powerpoint presentation discussing the model

Click on the names that follow to download the Curriculum Vita of the authors of this model:  Harry Hueston and Amy Andersen

 

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NaBenefits

There are many benefits to NaBITA membership.  If you have not joined us already, please consider joining today.  Here are the descriptions of our member categories and what you get with your membership. 

Basic Membership

Standard Membership

Enhanced Membership

Join NaBITA Today

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NaBITA Partners

NaBITA is pleased to have a thriving partnership program, and we hope you'll take a moment to visit the sites of those organizations that help to support your association.  Partnership with NaBITA is given only after each partner is carefully vetted by our staff. 

The National Center for Higher Education Risk Management - NaBITA Partner

The Center for Aggression Management - NaBITA Partner

Campus Behavioral Health Risk Consultants - NaBITA Partner

Verrill Dana LLP: Attorney Elizabeth Brody Gluck - NaBITA Partner

Maxient - NaBITA Partner

Health Management Systems of America - NaBITA Partner

360° Stay Safe at College - NaBITA Partner

 

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But Wait, There's More...a free, useful article in every issue

Distinguishing Threat Assessment from Behavioral Intervention, by NCHERM Partner W. Scott Lewis, J.D.

I just returned from a series of speaking and conference engagements including NASPA and the NCHERM event at Occidental College. This was right on the heels of the SC Safety Conference, ASCA, and the Community Colleges Legal Issues Conference (with a webinar for Magna Publications in the midst of that as well).

At all of the national and regional events, I noticed a similar theme from presenters who were providing information on Behavioral Intervention Teams – the lack of distinction between “threat assessment” and “behavioral intervention.” I noticed (especially in the five sessions I attended at NASPA) that the terms were being used interchangeably. I believe that, in doing so, we do ourselves and the students, faculty and staff we serve a disservice by this misnomer.

Let me begin by saying that I am truly excited in seeing these teams (whatever they may be called) become more formalized and better developed than they were previously. As one who found himself in a quasi-hostage situation, seeing this “next generation” of teams evolve assures me that we will truly be saving students lives as we continue to develop these practices and teams.

Where I fear we may go astray is if we think in terms of “threat assessment” instead of “behavioral intervention,” and I think it goes beyond semantics. I recognize that the Presidential/Gubernatorial report(s) and multiple entities (including NCHERM, at times) have used the term “threat assessment” to describe these intervention teams, so I want to draw a clear distinction, in the hopes of creating better terminology, better practices, better reporting, and therefore, better teams.

“Threat Assessment” in my mind – and likely in the minds of many of our constituents – means exactly what it says, the assessment of threats (or threatening behavior). While Intervention teams certainly need to be able to assess the level of threat in certain behaviors, I would assert that we (and our communities) are better served when we are able to intervene long before the behavior reaches that which a layperson would think of as “threatening.”

This is where I think the use of “Threat Assessment Teams” as a term of art “threatens” (get it?) to undermine the early reporting culture we are trying to foster. Additionally, in marketing these teams, the terminology makes the assumption that all of the students we work with are “threats” as opposed to students who need some (hopefully) low level assistance. The language is limiting.

Rather than try to get everyone to switch the everyday definition of “threat,” I think we are better served by utilizing the term “behavioral assessment” or “behavioral intervention,” and then training the community to recognize low level and early warning signs of students headed toward crisis instead of waiting until their “threatening” behavior indicates that they are already in crisis. Then we can ensure that the teams are trained in behavioral recognition (and intervention) as well as in threat assessment.

In short, I think of threat assessment skills as an integral tool for Behavioral Intervention Teams, but as a subset of overall behavioral recognition skills that these teams – and ideally, the entire community – possess. I have engaged some teams in dialogue about this distinction, and I am glad to report that some teams are already changing their names to reflect this shift, as well as their training practices. I welcome the continued discussion, and look forward to hearing from you.  Email Scott at Scott@ncherm.org