Assessing and Responding to Threats of Targeted Violence by Adolescents: A Guide for Counselors

Abstract

Acts of violence by youth in the United States have prompted mental health professionals to become increasingly attuned to the potential for violence among their clients, particularly adolescents at risk of such behavior. The counseling relationship offers adolescents a space in which they can share their thoughts about and intentions for violence, thereby placing counselors in complicated situations in which they must protect public safety while also attending to the therapeutic needs of the client. In this article we: (1) review literature on adolescent threats of violence, (2) examine leakage style threats of targeted violence, (3) synthesize this work within an evidence-based framework of structured professional/clinical judgment, and (4) provide general recommendations for outpatient and school-based mental health counselors. Three clinical vignettes are presented for the purpose of illustration and pedagogical exploration.

Developing Practical Responses to Social Media Threats Against K–12 Schools: An Overview of Trends, Challenges, and Current Approaches

“…Table 3.1 summarizes common categories of threat indicators from across various literature domains on threatening communication, including anonymous threats. Trump (undated); Tunkel (2002); Van Brunt (2016); Van Brunt, Lewis, and Solomon (2021); Van der Vegt et al (2022); Winer and Halgin (2016).…”

School Firearm Violence Prevention Practices and Policies: Functional or Folly?

“…The following activities, when numerous, may indicate that the youth may commit a violent act: talking about having access to a firearm, exhibiting depressive symptoms, recent victimization by peers, substance abuse, living in a low emotional closeness family, parents not knowledgable of the youth's life, having past violent or aggressive behaviors, school suspensions/expulsions, change in school performance, preoccupation with violence (e.g., death, dismemberment), socially isolated loner, feeling persecuted, angry, and defensive are but a few of the changes that can occur. Given these circumstances, there are serious limitations to conducting formal threat assessments of potential youth firearm violence Khubchandani 2016, 2017a;Weisbrot 2008;Winer and Halgin 2016). First, few mental health professionals have been adequately trained to identify potentially violent youths.…”