Threat Assessment Training

School Behavioral Threat Assessment Training

Creating a safe, supportive, and legally compliant school environment requires more than reacting to incidents — it means building a proactive system to identify, assess, and respond to concerning behaviors before they become crises.

Our school behavioral threat assessment training is designed specifically for K–12 districts and school teams and is rooted in evidence-based models. We work with your district to implement a structured, team-based approach that balances safety with student well-being.

Training Objectives

Participants will gain practical skills to:

  • Learn how to identify behaviors, communications, or circumstances that may indicate a risk of violence or self-harm.

  • Build collaboration among administrators, mental health professionals, school resource officers, and teachers.

  • Minimize bias and ensure that decisions are grounded in behavior, not stereotypes or assumptions.

  • Provide both safety measures and supportive services (e.g., counseling, academic support, family engagement) to help students succeed while protecting the school community.

  • Understand how threat assessment interfaces with disciplinary procedures, special education, and civil rights protections.

Why It Matters

  • An icon of a person with a plus sign indicating adding a new user or profile.

    Reduces unnecessary suspensions and expulsions by focusing on problem-solving instead of zero-tolerance discipline.

  • A magnifying glass icon on a black background.

    Promotes equity by applying consistent, evidence-based criteria to every case.

  • A black heart outline with a gold border on a transparent background.

    Fosters a positive school climate in which students feel connected, supported, and safe reporting concerns.

  • Golden shield with a checkmark in the center.

    Aligns with state and federal safety recommendations and integrates with emergency response protocols.

GET IN TOUCH

  • “Dr. Cora Palma has transformed our school and organization's response to threats. Her approach to training is thorough and involves significant practice.”

    - Ashley W., Mental Health Provider, Stockton

  • “Responding to potential threats was a very uneasy topic for many of us. Dr. Palma came in, said that this was an issue close to her heart and proceeded to train us through a comprehensive curriculum with abundant sessions to revisit, ask questions, offer insights, etc. Dr. Palma never wavered in speaking directly about what we were guarding against; she was always willing to name that thing that many of us kept silent.”

    - Tim E, Mental Health Therapist, Oakland

  • “Our organization contracted with Dr. Palma on crisis prevention and benefitted greatly from her Fidelity of Implementation model. Through this process, we were able to identify gaps in understanding and processes across all school sites, and Dr. Palma was able to create a tailored training to our needs.”

    - Lauren L., Director of Mental Health, Sacramento

  • “Cora Palma personally added multiple systems around school/student safety that were glaringly missing during prior years. Here is a genuine list of descriptors that easily arise when I am remembering her work: determined, very very smart, both long- and close-visioned, consistent, dependable, personable, empathic, courageous, very clear.
    Our systems benefited greatly from every minute of Cora's engagement.”

    - Tim E, Mental Health Therapist, Oakland

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Why this training?

We teach a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach to school-based threat assessment, ensuring no one-person is making decisions about student safety in isolation.

This training covers foundational procedures and key concepts, and provides hands-on practice with real-world case examples to build team confidence and consistency.

Following a workshop…

We offer implementation support including policy review, protocol development, and continued consultation as your district launches or refines its threat assessment process.

Our goal is to give your team the tools, confidence, and consistency they need to respond effectively.