20 Hours / 20 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on the Assessment & Management of Stalking using the SAM is presented by P. Randall Kropp, Ph.D., in partnership with Protect International Risk and Safety Services.

This program provides a set of comprehensive, structured professional judgment guidelines for assessing and managing the risk of stalking. The SAM incorporates the latest advances in the SPJ approach to risk assessment, including violence risk formulation and scenario planning methods. Initial research has demonstrated the SAM’s promise for its use by professionals working with stalkers and their victims, with results showing the SAM has good reliability and validity (Kropp, Hart, Lyon, & Storey, 2011).

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

  • 1 Describe how the SAM incorporates the latest advances in the SPJ approach to risk assessment
  • 2 Describe key concepts for assessing & managing risk for stalking behavior
  • 3 Describe strengths & weaknesses of SPJ instruments
  • 4 Describe how to rate the risk factors on the SAM
  • 5 Describe methods of violence risk formulation & scenario planning
  • 6 Describe how the SAM can be implemented in practice to formulate cases
  • 7 Describe the reliability and validity of the SAM
  • 8 Describe relevant research on the SAM and its use for professionals
  • 9 Describe key concepts for assessing and managing risk for stalking behavior
  • 10 Analyze and implement the SAM in case studies
Presented By

P. Randall Kropp, PhD

Dr. P. Randall Kropp is a clinical and forensic psychologist specializing in the assessment and management of violent offenders. He works as a threat assessment specialist for Protect International Inc., is a psychologist with the Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission of British Columbia, Canada, and is Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Simon Fraser University. He has conducted numerous workshops for mental health professionals, police officers, corrections staff, and others in North America, Australia, Asia, Africa, and Europe. This training has focused on violence risk assessment, domestic violence, and criminal harassment (stalking). He has frequently consulted with provincial, state, and federal government ministries on matters related to violence against women and children, and the assessment and treatment of violent offenders. He has published numerous journal articles, book chapters, and research reports, and he is co-author to several works on risk assessment, including the Manual for the Spousal Assault Risk Assessment Guide, Version 3 (SARA-V3), the Brief Spousal Assault Form for the Evaluation of Risk (B-SAFER), the Manual for the Sexual Violence Risk – 20, the Risk for Sexual Violence Protocol (RSVP), the Guidelines for Stalking Assessment and Management (SAM); and the Assessment of Risk for Honour Based Violence (PATRIARCH).


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  • Intended Audience

    This comprehensive training is designed for professionals interested in enhancing their skills in stalking violence risk assessment, particularly those specializing in forensic psychology, criminal justice, victim services, health care, social services, education, security, and human resources. It is especially relevant for individuals who work with people at risk of stalking or those who have been victimized, and for those seeking to integrate the Stalking Assessment and Management (SAM) tool into their practice.


    Examples of Relevant Professionals:
    • Forensic Psychologists
    • Mental Health Professionals
    • Criminal Justice Practitioners (e.g., probation officers, law enforcement)
    • Victim Service Providers
    • Social Workers
    • Health Care Providers (including clinical and mental health settings)
    • Educators and School Counselors
    • Security Personnel
    • Human Resources Professionals

  • Experience Level

    This training is appropriate for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at various stages of experience with structured professional judgment (SPJ) approaches to risk assessment.

    • Beginner: Participants new to SPJ or stalking risk assessment will gain foundational knowledge of the SAM, its key concepts, and its application in practice.

    • Intermediate: Participants with some experience in risk assessment will deepen their understanding of the SAM’s integration of advanced SPJ methods, including violence risk formulation, scenario planning, and critical evaluation of reliability and validity.

    • Advanced: Participants with extensive experience in risk assessment and management will refine their skills in analyzing complex cases, implementing the SAM in diverse practice settings, and critically appraising current research and instrument limitations.

  • Practice Setting

    Professionals apply the SAM in forensic, criminal justice, clinical, educational, corporate, and community service environments to assess and manage stalking risk. Work occurs in multidisciplinary settings—courts, correctional agencies, clinics, campuses, workplaces, and security operations—supporting at-risk or victimized individuals and guiding safety planning with structured professional judgment methods.


    Examples of Practice Settings:
    • Forensic and clinical assessment services
    • Probation, parole, and court-based supervision programs
    • Law enforcement threat assessment and investigative units
    • Victim advocacy and domestic/sexual violence programs
    • Community mental health and behavioral health clinics
    • Hospitals, emergency departments, and integrated care settings
We are proud to partner with

Protect International Risk and Safety Services

Protect International Risk and Safety Services

We are proud to partner with Protect International Risk and Safety Services for this training. Protect International's threat assessment professionals are internationally recognized experts that have developed some of the world's most widely used and best-validated threat assessment tools. Protect International provides services and products related to violence risk assessment and management, also known as threat assessment and management. Protect International services and products include threat assessment training and support, case assessment and management, legal consultation, policy review and development, and program evaluation and research; along with threat assessment manuals, worksheets, licenses, and software applications for those tools.

Learn More About Our Partner

CE Sponsorship Information

Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by, recognized by, or maintains sponsorship provider status with the following boards and agencies. We maintain responsibility for all content in our CE/CPD programs. For more information, visit here. 

  1. American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.

  2. Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.

  3. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

  4. National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).


Sponsorship Approval Statements

Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7190. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Palo Alto University, #1480, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Palo Alto University maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period 11/22/23-11/22/26. Social workers completing this course receive (clinical or social work ethics) continuing education credits. Continuing and Professional Studies, Palo Alto University, is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0103. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0356. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies, is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0073.