3 Hours / 3 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Stalking Assessment and Management Guidelines (SAM) Overview is presented by Randall Kropp, Ph.D., in partnership with Protect International Risk and Safety Services.

This program focuses on Assessing and Managing Risk for Stalking using the Stalking Assessment and Management Guidelines (SAM). This program focuses on stalking, a unique form of violence due to its nature and diversity. During the program, Dr. Kropp teaches participants how to administer the SAM and discusses implementation issues and the use of the SAM in practice.

The Stalking Assessment and Management (SAM) is a set of comprehensive, structured professional judgment guidelines for assessing and managing the risk of stalking. The SAM incorporates the latest advances in the structured professional judgment approach to risk assessment, including methods for violence risk formulation and scenario planning. 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 key concepts for assessing and managing risk for stalking behavior
  • 2 Describe how to rate the risk factors on the SAM
  • 3 Describe how the SAM can be implemented in practice to formulate cases

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for professionals at all experience levels—beginner, intermediate, and advanced—who wish to enhance their skills in assessing and managing stalking risk using the Stalking Assessment and Management Guidelines (SAM). The program is relevant for individuals working in a variety of disciplines where understanding and responding to stalking is essential. Participants will learn structured approaches to violence risk assessment and management, applicable in clinical, forensic, organizational, and community-based settings. The training is suitable for those seeking to deepen their knowledge of stalking violence risk assessment or integrate the SAM into their professional practice.

  • Experience Level

    This training is applicable for all career stages: entry-level, mid-career, and experienced professionals.

  • Practice Setting

    • Health care professionals (e.g., physicians, nurses, mental health clinicians)
    • Criminal justice professionals (e.g., law enforcement, probation, parole)
    • Victim services providers (e.g., advocates, counselors)
    • Security personnel (e.g., corporate, campus, or private security)
    • Social service professionals (e.g., social workers, case managers)
    • Education professionals (e.g., school counselors, administrators)
    • Human resources professionals
    • Other professionals involved in violence risk assessment and management

Presented By

P. Randall Kropp, PhD

Dr. 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.

View More Programs from this Presenter
P. Randall Kropp, PhD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Overview of stalking

  • Administration of the SAM

  • Implementation issues

  • Use of the SAM in practice

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).



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) maintains responsibility for this program and its content. 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), SW CPE 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 and 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. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6811. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CONCEPT Professional Training, #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. CONCEPT Professional Training 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.