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 across a range of disciplines who are interested in learning to assess and manage stalking risk using the Stalking Assessment and Management Guidelines (SAM). It is relevant for individuals who wish to enhance their skills in understanding and responding to stalking, and who may be involved in violence risk assessment and management. The program is suitable for those seeking to deepen their knowledge of stalking violence risk assessment or integrate the SAM into their professional practice.


    Examples of Relevant Professionals:
    • Mental health professionals (e.g., psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors)
    • Health care professionals (e.g., physicians, nurses)
    • Criminal justice professionals (e.g., law enforcement officers, probation and parole officers)
    • Victim services providers (e.g., advocates, support counselors)
    • Security personnel (e.g., corporate, campus, or private security staff)
    • 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

  • Experience Level

    This training is appropriate for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at various stages of experience with risk assessment and management for stalking.

    • Beginner: Participants new to structured professional judgment or stalking risk assessment who seek foundational knowledge of the SAM and its application.

    • Intermediate: Participants with some experience in violence risk assessment or case formulation who wish to deepen their skills in administering the SAM and integrating it into practice.

    • Advanced: Participants with substantial experience in risk assessment and management who are interested in advanced implementation strategies, addressing complex cases, and contributing to best practices using the SAM.

  • Practice Setting

    Participants typically work in environments where stalking risk is identified, formulated, and managed within multidisciplinary systems spanning clinical care, justice, victim support, security, and organizational contexts. Practice occurs across community and hospital services, forensic and correctional programs, educational and workplace settings, and coordinated teams that plan safety and manage risk.


    Examples of Practice Settings:
    • Community mental health clinics and private practices
    • Hospital inpatient, outpatient, and emergency departments
    • Forensic psychiatry units and threat assessment services
    • Police departments and investigative units
    • Courts, prosecution services, and victim/witness programs
    • Probation, parole, and correctional facilities
    • Domestic violence/sexual assault agencies and shelters
    • Campus safety, student affairs, and Title IX offices
    • Corporate security, human resources, and employee assistance programs
    • Social services and child/family protection agencies
    • Multidisciplinary high‑risk or threat management teams

Presented By

P. Randall Kropp, PhD Threat Assessment specialist for Protect International Inc.

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.

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P. Randall Kropp, PhD
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.