Brian Van Brunt, Ed.D. interviewed for American Counseling Association podcast on his new book, Harm to Others: The Assessment and Treatment of Dangerousness

Speaker: Dr. Brian Van Brunt discusses his new book Harm to Others; the Assessment and Treatment of Dangerousness. Brian Van Brunt, received his BA from Gordon College, his Masters from Salem State University, his EdD from University of Sarasota/Argosy,  he is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in KY, and is a National Certified Forensic Counselor . Dr. Van Brunt has worked in the counseling field for over fifteen years. He served as Director of Counseling at New England College from 2001-2007 and as Director of Counseling and Testing at Western Kentucky University from 2007-2013. He is currently the Senior Vice President for Professional Program Development at the National Center for Higher Education Risk Management.

Among other questions, Rebecca Daniel-Burke asks:

• What was your reason for writing this book? What need did it fill in the field that wasn’t there? (or, “I’ve heard this is really two books in one…what’s the story behind that?”)
• What should counselors know when it comes to assessing dangerousness and violence in their patients?
• What credentials would a professional counselor need in order to conduct threat assessment?
• Talk about the difference between affective and predatory violence?
• You mention in the book Hunters and Howlers, can you talk about them some here?
• When offering a violence assessment, what is your advice for a new professionals looking to provide threat assessments?
• There is a lot of talk about forensic assessments, what are these and how do they differ from psychological assessments?
• Discuss the difference between mandated assessment and mandated treatment?
• What are your thoughts on violent writing shared with the counselor? How should this be assessed?
• What are some clinical approaches you use with clients who are mandated to therapy?
• Why are you so passionate about mandated therapy? As a humanistic therapist, doesn’t this run up against the core of this approach?
• Talk about some of your lessoned learned from when an assessment didn’t go well.
• What are some next steps a counselor could take to learn more about threat assessment as a field.
• Social media postings about violence topics seem to be on the rise, what would be some advice for clinicians to assess the difference between a poor choice and potential leakage for an attack?

- See more at http://www.counseling.org/knowledge-center/podcasts/docs/default-source/aca-podcasts/ht052---harm-to-others