AfATAP Conference 2023 Post-conference workshop #1

Introduction to threat assessment & core competencies by Bram van der Meer (Netherlands)

When: 15 November 2023 from 08h00-17h00

Where: Investec Head Office, 100 Grayston Drive, Sandton (same as the conference venue)

Accreditation: CPD accredited with the HPCSA for 8 general CEUs

Cost: ZAR3000 for non-TAP members ; ZAR2600 members of AfATAP, AETAP, ALATAP, APATAP, ATAP, CATAP.

Includes refreshments and lunch

Enquiries: Prof Gerard Labuschagne doc@afatap.africa

About the webinar: Introduction to threat assessment & core competencies

Assessing and managing threatening behaviour is not something that mental health practitioners or security professionals are typically trained in. However, clinical or personal judgment of risk for harm is notoriously unreliable, with research indicating it is approximately 51% accurate- hardly better than chance. This workshop intends to provide attendees with the necessary skills to understand the threat assessment process, to conduct a basic threat assessment and develop a management strategy to mitigate threatening behaviour. After dealing with the basic core competencies for assessing and managing threats it will delve deeper into stalking behaviour and threats to corporate figures. This workshop will blend theory with practical case studies, based on the presenter’s extensive experience in the field of psychology and threat assessment and management.

About the speaker

Bram B. van der Meer grew up in South Africa and studied Criminology at the University of Pretoria. He then returned to the Netherlands and earned an MSc. in Clinical-Forensic Psychology at Leiden University. In 2011, he completed a postdoctoral training program as a criminal investigation psychologist and registered in the Netherlands as an Investigative Psychologist. In addition to his academic studies, while working for the Netherlands National Police Agency he undertook specialized training with international investigative organizations in psychological offender profiling, threat analysis and interview techniques.

Van der Meer has extensive experience in the psychological analysis of threats, stalking and other forms of troubling behavior occurring in the workplace. He has specific interest in the assessment of anonymous threats, and stalking of public figures. He is currently a Director at Dantes Psychology, a company he started, which focuses on keeping workplaces safe through consultations and training. Prior to his work at Dantes Psychology, Van der Meer worked for more than ten years as a behavioral consultant at the national profiling unit of the Dutch Police.

Van der Meer is a guest lecturer at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, where he teaches behavioral interviewing techniques. He also teaches psychological threat analysis at the Netherlands Police Academy. He is a regular speaker, invited speaker, and trainer at international conferences on threat assessment and management.

Van der Meer is a member of the editorial board of the American Psychological Association’s accredited Journal of Threat Assessment and Management. He is a former president and current vice president of the Swiss-based Association of European Threat Assessment Professionals (AETAP). Van der Meer is an internationally recognized threat assessment expert and is registered as such with the Association of European Threat Assessment Professionals.