Risk Assessment & Management Flashcards
7 cards from real SAC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Risk Assessment & Management flashcards as text
A student reports that a friend confided plans to bring a weapon to school next week. Under threat assessment protocols, what is the counselor's FIRST priority?
Answer: Notify school administration and follow the threat assessment protocol
Threats of violence require immediate notification to administration so that a formal threat assessment team can convene and determine safety measures.
Which model is most widely adopted by U.S. schools for structured threat assessment of potentially violent students?
Answer: Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines (VSTAG)
The Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines (VSTAG), developed by Dewey Cornell, is the most empirically supported and widely adopted school-based threat assessment model in the U.S.
Under the Virginia Threat Assessment Guidelines, a 'transient threat' is best described as:
Answer: An expression of frustration without genuine intent to harm
Transient threats are expressions of anger or frustration that, upon brief inquiry, are not accompanied by genuine intent to harm and can be resolved quickly.
What is the primary purpose of a safety plan developed with a student at risk of self-harm?
Answer: To provide the student with structured coping steps during a crisis
A safety plan equips the student with personalized, sequential coping strategies and trusted contacts to use when distress escalates before professional help is reached.
A no-harm contract (also called a 'no-suicide contract') is considered by current research to be:
Answer: Insufficient alone and not a replacement for a comprehensive safety plan
Research has consistently found no-harm contracts ineffective at reducing suicidal behavior and they should not substitute for a comprehensive safety plan and clinical intervention.
Which of the following is a protective factor that DECREASES suicide risk in adolescents?
Answer: Strong sense of connectedness to family and school
Connectedness to family, school, and community is consistently identified as a strong protective factor that buffers against suicidal ideation and behavior.
A student discloses ongoing physical abuse at home. Beyond reporting to child protective services, what risk assessment step is most important?
Answer: Screen for co-occurring suicidal ideation or self-harm
Abuse victims have elevated rates of co-occurring suicidal ideation and self-harm, making a simultaneous risk screen a critical clinical step after mandated reporting.