2025 Annual Workshop & Conference at Whistler Chateau Fairmont

We have two outstanding workshops to kick our 2025 Annual Workshop & Conference off on October 26-27!

Registered workshop attendees will have the choice of one of the following 2-day workshops:

WORKSHOP 1

INTERVIEWING AND CONSULTANCY SKILLS FOR DIRECT AND INDIRECT ASSESSMENTS BY THREAT ASSESSMENT PROFESSIONALS

Facilitated by Dr. Caroline Logan, PhD

Threat assessment professionals require skills in the direct assessment of people who may be at least anxious if not ambivalent or even reluctant to engage in such an investigative process. The core skills required are those relating to interviewing. In addition, enhanced interviewing skills are required by threat assessment professionals when persons of interest have difficulties relating to others – such as when they have mental health or personality problems, social communication difficulties linked to neurodiverse presentations, or complex presentations linked to the presence of multiple problems and areas of need.

This intensive and participatory two-day workshop will cover the range of core and enhanced interviewing skills that threat assessment professionals should at least be familiar with.

Day one will focus on the core interviewing skills all threat assessment professionals require for their direct assessment work. Skills include interview preparations and planning, managing initial contacts and endings, and rapport building – or enhancing the conditions of cooperation - throughout. Specific techniques then will be examined, illustrated and practiced, such as enquiring and changing topics (or conversational facilics), probing, observing, managing and riding resistance, and detecting and challenging anomalous accounts. At the end of day one, a personality-based approach to interviewing will be described and discussed.

Day two will focus on how to adapt existing and new skills to more challenging interview situations, namely the direct assessment of people with mental health problems, including personality difficulties, and people who are neurodivergent. Case studies and exercises will be used to illustrate and enhance learning and test skills.

Dr. Caroline Logan is a Consultant Forensic Clinical Psychologist. She has worked as a lead consultant in high and medium secure forensic mental health services in the north of England, and as a consultant/contractor with law enforcement and threat assessment and management agencies in the UK and elsewhere for almost 30 years. She is also an honorary senior lecturer at the University of Manchester (from 2009, and before that, a senior research fellow then an honorary research fellow at the University of Liverpool between 1996-2009) and a scientist at the Kompetansesenter at Helse Bergen in Norway. Dr Logan has ongoing clinical and research interests in personality disorder and psychopathy, mental disorder and comorbidity, risk and threat assessment and management, violent extremism, and forensic clinical interviewing, and she has a special interest in gender issues in the range of offending and harmful behaviour. She has published five books and over 80 articles on these subjects, including Violent Extremism: A Handbook of Risk Assessment and Management, a book co-edited with Randy Borum and Paul Gill, published in November 2023, and a second edition of Managing Clinical Risk: A Guide to Effective Practice, co-edited with Lorraine Johnstone, published in December 2023. She has commenced work on a new book on violent extremism in youth with Professors Borum and Gill, and a book on personality problems and risk is in the pipeline.

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WORKSHOP 2

BETWEEN DIAGNOSIS AND BEHAVIOR: WHAT THREAT ASSESSMENT PROFESSIONALS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESSES, NEURODIVERGENCE, SUBSTANCE USE, AND PERSONALITY

Facilitated by Dr. Jack Rozel, MD, MSL, DFAPA & Dr. Tony Thrasher, D.O., MBA, CPE, DFAPA

In this two-day, highly interactive workshop, participants will learn how psychiatrists think about understanding and managing violence risk.  Just as not all “bad” behavior is criminal, not all “different” behavior is due to psychiatric illness.  And, even when there is a psychiatric diagnosis, it may not be relevant or useful to the threat management plan.  This presentation will help threat management professionals understand what behavioral health professionals consider when they are evaluating and managing violence risk including diagnoses, treatment options, and the spectrum of normal and abnormal behavior.  Particular attention will be paid to traditional psychiatric disorders, autism spectrum, dementias, personality disorders, and medical disorders that can cause psychiatric illnesses.  This training will be led by Dr. Tony Thrasher and Dr. Jack Rozel, both experienced threat professionals and both past presidents of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry.

Dr. Rozel has been working in emergency mental health since 1990 and has been the medical director of resolve Crisis Services of UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital since 2010.  He is a Past President of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry, the leading national organization dedicated to the improvement of compassionate, evidence-based care for people with psychiatric emergencies.  He divides his time between emergency psychiatry and violence work.  Dr. Rozel trains and consults with teams across UPMC and the country on projects related to violence and threat management, staff injury prevention, firearm injury prevention, and crisis and emergency psychiatry.  He has served as an incident commander for mass shootings and been involved in the behavioral health response to several mass casualty events.  He is a member of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute of Government and has contributed to major policy efforts including the National Council for Mental Wellbeing’s reports on Mass Violence, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s violence management guidelines, and the AMA et al’s Amici brief for the NYSRPA v Bruen case before the Supreme Court.  He is the co-director of the UPMC Systemwide Threat Assessment and Response Team.  Dr. Rozel is board certified in general, child, and forensic psychiatry.  He earned a bachelor’s in Biomedical Ethics and an MD at Brown University and a Master of Studies in Law from the University of Pittsburgh where he also completed his general psychiatry residency and child and forensic psychiatry fellowships at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC.  Dr. Rozel is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and an Honorary Member of the American College of Emergency Physicians.  He is currently a Professor of Psychiatry and Law at the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Tony Thrasher is a board-certified psychiatrist employed as the medical director for the Milwaukee County Crisis Services. He received his psychiatric training from Washington University in St. Louis at Barnes Jewish Hospital, and he is a Past President of the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry (AAEP). He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), and he currently serves as the Immediate Past President for both the Wisconsin Psychiatric Association (WPA) and the Wisconsin Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons (WAOPS).
In 2023, he is also proud to have served as the Editor for the Oxford Press Primer on Emergency Psychiatry as well as being the Editor for the American
Psychiatric Association’s Maintenance of Certification FOCUS journal centering on the core curriculum of Emergency Psychiatry! In 2024, he was fortunate enough to participate on the ABEM task force that resulted in the creation of a Focused Practice Designation in Emergency Behavioral Health, a unique collaboration through ABMS between the AAEP, ABEM, and ABPN. In recent years, he was inducted into the American College of Psychiatrists, was named a Top Doctor by Milwaukee Magazine, earned his accreditation as a Certified Physician Executive (CPE), and he received an Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from National NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness).

We are pleased to provide information on the first of our conference speakers, with additional speakers to be added soon!

Effects of Stress, Trauma & Betrayal; and Enhancing Care for the Sentinels
Speakers – Dr. Gene Deisinger, PhD, & Jeffrey R. Cugno
This presentation will discuss how the varied roles of threat assessment professionals can contribute to stress and trauma, provide an overview of the facts affecting the well-being of Behavioural Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) professionals, summarize warning signs of diminished or neglected well-being, and discuss strategies to support the health and well-being of threat assessment professionals and their respective teams.

The Convergence of Conspiracism, Christian Fundamentalism, and Anti-Government Ideology: An Examination of the 2022 Wieambilla Police Shooting
Speaker – Dr. Amanda Thompson, PhD
The Wieambilla police shooting was declared Australia’s first Christian terrorist attack. In December 2022, officers from Queensland Police were ambushed as they conducted a routine enquiry which ended in the deaths of 2 officers, a civilian, and the 3 perpetrators. This presentation will explore the confluence of factors culminating in this incident, including anti-government, conspiratorialist and fundamentalist Christian beliefs set against the broader social-political backdrop of the Covid pandemic.  The event will be discussed through the lens of BTAM principles, and explore the perpetrators respective radicalization trajectories as they mobilized to violence. Implications for reform will also be discussed.

Autism Spectrum Disorder and Violence Risk: Case Studies
Speakers – Dr. Kelly Watt, PhD & Dr. Stephen Hart, PhD
There is intense debate at present concerning whether there is a direct or strong association between Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and violence. On the one hand, the existing research suggests that the majority of people with ASD do not engage in violence, but on the other hand, it also suggests that a substantial minority of them do engage in violence, their violence is under-reported, and their ASD may interact with other risk factors to increase violence risk. Drs. Watt and Hart will begin by outlining the key features of ASD and discussing how those features may play a causal role with respect to violence. Next, they will present three case studies involving people with ASD that illustrate the complexity of the disorder and the challenges it can pose for threat assessment and management.

Life’s Seasons of Change: The Impact of Loss on Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management
Speaker – Dr. Nancy Kelley, EdD
This presentation explores the complex relationship between loss, grief, and potential aggression and violence. Moreover, it highlights the need for those in the field of safety to advocate for the appropriate use of trauma and grief-based interventions in their casework. The interaction between loss, grief, bereavement, and worldview will be linked to relevant literature from both the US and Canada to discuss unresolved grief and the use of unhealthy strategies, including violence, to cope with loss. Lastly, the presentation will offer specific interventions to use when assisting individuals navigating a loss to prevent violence.

Radicalized Communities: Decoding Digital Leakage to Prevent Real-World Tragedy
Speaker – Steven MacDonald
As online use and communities expand, so does their potential to influence high risk individuals along the pathway to violence. Extremist spaces like True Crime Communities (TCC), Terrorgram, and WatchPeopleDie can foster radicalization, reinforce harmful ideologies, and escalate individuals toward real-world violence. This session explores the connection between online radicalized communities and violent behavior, highlighting key patterns, warning signs, and digital leakage. This session will include recent case-walkthroughs handled by the SST Threat Analyst team this last year, affording attendees the opportunity to gain valuable tools and insights into the Behavioral Digital Threat Assessment (BDTA) process, along with strategies for early intervention and prevention. Join us for a critical discussion on disrupting the cycle of online radicalization before it escalates into violence, utilizing evolving strategies in threat assessment and prevention.

Proximal Warning Behaviors for Targeted Attacks: A Decade of Advances
Speakers - Dr. Reid Meloy, PhD, & Molly Amman, JD
In 2012 Meloy, Hoffmann, Guldimann and James published a suggested typology of proximal warning behaviors for targeted violence.  Significant updates have occurred since the typology was introduced. Meloy and Amman will discuss the most current understanding of each of the eight proximal warning behaviors, as well as advancements in our understanding of the would-be offenders pre-attack mindset. Tangible advancements in operational and research findings have been made related to the pathway to violence, fixation, identification, last resort, energy burst, novel aggression, leakage, and directly communicated threats.

Managing threats of self-directed violence within a post-secondary environment: Responding to a cry for help and criminal harassment
Speakers – Dr. Brianne Layden, PhD, & Kirsten McMenamie
Self-directed violence (SDV) and communications regarding intent to engage in SDV can be challenging to manage in higher education, as universities owe a general duty of care to both the person expressing intent to harm and those exposed to such communications. In some cases, communication regarding SDV can amount to intimidation or harassment of others (R v. Lofstrom, 2018). This presentation will utilize a case study to highlight the complexity of managing threats of SDV within the post-secondary context, including balancing support and intervention needs of the individual and potential impacts on the community, including harassment or intimidation of others. 

Threat Assessment on Trial: The case of a mall mass shooting
Speaker – Dr. Russel Palarea, PhD
On October 25, 2021, a suspect opened fire inside a mall, killing two and injuring others. The suspect had been cautioned several times by mall security about the mall’s open-carrying prohibition. OSHA cited the security company, claiming the act was foreseeable, and requiring the company to create a BTAM team based on the ASIS-SHRM Standard. The judge’s decision hinged on the threat assessment expert testimony of the suspect’s mindset and behavior preceding the attack. The presenters will discuss the threat assessment, legal strategy, and precedent-setting implications of the judge’s decision.

Preventative Protection - A new approach to dignitary protection in the UK
Speaker – Sammi Elfituri
The premise and mission of our presentation is to educate attendees in regard to the 80 intelligence fusion centers based in the United States. These recognized fusion centers are part of the National Fusion Center Association (NFCA) which promotes effective, ethical, and lawful intelligence and information sharing and the prevention and reduction of the harmful effects of crime and terrorism on victims, individuals, and communities. More specifically, we will expound on our Threat Liaison Officer program at the NCRIC which collaborates with the FBI's Threat Assessment/Threat Management (TATM) Team to identify, intercept, and mitigate threats.

Interviewing Lone Actors
Speaker - Dr. Nathan Brooks, PhD
Lone actor violence is often underpinned by a blend of personal grievances and extreme ideologies, also called Lone Actor Grievance Fuelled Violence (LAGFV). The unique nature of this offending presents numerous challenges for police interviewers, as most interviews are conducted with limited preparation or insight into the motivations for offending. The talk will examine the role of grievances, ideology and rapport when interviewing lone actors, drawing on numerous case examples. Recommendations for police interviewing and also engagement within threat assessment contexts will be explored. 

RCMP Protective Behavioural Analysis Unit, an overview
Speaker – Sgt. Gabriel Letourneau
The RCMP Protective Behavioural Analysis Unit is a young team with the mandate to complete behavioural analysis and recommends management strategies for individuals who are at risk for violence or are pathologically fixated towards protected persons, in support of our protective policing partners. In this presentation, we will go over its beginnings, its structure, its objectives and then explore a series of cases of threats, violence and stalking towards protected persons.

From Instagram to the Hilltop: University Stalking Case-study
Speaker – Malcolm McGuire
This is a case study will cover the four-year investigation into an individual who began harassing and stalking multiple female students online via fake social media accounts, before switching to stalking students and their families in-person.  The subject was identified, subsequently arrested, and sentenced to state prison. Upon release he began to stalk the same victims and was imprisoned again.  

The Evolution of Organized Crime: Notes & Guiding Principles For Threat Assessment Professionals
Speaker – Dr. Caroline Logan, PhD
Organised crime is a global and evolving threat involving activities like trafficking, fraud and cybercrime enabled by corruption, weak governance and crisis government. Traditional groups like the Yakuza and Triads are increasingly experimenting with the decentralised online networks favoured by modern organised crime groups, using encryption, cryptocurrencies and automation. Worryingly, some groups are merging with extremist entities, complicating threat identification. Threat assessment and management professionals face challenges in detecting and disrupting these groups, but tools exist for prevention, disruption and resilience-building. This presentation outlines those tools and guiding principles on their application and uses case studies to illustrate their application.

Interdisciplinary Teams: Challenging Issues and Possible Solutions
Speakers – Dr. Jim Cawood, PhD, & Dr. Kelly Watt, PhD
Interdisciplinary Teams are highly recommended when assessing and managing violence risk and other diverse behaviours and situations of concern. They are an essential means of maximizing the skills and knowledge of team members, facilitating information sharing within and outside teams, and improving collaborative case management. Even though taking a multidisciplinary approach to assessing and managing violence risk is considered best practice, little is known about the challenges teams face and even less is known about possible solutions. This presentation will present case illustrations of challenging issues faced by teams and propose solutions for consideration. This presentation will have implications for diverse teams within and across different sectors (e.g., law enforcement, education, health, government and workplaces).

Using Threat Assessment to assist with Managing High-Conflict Individuals
Speakers – Darren Balsom & Det. Carlos de Menezes
This presentation will highlight an approach developed by the Calgary Police Service, created by the Behavioural Analysis Team and the Professional Standards Section which focuses on comprehensive complaint handling and investigation while considering employee welfare. They will conclude with a case study that provides insights and best practices learned from their experiences. The discussion aims to highlight effective strategies for managing complaints and ensuring thorough investigations that balance the well-being of employees involved in the process.

Current and Trending Threats in North America and Mitigation through the NORCAL Threat Management Group
Speakers – Special Agent Greg Concepcion & Nick Silva
This is case study of a former graduate student who was arrested after making credible threats toward university officials. The former student was in a rehabilitation facility when he confided in a roommate his detailed plans to lure several university officials into a room and kill them.  The case study will cover the steps taken to investigate the threats, but also to provide the former student with the assistance he needed regarding his mental health.

Mass Killers with links to Domestic Violence with excerpts from JS Cree and Portapique
Speaker - Dr. Matt Logan, PhD
We often hear about an individual who had “suddenly gone completely berserk, with no warning to his family or friends” or the quiet neighbour man who suddenly “snapped” and killed his entire family. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is often a precursor to a mass casualty attack. 59.1% of mass shootings between 2014 and 2019 were domestic-violence (DV)-related, and in 68.2% of mass shootings, the perpetrator either killed at least one partner or family member or had a history of DV. This majority of mass killers are not turning violent but switching the target of their violence from known victims to random members of the public.

The Fairmont Chateau Whistler is now taking reservations for our 2025 Workshop & Conference!

To book online at our conference preferred rate:

https://book.passkey.com/go/CATAPO1025 

If you wish to contact the Fairmont directly, you can call the Fairmont Global Reservations Centre at 1-800-441-1414 and provide them the reservation code: CATAP 2025

Please note the following Fairmont policies regarding additional mandatory fees the hotel will charge for each booking on top of daily rate:

Resort Experience Fee

The Fairmont will charge an additional mandatory daily Resort Experience Fee of $35.00 CAD per room, plus applicable taxes, which is not included in applicable room rates.

This daily Resort Experience Fee covers:

• Whistler Village Shuttle Service
  
• Fairmont Hotel Car Service
  
• Unlimited Business Internet Access in guest rooms and public spaces, plus Local Calls (ALL Members receive Premium Internet Access)
  
• Personal Protection Equipment Kit including mask, bacteria wipes, hand sanitizer, and gloves (available upon request)
  
• Ski, Bike and Golf Club Valet Service
  
• Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
  
• Daily Yoga Classes
  
• In room yoga equipment (available upon request)
  
• Local Escorted Excursions with our exclusive Whistler Experience Guides
  
• Seasonal Sports Items (including: croquet, bocce ball, frisbees, soccer balls, footballs, toboggans, frisbee golf discs, life jackets)
  
• Access to Peloton Bikes and Online Programming
  
• Aqua Fitness Classes
  
• Pool Amenities (sunscreen, fruit, iced water, tea and coffee)
  
• Seasonal Holiday Programming
  
• Access to Rungo, an online local running and walking routes program
  
• Lobby Early Departure Coffee & Tea 5:00 a.m. PST – 7:00 a.m. PST
  
• Personalized Shoe Shine
  
• Fairmont Chateau Whistler Kids Treasure Hunt Map
  
• Selection of Board Games, Card Games and Books for children and adults
  
• Outdoor tennis and equipment (seasonal)
  
• Unlimited access to Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Club's Driving Range (seasonal)

The Fairmont will post the mandatory daily fee, plus applicable taxes, in the same billing arrangements manner as requested for applicable room and tax charges. This fee may change from time to time without notice.

Housekeeping Surcharge
We will charge an additional mandatory daily Housekeeping Surcharge of $5.00 CAD per room, plus applicable taxes, for Housekeeping services, of which $4.50 CAD is a gratuity that is distributed to the housekeeping team and the remaining $0.50 CAD is retained entirely by the Hotel (and not distributed as wages, tips or gratuities to any Hotel employee). We will post the mandatory daily surcharge, plus applicable taxes, in the same billing arrangements manner as requested for applicable room and tax charges. This surcharge may change from time to time without notice.

Please use the following link to obtain our preferred event rate through Ridebooker for travel from Vancouver to Whistler and return.

https://www.ridebooker.com/events/catap-2025

Pricing available:

• $69.00 (+GST) each way from the Vancouver Airport to Whistler; and
• $35.00 (+GST) each way from downtown Vancouver to Whistler.

CATAP 2025 Workshop and Conference Cancellation and Refund Policy

• For cancellation prior to October 1, 2025 - Full (100%) Refund
• For cancellation October 1-10, 2025 - 50% Refund
• For cancellation after October 10, 2025 - No Refund

If you are unable to attend but have fully paid your workshop and conference registration, attendance can be transferred to another person from your organization. Please contact us at info@catap.ca to facilitate this. All other logistics such as hotel room, flights, transportation, etc. are the full responsibility of the attendee. 

Late notice cancellation due to illness (e.g. COVID-19) must be received in writing to info@catap.ca. The attendee registration amount will then be applied to attendance at the 2026 Workshop and Conference. 

We continue to accept Poster Proposals for our 2025 CATAP Conference, being held October 26-30, 2025, at the beautiful Fairmont Chateau Whistler resort, in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. 

Please pass this information on to anyone who may want to take advantage of this outstanding opportunity to share their knowledge, and engage with other professionals in the area of threat assessment and management, at this excellent annual event. 

All proposals are to be submitted through our google form found HERE

CALL FOR POSTER PROPOSALS

We invite well-formed, original poster proposals. Submissions are limited to a 100-word abstract and 1000-word summary. The Conference Committee will evaluate all proposals on the following criteria (using a 1 to 5 rating scale):

1. Relevance of contribution to the field of threat assessment and management;
2. Contribution to the operational knowledge of threat assessment and management;
3. Degree to which data were collected with clear and appropriate methodology and analysis (for data-based submissions);
4. Likelihood of generating discussion at the conference that will benefit the field;
5. Clarity of description of information to be presented for the time proposed; and
6. Breadth of appeal to anticipated audience.
   
   

FORMAT FOR POSTERS:

Selected posters will be professionally produced in written format on display boards (size to be communicated by CATAP), and available for display during the 2025 event in Whistler, BC.

Final deadline for POSTER submission is September 10, 2025. Decisions for POSTER submissions will be made on an ongoing basis. *Accepted poster presenters will receive discounted attendance at the 2025 Conference.