Dr. Holifield is presently an Affiliate with the Violence Prevention and Transformation Research Collaborative (VPTRC). VPTRC is an initiative housed in the School of Social Work and Criminal Justice at the University of Washington Tacoma dedicated to understanding and preventing violence—particularly school violence, mass shootings, and hate/bias crimes. Supported by the Vatheuer Family Foundation and the Koshka Foundation for Safe Schools, the VPTRC integrates research, education, and community partnerships to build safer and more resilient schools and communities. The VPTRC pursues two core goals:
The VPTRC utilizes empirical knowledge and evidence-based practices from restorative and transformative justice to address issues of violence without creating additional harm through reactive and unnecessarily punitive measures. A central focus of the VPTRC is advancing the study and practice of behavioral threat assessment and management (BTAM) as a cornerstone of violence prevention. The VPTRC conducted the first empirical evaluations of the Salem-Keizer Cascade Threat Assessment Model, a system widely used in schools across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Guided by decades of research and advocacy, the VPTRC works to reduce harm, improve institutional practices, and enhance public safety. While no single effort can eliminate violence entirely, the VPTRC is committed to significantly reducing its occurrence and impact through research, education, and transformative partnerships that create lasting, positive change.
More information about the VPTRC be found at the link below:
https://www.tacoma.uw.edu/swcj/violence-prevention-and-transformation-research-collaborative
Dr. Holifield is presently a subject matter expert and trainer contracted with Public Consulting Group. Public Consulting Group (PCG) offers a range of services related to behavioral threat assessment and management in schools. Their solutions are designed to help schools identify, assess, and manage threats before they escalate. PCG's BTAM solutions are built on nationally recognized models, including the SK Cascade Model,
Systemic, Collaborative Threat Assessment Training-SK Cascade Model
This one- or two-day comprehensive training focuses on building a sustainable, community-based violence prevention and behavioral threat assessment system composed of school site-based Level 1 teams and a community-based Level 2 team. The Level 1 teams should include school administrators, school-based mental health professionals, and school resource officers. The Level 2 team should include district-level administrators and mental health and assessment practitioners, administrators, and practitioners from community mental health services, representatives from juvenile services and law enforcement, and other community agencies available to support the team.
John Van Dreal presently is Chief Architect, Violence Prevention at Public Consulting Group. Information about his work, training opportunities, and school behavioral threat assessment consultation services in the SK Cascade Model can be found at the link below:
https://behavioralthreatassessments.com/methodologies/sk-cascade-model/
Holifield Psychological Services has independent contracts with Safer Schools Together (SST). Dr. Holifield is presently contracted as a subject-matter expert for behavioral threat assessment and is in the process of becoming a trainer and evaluator with SST.