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    • Threat Assessment
      • About Threat Assessment
      • Training and Evaluation
      • Mental Health Agencies
      • Project Publications
    • About Dr. Holifield
    • SLO-STAMP
    • B-HARP Project
      • About B-HARP
      • B-HARP Outcomes
      • Consulting Experts
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  • Home
  • Threat Assessment
    • About Threat Assessment
    • Training and Evaluation
    • Mental Health Agencies
    • Project Publications
  • About Dr. Holifield
  • SLO-STAMP
  • B-HARP Project
    • About B-HARP
    • B-HARP Outcomes
    • Consulting Experts
  • Collaborations

SLO-STAMP

San Luis Obispo School Threat Assessment & Management Project

As of September 30th, 2025, a 3-year federally funded project in both San Luis Obispo and Tulare Counties through the Department of Justice-Bureau of Administrative programs (15PBJA-22-GG-04660-STOP) was completed. This project examined the training outcomes and implementation of the Salem-Keizer Cascade K-12 Threat Assessment and Management Model developed by model architect, John Van Dreal. As of this date, project objectives are still being analyzed. Once the outcomes are completed and submitted to BJA, essential findings will be shared on the website.


As of the 2025-2026 school year, San Luis Obispo County Office of Education has incorporated SLO-STAMP within their organization and will the administrative stakeholder for K-12 threat assessment and management program in San Luis Obispo County. For questions about the current SLO-STAMP Program, please contact Chris Balogh at

cbalogh@slocoe.org


For questions and information about the SLO-STAMP Grant Project (Oct 2022-Oct 2025), please contact Dr. Joe Holifield, Project Director or, the Project Manager, Mackenzie Elliott, below. 

County Partnerships

We have worked hard to facilitate relationships and connections with community organizations and school districts in San Luis Obispo (SLO) and Tulare Counties. Organizations involved with SLO-STAMP are dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of students and staff on San Luis Obispo school campuses. 


Holifield Psychological Services, Inc. would like to recognize the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office, San Luis County Office of Education, and  San Luis Obispo County Behavioral Health as key stakeholders in this project. Their ongoing support was instrumental in building and implementing a county-wide system throughout this project. 


We would also like to recognize Tulare County Office of Education and the associated districts who participated in the threat assessment training and implemented the Salem-Keizer Cascade protocol in their respective districts. Information about the Tulare County Office of Education's current program should contact Bob Mayo at Bob.Mayo@tcoe.org

Community Focused

The key to successful threat assessment and management is a strong, multi-agency approach. Our Level 2 Community Threat Consultation Team is composed of members of educators, behavioral health professionals, psychologists, law enforcement, and other members who represent various community assistance agencies. SLO-STAMP's focus is to create a safety net for upstream prevention that will connect students and families who exhibit warning behaviors with community resources.

Project Goals, Activities, & Accomplishments

Threat Assessment and Management Level 1 Training

Collaborative County Threat Assessment & Management System

Threat Assessment and Management Level 2 Training

SLO-STAMP has carried out ongoing threat assessment education for educators, mental health professionals, law enforcement, and other community professionals throughout its active period. At these various trainings, community professionals are guided through threat assessment example cases and educated on threat assessment and management principles by leading experts in the field.

Threat Assessment and Management Level 2 Training

Collaborative County Threat Assessment & Management System

Threat Assessment and Management Level 2 Training

SLO-STAMP has provided a number of threat assessment and management training sessions specifically for members of County Level 2 Community Threat Consultation teams in San Luis Obispo and Tulare Counties. These trainings focus on special topics, provide more in-depth case studies, and facilitate community organization engagement beyond what SLO-STAMP Level 1 Trainings provide.

Collaborative County Threat Assessment & Management System

Collaborative County Threat Assessment & Management System

Engaging Community Behavioral Health Professionals/Organizations

A main goal of SLO-STAMP is to create a collaborative community team that can consult with the boots-on-the-ground district threat assessment teams for cases of targeted violence and connect them with community resources that will be essential in deterring the student(s) from violence. As part of the threat management process, SLO-STAMP's Level 2 Community Consultation Team conducts follow-up check-ins with school site teams to ensure upstream prevention of targeted violence.

Engaging Community Behavioral Health Professionals/Organizations

Engaging Community Behavioral Health Professionals/Organizations

Engaging Community Behavioral Health Professionals/Organizations

Through our workshop presentations and community outreach efforts, SLO-STAMP has further developed the community capacity of mental health professionals. Mental health agencies, private practitioners, and social service agencies that have attended SLO-STAMP trainings have demonstrated an improvement in their knowledge and confidence in threat assessment principles. SLO-STAMP has worked to strengthen the roles of community behavioral health organizations in the school safety system in the region. 

Threat Assessment and Management Process & Procedures

Engaging Community Behavioral Health Professionals/Organizations

Threat Assessment and Management Process & Procedures

Our approach is strongly rooted in the Salem-Keizer Cascade Threat Assessment Model. The SLO-STAMP team at Holifield Psychological Services Inc. has collaborated at length with community threat assessment Chairs to create a streamlined and standardized procedure through which threat assessment cases can be processed. This process ensures confidentiality while allowing for clear communication and collaboration between community entities that allows threats to be managed and student safety to be prioritized.

Upstream Prevention

Engaging Community Behavioral Health Professionals/Organizations

Threat Assessment and Management Process & Procedures

SLO-STAMP has collected data throughout its activity period that demonstrates the ability of the threat assessment process to filter out cases of violence that are unfounded, implausible, or otherwise no longer need to be looked into. According to our data, the number of threats decrease the higher up one goes in the system of severity that we have. This means that we are successfully weeding out cases as mentioned before and, additionally, that our goal of upstream prevention is being fulfilled.

BJA-STOP School Violence Grant Awardees

San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office

San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office

San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office

The SLO County District Attorney's Office was the recipient of the BJA-STOP School Violence grant award. The District Attorney's Office supports the grant by providing administrative support as well as staff to participate in the Level 2 Community Team.

Holifield Psychological Services, Inc.

San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office

San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office

HPS Inc. was a sub-awardee of the BJA-STOP School Violence grant award that manages and coordinates the grant activities among partners and community stakeholders. HPS Inc. also collaborates with subcontractors to provide additional training and research.

Tulare County Office of Education

San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office

Tulare County Office of Education

The Tulare County Office of Education was a sub-awardee of the BJA-STOP School Violence grant award. TCOE works with HPS Inc. to manage and coordinate grant activities among school districts and community stakeholders in Tulare County.

Contact Information

Dr. Joseph Holifield, Project Director

E-mail: drholifield@hpspsych.org

Phone: (805)-305-4229


Mackenzie Elliott, Project Manager

E-mail: mackenzie@hpspsych.org

Phone: (805)-888-1820

Holifield Psychological Services, Inc.

11549 Los Osos Valley Road, Suite 200, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405

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