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BRIAN IN THE NEWS
TESTIMONIALS
BRIAN VAN BRUNT ED.D.
Testimonials
Dion Fawcett, Case Facilitator, Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
"I have attended multiple trainings facilitated by Brian and cannot recommend attending any training with Brian enough. Brian has this amazing way of creating a safe and comfortable learning environment despite the training topic. His storytelling and down to earth approach is captivating and provides an opportunity to really engage and grasp the material. Brian’s leadership and knowledge within the field of Higher Education have been fundamental in my work within Behavioral Intervention Teams and Risk Assessment."
Indira Reddy, Ed.D., LPC
"Dr. Brian Van Brunt is an established skilled trainer both in person and virtually. Besides his vast knowledge, experience, prolific writing and travels around the globe, Brian’s approach exudes a sense of ease and confidence tempered with humility, respect, cultural sensitivity, and humor.”
Leann Griffin, MS, PhD Student, Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment,
Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, AZ
"Throughout these unprecedented times of social justice concerns, diversity related concerns, the concerns brought up by the pandemic and political turmoil, Brian's insight into addressing such topics has been thought provoking and extremely valuable. With his training, guidance and continued support, I am confident that our BIT and TAT programs will help the diverse needs of the community while upholding the highest professional and ethical standards in the field.”
Diane Deskin, Advanced Program Manager and Student Conduct and Title IX,
Pima Community College, Tucson, AZ
"Don't miss the opportunity to advance or even begin your behavioral intervention and violence risk assessment training with Brian. The training sessions are live, interactive, and best practice based. For some participants who might normally be reticent to ask questions in person, the virtual format may even provide more opportunities for interaction and questions/discussions. Brian remains approachable, compassionate and cares deeply about the important work each of us is doing.”
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James Watson, Chief of Police, Fresno State Police Department
"I have attended several NaBITA Trainings where Brian Van Brunt was the facilitator. These included the NaBITA Conference in San Antonio, TX, BIT Best Practices in Denver, CO and CLEAR Training hosted locally at Fresno State. What impressed me was the latest training I attended was presented via Zoom. The training and interactions are just as impressive as those trainings I attended in person. I would highly recommend attending a training via Zoom by the NCHERM Group as you will not be disappointed."
Jessica Lauritsen, Interim Associate Vice Provost of Enrollment and Student Affairs,
Hennepin Technical College, Brooklyn Park, MN
"Brian connects with faculty and student affairs professionals through his engaging storytelling and humor. Messages of equity and inclusion are woven through his trainings by reminding us to have compassion and empathy for students, understand our own struggles, and to treat students with kindness and respect."
Lesley Casarez, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Program Advisor, M.S. in Professional School Counseling, Dept. of Curriculum and Instruction, Angelo State University, San Angelo, TX
"Brian was the keynote speaker at the Texas School Counseling Association conference. His presentation on threat assessment provided over 2,000 school counselors with timely, relevant information in a way that was engaging and left our audience wanting more. We had many members ask to have him back for a longer, more in-depth. I highly recommend Brian as a keynote speaker for any association similar to ours — he did a fabulous job! Social media and the conference was buzzing afterward!"
Liz Hoban, Health Services Coordinator, County College of Morris, Randolph, NJ
"I have been working in academia for over 15 years and prior to that as an inpatient mental health director and I feel compelled to personally say "thank you" to Brian for the most insightful and engaging program (even on a Friday — ugh) I've ever participated in. No kidding! And I've never laughed so much! I learned a tremendous amount in those two days that I will certainly add to my practice, as well as to my personal relationships. I realized after this training, as many probably do, that I have unknowingly...
Kim Austin, Associate Director of Human Resources, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA
"I attended NaBITA’s BIT and SIVRA-35 workshop and wasn’t sure what to expect. The workshop was one of the best I’ve attended in my 34 years of working. The information Brian shared was fascinating and thought-provoking; and delivered in a thoughtful, well thought-out three days. Brian’s passion for instilling knowledge and providing resources to us was evident. Whether new to the subject entirely or new to an existing BIT team...
Kelly Steed, Psychology Instructor, West Georgia Technical College, LaGrange, GA
"Brian’s presentations were creative and engaging, and I appreciated learning practical strategies that we can implement immediately in our BIT. The information challenged some of my biases and presuppositions and prompted me to think more carefully about how each decision will impact all of the people involved in our cases. That ethic of care, so expertly woven throughout your instructional materials, was the most valuable takeaway from the training. We must consider the longer-term ripple effect of each decision to...
Kevin McCarthy, Associate Dean of Students, North Central College, Naperville, IL
“I really appreciate Brian's caring and humanist, yet compliant, approach to work that can be challenging and taxing to both those who perform case management and to the students/families involved in the intervention efforts.”
Dr. Michael LaFarr, Executive Director of Health & Wellness,
Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
“Brian not only has the education and training necessary to do this work, but whose breadth of experience in higher education means that he understands the day-to-day work of university life. His down-to-earth presentation style and sense of humor make this very serious work approachable to Behavioral Intervention Team members, no matter what their discipline. Brian is able to reach and connect with any audience. There is not a single person I know and trust in this work more than him."
Brenda Johnson Benson, Senior Administrative Dean, Counseling, Retention and Student Wellness, Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, CA
“Not only has Brian worked with our BIT on a number of issues related to crisis prevention and threat assessment, but we included him in a recent faculty and staff professional development day to address classroom management issues and dealing with dangerous and disruptive students. His workshops were well attended and received rave reviews. Brian is a true expert in the field who is an engaging and conversant presenter!”
Darren Phillips, Santa Barbara City College, Santa Barbara, CA
“I campaigned to bring Brian to SBCC, and once we had all been through two days of intensive training, the BIT agreed that this was invaluable training. In fact, it was bloody brilliant. I was the main go-to in performing the SIVRA-35 prior to Brian’s visit. Now the whole team is trained in this important role. We are proud here at SBCC to have been voted the #1 community college in the nation, and we want our BIT to be first class. Now we feel that it is.”
Emily Stone, Dean of Student Support Services, MBA, E.d.D Candidate,
Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, CA
“What a pleasure to have Dr. Brian Van Brunt come to Diablo Valley College to provide a two-day intensive BIT Foundations course. We are in our infancy at DVC in developing a CARE (Behavioral Intervention Team), so this training was instrumental to moving us to the next level. Participants were engaged from the minute Dr. Van Brunt started his presentation to the very end. Dr. Van Brunt is knowledgeable about behavioral...
Lori Meehan, Student Conduct Administrator/Behavior Intervention Team Case Manager, The Community College of Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD
“Dr. Van Brunt has been the guidepost for much of what our team practices in assessing threat, risk for violence, and addressing care needs for students of concern. His ability to communicate effectively and inspire our team to think deeply and in different ways has transformed our work. While we still have much to do in developing our team practices and policies, we are confident that we are on the right track and look forward to a continued relationship of mentoring and training with Brian.”
Rev. Dr. Justin Allen, Assistant Vice President for Student Life, Dean of Spiritual Life, and Director of the Institute for Church Professions, Shenandoah University, Winchester, VA
“We sought out Brian Van Brunt after consulting with him on some situations here at Shenandoah University. We found Brian to be responsive, intelligent, calming, and reasoned. So, when we were assessing our Behavioral Consultation Team after five years working together, we decided to reach out to Brian. He assessed our team and did a day-long training for us. Here are some of the comments from our Shenandoah University colleagues that we received about Brian:
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‘Dr. Van Brunt was an experienced, informed, accessible, and encouraging consultant in the complex and...
Andre V. Coleman, Dean of Counseling and Student Success, Sacramento City College, Sacramento, CA
“I’ve worked with Brian for a number of years, while working at a private four-year, college and now at public two-year community college. After developing our early alert/BIT, the first thing I did was reach out to NaBITA to have Brian train our group. He’s such an excellent and engaging presenter, with an incredible ability to tailor his message to meet his audience regardless of their knowledge level, role on campus, or age. After having our BIT attend the foundations training, I felt it was critical to have Brian come to campus and provide broader training and education to our counselors and faculty. He did not disappoint. Brian is a delight to work with and is one of the best in the business!”
Lina Ladyzhenskaya, Case Management Coordinator, Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, CA
“I cannot say enough kind words about Brian. His warmth, humor, expertise, and dedication to our field is unparalleled; having the opportunity to consult with this highly respected professional is a privilege. Our BIT recently contacted Brian for a consultation on a complicated case. Brian was able to offer clear and concise direction, and our team was able to put into practice his suggestions. Given that Brian is so well respected by our team, his perspective helped smooth over the differing opinions and opened the door for needed intervention. We are lucky to have him as a resource!”
Carlin C. Hale, M.S., LCPC; Counselor, Flathead Valley Community College, Kalispell, MT
“I find Dr. Van Brunt to be a valuable resource when it comes to behavioral intervention and threat assessment. Not only does he provide excellent, first-hand insight into the process of BIT work, he is also very approachable when it comes to needing strategies or advice on how to further strengthen the work we are doing with our campus BIT. His willingness to travel far and wide to deliver training and education on this topic is impressive.”
Carolyn A. Scott, Dean of Students, Lake-Sumter South Lake Campus, Clermont, FL
“Brian came to our main campus and addressed a diverse group of faculty and staff, introducing them to the NaBITA tool and the VRAW tool. We were all so impressed with his workshop! He was super engaging, and his case studies and examples were outstanding! He really took the time to understand our audience and helped them walk away with tangible takeaways that they can use in their real world work with students.”
Dimitrios Synodinos, Associate Dean, Student Life, Los Angeles Trade Technical College, Los Angeles, CA
“Dr. Van Brunt is more than a skilled presenter and an expert in the area of behavioral intervention; he is an incredible source of information and a wealth of knowledge. During his visit, our group was privileged to be exposed to his effective style of communication and expertise. Dr. Van Brunt’s storytelling style, humor, and most of all, professional demeanor, made the material relatable to all participants. Dr. Van Brunt made us think, reevaluate, and most of all, understand our roles both as educators and student services professionals.”
Amy N. Pennington, Dean of Students, Arkansas Tech University, Russellville, AR
“Having Dr. Van Brunt spend two days on campus training our CARE Team provided the perfect springboard for the launch of our program. After spending months planning the implementation, Dr. Van Brunt was able to customize an intensive training to meet the specific needs our team, building our confidence and reinforcing best practices to get our team off to a strong start.”
Sylvia Worden, MSN, NP Associate Dean, Student Health Services, Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa, CA
“Brian Van Brunt has conducted multiple trainings on our campus, which is a Southern California community college of over 20,000 students. Not only did he provide our Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) with the full NaBITA certification course, but he also customized a one-day program for all staff and faculty based on his book, A Faculty Guide To Addressing Disruptive and Dangerous Behavior. Because of his mental health background, Brian is an excellent trainer for community college groups that face a lot of behavioral problems on campus that are rooted in students’ mental health issues. He is an engaging speaker who uses humor kindly and appropriately to lighten some of the difficult situations that BITs face. He is relevant, real, and above all, compassionate.”
Trudi Hodges, Equity/Title IX Coordinator, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
"It was a tremendous institutional step for the American University of Beirut (AUB) to bring an expert from the U.S. to Lebanon to certify our new Equity & Title IX network — and critical that we get it right. Brian Van Brunt was a perfect choice. A phenomenal listener and astute guide, he was able to sustain interest and engage a diverse group of faculty and key administrators from across campus for nearly three days, a rather remarkable feat in itself. Brian deftly navigated the complexity of the context and institutional culture, and facilitated thoughtful discussions that allowed participants to benefit from the experiences and expertise of colleagues. In the words of one, 'I learned in the training to think deeply about the process.'"
Pamela J. Segers, Program Director, Criminal Justice, & Emergency Management Specialist,
North Georgia Technical College, Clarkesville, GA
"I had the pleasure to attend a two-day NaBITA training session offered by Dr. Brian Van Brunt. His presentation delivery is remarkably relaxed, inviting, and engaging. For such a weighty topic, he helps the audience wrap their minds around it and walk away with a working strategy! His examples are captivating. The video scenarios offer an excellent opportunity for hands-on practice of the threat assessment tool. By far, one of the best training sessions I have ever attended!"
Michelle Barkley, MS, PHN, BSN, RN, College Nurse, Cosumnes River College, Sacramento, CA
"Brian Van Brunt has been the inspirational leader that has shaped HSACCC (Health Services Association-California Community Colleges) in our approach to Behavioral Intervention Teams in our colleges/districts in California. He has presented in the past at our conferences and most recently at the 2018 Annual HSACCC Conference. His information is always relevant, his knowledge base immeasurable, and his style of presenting down to earth. His passion for NaBITA is evident and he is highly respected by HSACCC. We continue to seek him out to enlighten us with his expertise. I can’t say enough about Brian. The work he does is invaluable, there is no measure. In light of all the tragic events that are going on in our nation, he is the beacon that inspires campus communities to create an environment of caring."