The Clinical Risk Factors and Future Hazards in the Victim That Aggravate Risks Presented by Stalkers
| Risk Factors | Potential Management |
|---|---|
| Clinical | |
| Unwillingness to make use of legal protection | Advice and practical assistance in accessing police and other legal protection, advocacy when indicated |
| Unwillingness to engage in therapy and take advice | Encouragement to join stalking survivor groups and provision of information about stalking |
| Future hazards | |
| Anything that will compel ongoing contact with the stalker (e.g. joint custody of children, shared work environment) | Strongly encourage total ban on direct contact or direct communication; provide direction for services to assist with managing any potentialfor contact |
| Initiating contact with the stalker, out of guilt or just an inability to leave well enough alone, or through misguided efforts to negotiate an end to the harrassment | Counseling and information on stalking; stalking survivor groups; reinforcing no direct contact, no direct communications |
| Continuing to reject the use of legal protection and therapeutic support, or abandoning the services that have previously failed | Counseling to restore confidence in services and to provide active advocacy with law enforcement agencies and increased security |
| Becoming caught up in attempting to fight back rather than reduce risk | Information and counseling on hazards of this approach; counseling aimed at managing anger more constructively |