The Problem Behaviour Program
The Problem Behaviour Program (PBP) in Melbourne, Australia, is a specialist service that provides assessment and treatment to people who engage in violence, stalking, harmful sexual behavior, fire-setting, or other problem behaviors, regardless of the presence or absence of clients’ mental illness. The purpose of the PBP is to provide comprehensive and evidence-based assessment of, advice about, and treatment for people presenting with these difficult and sometimes frightening behaviors. Given the nature of the clientele, staff expertise in threat assessment, as well as risk assessment more generally, is a key requirement for working in the PBP. This chapter describes the establishment and function of the clinic and the underlying model of care, governance structure, and staffing profile. A detailed case study of a client referred because of concern about the potential for serious sexual violence is used to show how threat and risk assessment is essential to the functioning of the PBP and how such assessment can inform effective intervention for a range of problematic and harmful behaviors.