A recurring challenge in the work of preventing violent extremism is the lack of appropriate assessment tools. In 2018, I was contacted by Hedayah with the aim of helping them develop an assessment tool to support social workers and psychologists around the world in their efforts to counter violent extremism.

This resulted in a manual focused on identifying needs rather than risks. The idea behind it is that violent extremist movements exploit fundamental human needs in order to recruit individuals into their organizations. Understanding an individual’s needs can be used both to prevent recruitment and to motivate disengagement.