Research
Dr. Shaffer’s research focuses on the assessment and management of both general and specialized forms of violence and offending. Her work advances evidence-based approaches for working with individuals who engage in crime and violence.
She has co-authored over 60 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, professional manuals, technical and government reports, and assessment tools, and delivered more than 100 presentations across 12 countries at international conferences, academic institutions, and law enforcement agencies.
Dr. Shaffer is a co-author of the Adolescent Risk Reduction and Resilient Outcomes Workplan (ARROW), a risk management and treatment planning guide currently implemented in Canadian criminal justice settings with thousands of adolescents involved in general, violent, and sexual offending each year. She has also developed specialized risk assessment tools, serving as lead author of an assessment instrument for adolescent intimate partner violence and co-author of a tool assessing gang involvement.
In recognition of her scholarship on medical assistance in dying (MAiD) and mental disorder, Dr. Shaffer was invited to serve on the Canadian Psychological Association’s Task Force on Medical Aid in Dying. The task force was commissioned in response to federal legislation decriminalizing MAiD, and examined the eligibility of individuals with mental disorders and mature minors, as well as the evolving role of psychologists in this area.
Dr. Shaffer has contributed to high-profile public safety initiatives, including conducting research and analyses to support the Cullen Commission, a major public inquiry into money laundering in British Columbia.
She also conducts research for the Behavioral Sciences Group, contributing to projects related to mass casualty incidents, intimate partner violence homicide, human trafficking, and other complex public safety challenges.
Open-access copies of Dr. Shaffer’s publications, technical reports, and presentations are available through Google Scholar, Academia.Edu, ResearchGate, or SFU Summit.
Dr. Catherine Shaffer 