Full Course Description

Session 01: The Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (BCBT) Model

Suicide treatment expert Craig J. Bryan shares insight into the innovative, brief cognitive-behavioral therapy for suicide prevention (BCBT) treatment approach, one of the few treatment methods specifically designed to reduce suicide risk.

Program Information

Objectives

Analyze the Suicidal Mode and explore the ways in which it provides a map for treatment.
Apply at least two means of interventions and evaluate their effectiveness in helping clients respond mores successfully to stressful situations.

Outline

Foundation for BCBT

Military
How can this session have an impact?

Suicidal Mode

Baseline Risk
Acute Risk
4 Targeted Domains

Emotion Dis-regulation and Cognitive Rigidity
Risk Management

Slowing things down
Maintaining plan if there is an attempt

Lethal Means Counseling

Safety guidance as opposed to restriction
Allow client to have control, restrict themselves

Narrative Assessment

Staying calm as therapist
Focus on listening, relating

Self-Management Strategies
Measures of Success:

Skills-based
Establishing meaning in life
Improved ability to manage stressful situations

Target Audience

Psychologists
Physicians
Addiction Counselors
Counselors
Social Workers
Marriage & Family Therapists
Nurses
Other Behavioral Health Professionals

Copyright : 04/08/2020

Session 02: The CAMS Care Model

Join internationally recognized suicidologist, Dr. David Jobes to learn about the evidence-based CAMS model that can dramatically decrease suicidal ideation and overall symptom distress while increasing hope, patient satisfaction, and retention to clinical care.

Program Information

Objectives

Analyzes the CAMS model as an evidenced-based, research supported treatment for suicidal ideation and describes its effective use and flexibility with regards to integrating CAMS into various treatment modalities.
Differentiates between indirect and direct drivers and explains how failure to investigate indirect drivers can lead to the activation of direct drivers and possible suicide.

Outline

Introduction to David Jobes, Ph.D.
Working with Suicidal Clients

US Army Fort Steward Randomized Study
CAMS Rating Scale vs. Treatments as Usual

CAMS Framework
What the Framework Means
The Four Pillars

Empathy
Collaboration
Honesty
Suicide Focused

The First Session

Initial Assessment
Stabilization Treatment Plan
Targeting the Drivers

Hospitalizing Clients with Suicidal Ideation
Shortened Hospital Stays
Medical Treatment for Suicide Risk Not Helpful
Outpatient Treatment is Effective
Suicide Myths
Connecting with Clients

Treatment
The Person of the Therapist: Dialing into Therapist’s Humanity
Saving Lives
How CAMS Stabilizes Clients
Types of Suicidal Clients
Direct & Indirect Drivers
How to Engage Clients

Conclusion

Target Audience

Psychologists
Physicians
Addiction Counselors
Counselors
Social Workers
Marriage & Family Therapists
Nurses
Other Behavioral Health Professionals

Copyright : 04/15/2020

Session 03: An Eclectic Practice Model for Suicidality

In this session, suicide treatment author and expert Stacey Freedenthal provides a highly practical method for working with clients considering suicide, as well as their family and friends.

Program Information

Objectives

Develop an understanding of “meeting a client where they at” while gathering information needed in a therapeutic manner, when treating a client who is experiencing suicidal ideation.
Appraise knowledge on effective therapeutic techniques used when meeting with a client who is experiencing suicidal ideation (ex. Hope Kits, suicide note to self).

Outline

Importance of meeting the client where they are at

Empathetic listening skills
Therapist self-awareness

Assessment in a therapeutic manner

Therapeutic questioning versus integration
Basic counseling skills
Normalizing

Behavioral Incident

“Tell me more”

Being a burden

How to approach a client feeling this way
Validate versus change

Friends and family

Adult versus child
Limits of confidentiality

Hope Kits

What is this
Purpose

Distraction
Technology of Change

Grounding versus mindfulness

Suicide letter to self

Purpose

Target Audience

Psychologists
Physicians
Addiction Counselors
Counselors
Social Workers
Marriage & Family Therapists
Nurses
Other Behavioral Health Professionals

Copyright : 04/17/2020

Session 04: Clinical Interviewing Skills for Suicidal Clients

Learn the essentials of conducting clinical interviews, as well as doing suicide assessment, mental status examinations, and psychotherapy skill development.

Program Information

Objectives

Appraise and elaborate on the six dimensions for suicide treatment planning for the purpose of differentiating the various dimensions as it relates to possible triggers and mitigating factors of suicidal ideation for clients.
Evaluate and support the benefits of positive psychology interventions for the purpose of improving treatment outcomes and decreasing suicidal ideation.

Outline

Introduction to John Sommers-Flanagan, Ph.D.
Treatment in Collaboration
Shift from Pathology to Pain

Suicidal Thoughts
Not Always About Death
Emotional Pain

Dealing with Therapist Panic/Defensiveness
Anxiety Around the Topic of Suicide
The World “Suicide” as a Trigger
Discussing Suicide Directly with Trainees/Students
Desensitizing Fear
Embracing Client’s Vulnerability

Assessment
Assessment Tied to Treatment
Therapist Normalizes Suicidal Ideation & Asks Clients Directly
Mood Scaling Assessment & Demonstration
Safety Plan Intervention
Problem-Solving

7-Part Map: Suicide Dimensions for Treatment Planning
Emotional
Mental/Cognitive
Interpersonal/Social
Physical
Cultural/Spiritual
Behavioral
Contextual

Positive Psychology Interventions
3 Good Things Intervention
Savoring Practice
Sparkling Moments
Emotional/Therapeutic Journaling
Affect Bridge

Conclusion
Having an Attitude of Continual Learning

Target Audience

Psychologists
Physicians
Addiction Counselors
Counselors
Social Workers
Marriage & Family Therapists
Nurses
Other Behavioral Health Professionals

Copyright : 04/30/2020

Session 05: Legal, Ethical, and Documentation Issues

In this session, join two leading experts for foundational insight into legal and ethical aspects of suicide treatment.

Program Information

Objectives

Debate the ethical concerns of treating a suicidal client to improve the efficacy of treatment in reducing suicidal risk.
Evaluate the legal implications of confidentiality, privilege, and privacy as they relate to suicidal clients and evaluate strategies for maintaining legal protection in the event of suicide.

Outline

Addressing the Emotional Impact of Suicide

Inherently traumatic

Where to Begin If a Client Commits Suicide

Taking a step back
Reaching out to colleagues
Checklist

Code of Ethics

Confidentiality, Privilege, and Privacy
Death of a client does not change the ethical or legal responsibilities of the therapist
Prioritizing the treatment of the client

Documentation

Client authorization of records
Deliberative process that details all considerations and actions taken by the therapist
Liability

Informed Consent

Ethical duty
Collaborative process with client
Breaching confidentiality

When a Client Confesses That They Are Suicidal

Reassessing the client’s treatment needs and the therapist’s ability to provide them
Expanded Care

When a Client Makes a Suicide Attempt

Reassessing the treatment plan
Transitioning client to better treatment, avoiding abandonment

When a Client Does Commits Suicide

Clinical considerations with loved ones
Legal considerations and protection from lawsuits
Confidentiality and Privilege do not end with death
Preserving accurate, unaltered records

Final Thoughts

Relationship with client is the most important factor in both the treatment and in legal protection
Welcoming a client’s trust to confide
Staying up to date

Target Audience

Psychologists
Physicians
Addiction Counselors
Counselors
Social Workers
Marriage & Family Therapists
Nurses
Other Behavioral Health Professionals

Chronic Suicidality and Self-Destructive Behavior

Chronically suicidal clients present a special kind of stress for therapists: there’s not only the emotional stress of working with their pain, but the additional burden of risk, responsibility, and anxiety.

When should we hospitalize a suicidal client?

How can we best assess when the level of suicidality is an immediate threat to life and safety?

What role should suicide contracts play in our work?

This workshop recording offers practical strategies for developing collaborative approaches with suicidal clients despite their resistance to help and transforming their relationships to self-destructive thoughts and impulses.

Program Information

Objectives

Determine the somatic effects of suicidal ideation and impulses for the purposes of psychoeducation.
Evaluate the role of suicidality in a client’s survival or adaptation to trauma.
Determine the three basic steps of the Fisher risk assessment tool.
Distinguish body-centered interventions that can increase the client’s sense of control over unbearable emotions.
Develop collaborative solutions to high-risk situations.

Outline

The Challenges of Working with Suicidality and Self-Destructive Behavior

Association between suicidality/self-harm and a history of trauma
Suicidality as a survival strategy
The neurobiology of suicidality and self-harm

Evaluating Risk: Safe, Less Safe, and Not Safe

Ideation versus impulse
Relief versus punishment
Simple tools for risk assessment

Suicidality and Self-Destructive Behavior as Dissociative Symptoms

Using the Structural Dissociation model
Borderline personality and dissociative symptom
Increasing safety by working with suicidality as a part of the personality

Target Audience

Psychologists
Physicians
Addiction Counselors
Counselors
Social Workers
Marriage & Family Therapists
Nurses
Other Behavioral Health Professionals

A Collaborative Approach to Managing Suicidal Risk

With 71 percent of therapists reporting at least one client whose attempted suicide, helping people teetering on the precarious edge of suicidal ideation is one of the most important and scariest aspects of our work. This recording will give you a comprehensive road map for navigating assessment, treatment, and management for those at risk for suicide, as well as how to nurture a survivor’s potential for healing and resilience.

Program Information

Objectives

Assess current statistics on suicide and identify signs and symptoms that indicate suicidal ideation.
Analyze the CAMS Model for suicidality as it relates to clinical practice.
Apply DBT, CBT, and other interventions to help clients emotionally regulate.
Determine the clinical implications of specific strategies that foster adaptation and resiliency, including somatic resourcing, remembered resources, art, writing, and mindfulness.
Differentiate common emotional and spiritual issues that survivors of complex trauma face, and discuss evidence-based strategies to help them rediscover personal strengths and the resiliency to move forward.

Outline

Piercing the Darkness: Assessment, Treatment, and Management of Suicide Risk
Explore current statistics on suicide and identify signs and symptoms that indicate suicidal ideation

Drawing from news and media clips, see how suicide is on the rise for not only the elderly but for the nation’s youth
Become aware of the current statistics on suicide
Identify warning signs
Identify environmental factors as well as genetic predispositions
Understand how stigma affects clients

Explore the 3 Areas of Impact Vulnerability for Suicide
Traumatized Brain:

The neurobiology of the traumatized brain
How to Calm the Overactive Brain of your Client
Affect Regulation skills
Breathing
Mindfulness techniques and the Art of Noticing
Grounding techniques

Guilt/Shame:

Meaning making—Can they make sense of their story?
Can they find bigger plan or purpose?
How does shame affect the way the client lives?
In what story is the client living? What conclusions has client drawn about the self?

Existential Shattering: Crisis of belief
Explore the concept of Alongside

Cultivate social engagement and connection
Using Story and Metaphor (Narrative Therapy)
Learn how to use Presence, Patience and Planting Seeds

Explore DBT, CBT and other interventions to help clients emotionally regulate

Mindfulness: being self -aware and learning to exhibit impulse control
Distress Tolerance: Learning to handle stressful emotions
Emotional Regulation
CBT—use Dysfunctional Thought Record/Beck Depression Inventory/Assess Client self-talk
Identify irrational beliefs
5 R’s
Recognize/Refute/Reframe/Reflect/Rewire

Explore the CAMS Model for suicidality

Explore the 5 stages of the CAMS model for treating suicidality
Be able to identify primary and secondary suicide drivers
Help clients enlarge their world with the PIE of life

Learn tools to help clients become more resilient

Explore the concept of resiliency
Learn 3 keys to Self-Compassion

Explore a list of specific strategies that foster adaptation and resiliency, including somatic resourcing, remembered resources, art, writing and mindfulness

Self-Compassion
Art therapy
Journaling
Somatic Resourcing
Remembered Resource
Alternate Nostril Breathing
Jar of Grief
Phototherapy

Target Audience

Psychologists
Physicians
Addiction Counselors
Counselors
Social Workers
Marriage & Family Therapists
Nurses
Other Behavioral Health Professionals