Suicide Risk Assess­ment: The Art of Interview­ing

Overview

Designed for front line service providers working with youth and adults in mental health settings.

One of the primary goals of the training is to build therapeutic skills to better assess suicide risk. This training examines risk assessment from both the client and a systemic perspective. Evidence-based best practices are shared regarding risk assessment. Therapeutic engagement, risk assessment, safety planning, identification and responding with appropriate interventions for risk reduction are also covered. This is a comprehensive training that shares the most current research as well as best practices such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy and Solution-Focused interventions for those at risk of suicide. Participants are offered opportunities to explore the impacts of therapeutic rapport, review current risk assessment models and create safety plans for suicide intervention. Protective factors, risk factors and warning signs are reviewed.

Training Objectives

By the end of the workshop, participants will:

• Have the capacity to examine suicide from both an individual and systemic level.
• Understand the role therapeutic rapport/alliance plays in assessing risk and providing meaningful and effective interventions.
• Be able to conceptualize risk and be familiar with current research related to risk and risk assessment.
• Understand the role of emotional regulation and distress tolerance in building skills and reducing risk over time.
• Develop interviewing and engagement skills related to understanding the unique meaning behind reasons for dying and reasons for living.
• Understand the impact of complicating factors such as: executive functioning, impulsivity, exposure to suicide, self-harm, and other psychiatric signs, when evaluating risk.
• Learn risk reduction strategies.
• Be able to build, document and communicate a client-centred safety plan.
• Understand standards of care, liability and guidelines for confidentiality and the limits of confidentiality.