Suicide Assessment: Starting the Conversation and Creating a Roadmap to Safety (3 Hours)

Course Description:

This training will explore the complicated and complex factors involved in suicide risk assessment. The training will cover suicide assessment, didactic skill building in and around starting the conversation, and will incorporate stylistic techniques to better inform a plan for safety and prevention.

This course will challenge its participants to explore suicide assessment through a trauma informed lens, highlight common clinical misconceptions and fears, and provide tangible clinical techniques for clinicians to utilize when conducting suicide risk assessments. This course will incorporate active discussion, clinical conceptualization, and a review of evidence based suicide assessment/screening tools to facilitate learning and professional growth. The aim of the course will be to destigmatize suicidal ideation, teach clinicians how to differentiate between acute and chronic suicide risk, and will conclude with a roadmap to patient safety. Pre-registration for this event is required.

Course Outline:

This training will explore the complicated and complex factors involved in suicide risk assessment. The training will cover suicide assessment, didactic skill building in and around starting the conversation, and will incorporate stylistic techniques to better inform a plan for safety and prevention.

Learning Objectives:

1. Demonstrate understanding of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale and its administration with a suicidal patient.

2. Identify at least 2 main components of the “roadmap to safety.”

3. Identify at least 2 new techniques learned from the training demonstrating how to elicit more information from a suicidal patient to more accurately determine suicide risk level.

4. Define and differentiate between acute suicide risk and chronic suicide risk.

5. Describe at least 3 critical elements to be included in safety planning with a suicidal patient.

6. Identify at least 2 common fears held by clinicians working with suicidal patients and in turn identify 2 techniques that can be used to mitigate identified fears associated with treating suicidal patients.

About the Speaker: Kimberly Beckstead LCSW, ADCII

Kimberly Beckstead is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Alcohol and Drug Counselor. For the past 15 years Kimberly has immersed herself into the clinical and administrative world of chronic pervasive mental illness, complex trauma, suicide prevention, substance abuse treatment, and trauma informed care. Having initially started her career working as a clinical case manager for the county of San Diego, over the last 7 years she found her passion working with active duty military and Veterans; where complex childhood trauma, military trauma, mental illness and substance abuse intersect. Kimberly has extensive experience providing clinical crisis intervention, case management, clinical supervision, program management, private training and clinical consultation. Over the years Kimberly has earned the reputation of being an innovative, out of the box thinker. Working with the DoD she created new suicide prevention programming at the installation level, spearheading the Marine Intercept Program dedicated to providing crisis intervention and care coordination for active duty service members hospitalized for suicidal ideation or having had a suicide attempt. Kimberly actively integrates suicide prevention efforts with the community through the dissemination of interdisciplinary trainings San Diego county-wide. Kimberly is one of the founding members of the San Diego Trauma Informed Guide team and presently continues her work in suicide prevention, serving as a Suicide Prevention Coordinator at the San Diego VA Hospital. Kimberly is a dynamic trainer, often complimented for her use of humor and authenticity when tackling sensitive topics, encouraging active discussion and thought provoking material.

TARGET AUDIENCE:  Licensed and Pre-licensed clinicians and educators. 

This course meets the qualifications for 2.5 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.  SDNC-CAMFT CEP#128622

SDNC-CAMFT is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs. CEP#128622. SDNC-CAMFT maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.

Following the event, Course Completion Certificates will be emailed to each participant who has completed sign in and sign out procedures at the event.

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