Curt and Katie chat about suicide assessment, safety planning, and how to keep clients out of the hospital. We reviewed the Integrated Motivational Volitional Model for Suicide, we talked about what therapists should be assessing for in every session, what strong assessment looks like (and suggested suicide assessment protocols), and why the least restrictive environment is so important when you are designing interventions and safety planning. This is a continuing education podcourse.
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In this podcast episode we talk about suicide assessment, safety planning, and intervention

We continue our conversation on suicide, progressing from risk factors (from last week’s episode) to how to assess and safety plan with the least intrusive interventions at the earliest stages.

Continued to review the IMV model: Integrated Motivational Volitional Model by O’Connor and Kirtley
What should therapists assess for in every session, related to suicide?
Moderating motivational factors, which move clients from passive to more active suicidality (or the reverse)
Looking at what is keeping someone from being at risk for suicide (protective factors)
The importance of knowing our clients well before they move into the volitional phase
Understanding the clinician factors and putting structure around assessment
Assessment for Suicide
SAMHSA’s GATE protocol
Gather information using a structured assessment tool (Columbia Scale, LRAMP)
Looking at intention, means, plan as well as risk and protective factors
Moving into a safety plan
The importance of recognizing the human during the assessment (versus focusing only on the protocol or your liability)
Seeking supervision or consultation – don’t do this alone
The importance of using the least restrictive intervention for suicide
The idea of “responsible” action
The range of options for keeping a client safe
Having a conversation with the client on how to avoid attempting suicide
The potential impacts of hospitalization, including trauma
The danger of hospitalizing someone who does not need this level of intervention
Additional intervention between sessions
The practicalities to set up your schedule and your practice to support your clients and your self
Additional risk factors (transition phases between providers)

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Who we are:
Curt Widhalm is an LMFT in private practice in the Los Angeles area. He is the cofounder of the Therapy Reimagined conference, an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University and CSUN, a former Subject Matter Expert for the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, former CFO of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and a loving husband and father. He is 1/2 great person, 1/2 provocateur, and 1/2 geek, in that order. He dabbles in the dark art of making "dad jokes" and usually has a half-empty cup of coffee somewhere nearby. Learn more at: http://www.curtwidhalm.com

Katie Vernoy is an LMFT, coach, and consultant supporting leaders, visionaries, executives, and helping professionals to create sustainable careers. Katie, with Curt, has developed workshops and a conference, Therapy Reimagined, to support therapists navigating through the modern challenges of this profession. Katie is also a former President of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. In her spare time, Katie is secretly siphoning off Curt's youthful energy, so that she can take over the world. Learn more at: http://www.katievernoy.com

A Quick Note:
Our opinions are our own. We are only speaking for ourselves – except when we speak for each other, or over each other. We’re working on it.
Our guests are also only speaking for themselves and have their own opinions. We aren’t trying to take their voice, and no one speaks for us either. Mostly because they don’t want to, but hey.