The Sophie Fund is providing free registration and free continuing education credits for healthcare professionals in Tompkins County to attend a two-day online training in suicide prevention featuring some of the nation’s leading experts.
The program, “Suicide Safer Care in Clinical Practice Incorporating Current Best Practices,” takes place in the afternoons of March 19 and Wednesday March 20.
The training, which covers identifying at-risk individuals in everyday medical appointments, best practice treatment, engaging family in suicide care, how social media impacts suicidal behaviors, and other topics, is sponsored by The Wellness Institute, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, The Jed Foundation, the Education Development Center, and the Zero Suicide Institute. (See full program, below.)
Free registration and free continuing education credits for physicians, primary care clinicians, health and mental health clinicians, and clinical social workers serving Tompkins County are supported by a grant from The Sophie Fund.
To request a registration link for free registration, professionals can email The Sophie Fund at thesophiefund2016@gmail.com providing their 1) name, 2) email address, 3) degree level, and 4) place of employment (or name and address of practice, if self-employed).
Scott MacLeod, co-founder of The Sophie Fund, said the training is part of his organization’s initiative to advance the Zero Suicide Model with healthcare providers in Tompkins County.
Zero Suicide is an emerging standard designed to save lives by closing gaps in the suicide care offered by healthcare providers. The model provides a practical framework for system-wide quality improvement in areas including training staff in current best practices, identifying at-risk individuals through comprehensive screening and assessment, engaging at-risk patients with effective care management, evidence-based treatments, and safe care transition.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among Americans aged 10-34. Over the past five years, Tompkins County has averaged 12 suicide deaths per year. Another 1,600 parents, children, siblings, friends, and spouses may be impacted by the resulting psychological, spiritual, and/or financial loss.
An estimated 300 people in Tompkins County may attempt suicide every year. While rates for other causes of death have remained steady or declined, the U.S. suicide rate increased 35.2% from 1999 to 2018.
Suicide Safer Care in Clinical Practice
Incorporating Current Best Practices
A two-day virtual conference designed to strengthen confidence
and competence in providing caring, evidence-based services
to clients with suicide risk.
Tuesday, March 19, 2024, 1:30-5:00 pm
A Framework for Understanding Suicide
Rory O’Connor, PhD, FRSE, FAcSS, president of the International Association for Suicide Prevention
Treating Teen Suicidality: What Works
David A. Brent, MD, academic chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
Social Media and Suicide Prevention
Mitch Prinstein, PhD, ABPP, Chief Science Officer of the American Psychological Association
Sleep and Suicide Prevention
W. Vaughn McCall, MD, professor and Case Distinguished Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at Augusta University
Wednesday, March 20, 2024, 1:30-5:00 pm
988 and Crisis Care
John Draper, PhD, former director of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline/988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Family Focused Treatment (FFT)
David Miklowitz, PhD, professor of psychiatry in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute
A Cultural Humility Framework for Suicide Prevention
Roger Harrison, PhD, pediatric psychologist with Nemours Children’s Health in Wilmington, Delaware
Suicide Prevention in Clinical Practice
Jill Harkavy-Friedman, PhD, senior vice president of research at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Jennifer L. Hartstein, PsyD, owner of Hartstein Psychological Services
Learning Objectives
- Discuss the factors that lead to suicidal thoughts and behavior and the interventions that are proven to reduce suicidal behavior.
- Explain the Integrated Motivational-Volitional Model of Suicidal Behavior
- Discuss evidence-based interventions and protective factors for suicidal behavior in teens.
- Describe how to use a chain analysis to develop a safety plan and treatment plan.
- Participants will be able to articulate the potential effects of digital media use on neural development.
- Participants will be able to list up to 10 different ways that technology use may influence psychological adaptation.
- Describe the relationship between insomnia and suicide and the value of treating insomnia in persons at risk for suicide.
- Describe how 988 and crisis centers can support practitioners’ work and their patients.
- Describe the research, findings, and clinical methods of family-focused therapy, an outpatient program for adolescents and adults with or at risk for bipolar disorder.
- Explain cultural awareness, cultural competence, and cultural humility and how they differ.
- Describe how a cultural humility approach can be used to reduce interactional barriers in clinical settings.
- Provide a case example of how to assess for suicidal ideation, behavior, and risk.
- Describe how to engage family in clinical work with a person with suicide risk factors.
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