Zero Suicide Model

For Tompkins Clinicians: Free Training in Suicide Care

thesophiefund

The Sophie Fund is sponsoring free registration—and free continuing education credits (CEUs)—for healthcare professionals in Tompkins County to attend a two-day online training in suicide prevention featuring many leading experts.

The training program, “Suicide Safer Care in Clinical Practice,” takes place on the afternoons of Tuesday March 10 and Wednesday March 11.

It is organized by The Wellness Institute, which says attendees “will receive direct guidance from intervention developers, current updates into emerging suicide prevention challenges, and concrete steps to work with clients at risk with greater confidence, competence, and clarity.”

The training will cover primary treatments for suicidality such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Suicide Prevention (CBT-SP) and Dialectal Behavior Therapy (DBT) as well as brief interventions including Attempted Suicide Short Intervention Program (ASSIP) and Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS). The program includes a session devoted to treating suicidality in youth. (See full program, below.)

The training is also sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, The Jed Foundation, the Education Development Center, Zero Suicide Institute, Suicide Prevention Resource Center, EveryMind, SAVE, and CAMS-care.

Free registration with free continuing education credits for physicians, primary care clinicians, health and mental health clinicians, and clinical social workers serving Tompkins County is supported by a grant from The Sophie Fund.

To request a registration code for free registration, healthcare 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 his organization’s sponsorship of the Wellness Institute program for the fifth year in a row is intended to advance suicide prevention with local healthcare providers. Thus far, The Sophie Fund has provided the free training for 220 clinicians in Tompkins County, including the counseling center staffs of Cornell University and Ithaca College.

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 10-14 and 25-34. Recently, 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

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 1-5 P.M. EST

Suicide Theories

Thomas Joiner, PhD; David Rudd, PhD

Primary Interventions: CT-SP vs. DBT

Kate Comtois, PhD, MPH; Kelly Green, PhD

Brief Interventions: ASSIP vs. BCBT vs. CAMS

Anja Gysin-Maillar, PhD; Craig Bryan, PsyD, ABPP; Raymond Tucker, PhD

Youth Interventions: ABFT vs. IPT-A vs. DBT-A

Guy Diamond, PhD; Alec Miller, PsyD; Anat Brunstein-Klomek, PhD’ Jonathan Singer, PhD, LCSW

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 1-5 P.M. EST

Joining the Client in the Dark: Leaning into Empathy Rather than Fear

Stacey Freedenthal, PhD

The Silent Partner: Addressing Substance Use in Suicide Prevention

Arwen Podesta, MD

AI, Chatbots, and Apps: Implications in Clinical Care

John Torous, MD, MBI

Self Care is Not a Luxury: Techniques for Protecting Against Vicarious Trauma

Jeffrey Barnett, PhD

Trigger Warning: Re-framing Firearm Counseling from “Restriction” to “Safety”

Emmy Betz, MD, MPH

Crisis-Ready: Preparing a Suicide-Safe Practice

Jill Harkavy-Friedman, PhD

In Practice: Effective Solutions to Unique Situations (Bridging the Gap between Theory and Implementation)

Jill Harkavy-Friedman, PhD; Jennifer Hartstein, PsyD

Learning Objectives

  • Describe two research-based models for understanding suicide, identify motivations for suicide and their implications in clinical treatment.
  • Describe evidence-based interventions DBT and CBT-SP for suicide ideation and behaviors and how to apply each approach to clinical cases.
  • Describe evidence-based brief suicide interventions, ASSIP, CAMS, and BCBT and how to apply each approach to clinical cases.
  • Describe evidence-based suicide interventions for youth, ABFT, DBT, and IPT-A and how to apply each approach to clinical cases.
  • Differentiate client-centered care from defensive practice in treating individuals with suicide ideation and/or behavior.
  • Describe how mental health apps and AI-enabled chatbots are currently being used in clinical care. Review their evidence base, limitations, and risks related to safety, bias, and clinical validity.
  • Apply practical frameworks to assess digital tools and suggest ways to communicate the risks and benefits to patients.
  • Describe a screening process that detects substance use disorders and co-morbid risk for suicide.
  • Explain the importance of ongoing self-care to maintain clinical effectiveness when treating suicidal patients and outline an effective self-care plan.
  •  Describe how language impacts delivery of firearm suicide prevention messaging or counseling and three preferred terms relevant to firearm suicide prevention.
  • Identify suicide risk factors and warning signs and describe key steps for preparing one’s clinical practice to respond effectively to individuals expressing suicidal ideation.
  • Analyze complex cases and apply practical, evidence-informed strategies to effectively manage suicide ideation and behaviors in clinical practice

Please, Don’t Ignore Signs of Suicide

thesophiefund

So many people struggle with a mental illness in silence. Suicidal thoughts are actually not that uncommon. But people who experience them are too often ashamed or embarrassed to speak about it. Or some figure, “I can handle it,” and put on a happy face. Loved ones or friends may be concerned about someone’s well-being. But stigma prevents them from asking if they are thinking of harming themselves.

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, a time to spread greater awareness about suicide and support those who may be struggling.

Suicide is preventable, and researchers and practitioners have made important strides in the past 20 years to improve way to assess suicidality and provide treatment for the condition.

The Tompkins County Suicide Prevention Coalition is urging local healthcare and behavioral health providers to adopt a framework of best practices known as the Zero Suicide Model.

This involves better screening tools for identifying people at risk of suicide. When suicidal ideation is a concern, Zero Suicide calls for creating safety plans to deescalate a suicidal crisis and lethal means counseling to ensure that weapons or medications are kept at a safe distance. Suicide-specific treatments include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention (CBT-SP) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

Another major advance is the introduction in 2022 of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24/7. You can also call 988 if you are concerned about a loved one, friend, or colleague. Veterans and/or their loved ones and friends can call 988 and then press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line

Locally, 988 calls go to the Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County (SPCS), one of 200 call centers across the country.

When people call or text 988, or connect to chat online, they connect to trained counselors that are part of the Lifeline network. They listen, understand how the caller’s problems are affecting them, provide support, and connect them to resources if necessary.

SPCS maintains a “warm line” for people who are not in crisis yet may be feeling lonely and need someone to talk to without judgement. The Ithaca Warm Line number is (607) 210 8328.

SPCS also operates Ithaca LGBTQ+ Peer Support, designed to be a safe space to engage in casual conversations, share experiences, or get support for crisis situations or thoughts of suicide. The Ithaca LGBTQ+ Peer Support number is (607) 276 1771.

The Lifeline is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and administered by Vibrant Emotional Health. SAMSHA provides a Partner Toolkit to help promote the 988 number and other suicide prevention services.

According to the 988 administrator, numerous studies have shown that callers feel less suicidal, less depressed, less overwhelmed, and more hopeful after speaking with a Lifeline counselor. 

Take a moment to review the warning signs for suicide, as provided by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Be sure to get help for yourself or others if you see the signs. You may save a life.

According to AFSP, something to look out for when concerned that a person may be suicidal is a change in behavior or the presence of entirely new behaviors. This is of sharpest concern if the new or changed behavior is related to a painful event, loss, or change. Most people who take their lives exhibit one or more warning signs, either through what they say or what they do.

Warning sign: Talk

If a person talks about:

Killing themselves

Feeling hopeless

Having no reason to live

Being a burden to others

Feeling trapped

Unbearable pain

Warning sign: Behavior

Behaviors that may signal risk, especially if related to a painful event, loss or change:

Increased use of alcohol or drugs

Looking for a way to end their lives, such as searching online for methods

Withdrawing from activities

Isolating from family and friends

Sleeping too much or too little

Visiting or calling people to say goodbye

Giving away prized possessions

Aggression

Fatigue

Warning sign: Mood

People who are considering suicide often display one or more of the following moods:

Depression

Anxiety

Loss of interest

Irritability

Humiliation/Shame

Agitation/Anger

Relief/Sudden Improvement

For local, state, and national resources, visit The Sophie Fund’s suicide prevention page.

Free Training in Suicide Care: Sign Up Now!

thesophiefund

The Sophie Fund is sponsoring free registration—and free continuing education credits (CEUs)—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 training program, “Suicide Safer Care in Clinical Practice Incorporating Current Best Practices,” takes place in the afternoons of Wednesday March 19 and Thursday March 20. It is organized by The Wellness Institute, which says the conference designed “to strengthen confidence and competence in providing caring, evidence-based services to clients with suicide risk.”

The training, which covers treating youth suicidality, lethal means counseling, brief interventions, treatment pathways, and other topics, is also sponsored American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, The Jed Foundation, the Education Development Center, Zero Suicide Institute, American Association of Suicidology, and CAMS-care. (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 is supported by a grant from The Sophie Fund.

To request a registration code for free registration, healthcare 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 his organization’s sponsorship of the Wellness Institute program for the fourth year in a row is intended to advance the Zero Suicide Model with healthcare providers. Thus far, The Sophie Fund has provided the free training for 180 clinicians in Tompkins County, including the counseling center staffs of Cornell University and Ithaca College.

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 10-14 and 25-34. Recently, 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

Wednesday, March 19, 1-5 p.m.

Understanding Suicide to Prevent Suicide: A Clinical Framework

E. David Klonsky, PhD, Professor in the Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia

Jill Harkavy-Friedman, PhD, Senior Vice President of Research, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

New-Generation Treatments (CRP, BCBT, etc.)

Craig Bryan, PsyD, ABPP, Trott Gebhardt Philips Endowed Professor and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Ohio State University College of Medicine

Assessment, Safety Planning, and Treatment Pathways

Gillian Murphy, PhD, New York-based psychotherapist; former Assistant Deputy Director for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now 988)

Integrating Firearm Safety Discussions in Clinical Practice

Christopher Knoepke, PhD, MSW, LCSW, Research Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

Clients with Suicide Bereavement

Noam M. Schneck, PhD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry), Columbia University’s Department of Psychiatry and the New York State Psychiatric Institute

Thursday, March 20, 1-5 p.m.

The Human Element: Engaging Suicidal Clients

Jonathan Singer, PhD, LCSW, Professor, Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work

Creating Safe Spaces for Suicidality Disclosure

Lindsay Sheehan, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Associate Director of the Center on Health Equity, Education, and Research, Illinois Institute of Technology

Post-Crisis Reintegration

Marisa Marraccini, PhD, Tarbet Faculty Scholar in Education and an Associate Professor of School Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Education

Adapting Suicide Prevention for Telehealth

Lauren Khazem, PhD, Research Assistant Professor and clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

Addressing Substance Use in Suicide Prevention

Christina M. Sellers, PhD, LCSW, Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Innovation in Behavioral Health Education and Research, School of Social Work, Simmons University

Sleep-Focused Approaches to Youth Suicide Prevention

Sally Weinstein, PhD, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Associate Director of the Center on Depression and Resilience, University of Illinois College of Medicine

Ask the Experts: What Works in Suicide Care (Q&A Session)

David Jobes, PhD, ABPP, Professor of Psychology and Associate Director of Clinical Training, Catholic University of America; Creator and Developer, Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS)

David A. Brent, MD, academic chief of child and adolescent psychiatry, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital

Jill Harkavy-Friedman, PhD, Senior Vice President of Research, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Learning Objectives:

Describe a model for understanding suicide and list factors that contribute to increased suicide risk.

Discuss how clinicians can engage in suicide prevention in their clinical practice.

Describe the suicidal mode and identify the mechanisms targeted by newly developed treatments in suicide prevention.

Identify core principles that can guide the suicide assessment process and brief interventions to implement to maintain client safety.

Articulate the role of firearms in suicide and how to integrate firearm safety conversations into suicide prevention efforts.

Explain the unique emotions that typify suicide bereavement and an approach to facilitate emotional acceptance.

Identify suicide-focused care models that fit a clinician’s clinical approach best and ways they can utilize their emotional reactions while working with suicidal individuals.

Describe client perspectives on disclosure of suicidality and strategies to increase comfort in disclosure.

Explain considerations for supporting students returning to school following suicide-related crises and how best practices for student reintegration may be generalized for community reintegration of individuals in all life stages.

Identify telehealth adaptations of suicide prevention strategies and how they may be implemented. (Describe imminent suicide risk assessment and responses.)

Explain the relationship between substance use and suicide and how substance use is a risk factor for suicide.

Describe developmental changes in sleep in adolescence, how to assess sleep quality in youth, and intervention strategies to improve sleep in adolescents that may be relevant for suicide prevention.

Demonstrate how to ask a client if they are experiencing suicidal thoughts, incorporate one new practice for suicide prevention, and develop a practice plan to put in effect when a person states they have been thinking about suicide.

Yes, YOU Can Help Prevent Suicide

thesophiefund

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, a reminder for all of us to learn more about mental illness, suicide, and what we can do to help those who may be struggling.

One of the keys is to end the stigma that too often holds us back. Many people experience suicidal thoughts, but keep it to themselves. Others may notice somebody in an emotional crisis, but are timid to ask if they are thinking of harming themselves.

Nobody is fated to take their own lives. Suicide deaths are preventable, and many recent advances enable us to better prevent them.

These advances include better screening tools for identifying people at risk of suicide, improved care management protocols, upgraded crisis response measures, and suicide-specific therapy treatment. The Tompkins County Suicide Prevention Coalition is urging local healthcare and behavioral health providers to adopt the Zero Suicide Model, which prescribes a package of best practices.

Another advance is the introduction in 2022 of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24/7. You can also call 988 if you are concerned about a loved one, friend, or colleague. Veterans and/or their loved ones and friends can call 988 and then press 1 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line.

Locally, 988 calls go to the Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County (SPCS), one of 200 call centers across the country. When people call or text 988, or connect to chat online, they are connected to trained counselors that are part of the Lifeline network. Trained counselors listen, understand how the caller’s problems are affecting them, provide support, and connect them to resources if necessary.

Besides connecting through 988, Ithaca-based counselors can be reached by dialing (607) 272-1616.

The Lifeline is funded by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and administered by Vibrant Emotional Health. SAMSHA provides a Partner Toolkit to help all of us publicize the 988 number and other suicide prevention services.

According to Lifeline, numerous studies have shown that 988 callers feel less suicidal, less depressed, less overwhelmed, and more hopeful after speaking with a Lifeline counselor. 

“More people are understanding what it’s like to reach out for support and are becoming comfortable with that idea,” said Tiffany Bloss, SPCS executive director. “We are here, day or night. Call. Text. Website chat. Individuals can even email our helpline. We are here.”

The latest statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control serve as a reminder of America’s mental health crisis. Despite improvements in care, we have not turned the corner in reducing suicide deaths in the way prevention tools have produced significant declines in deaths related to cancer and heart disease.

After declining in 2019 and 2020, suicide deaths increased approximately 5 percent in the United States in 2021. Provisional estimates indicate that suicide deaths further increased by 1 percent in 2022, according to the CDC. One encouraging indicator is that suicide deaths among people aged 10-14 declined by 13 percent and among people aged 15-24 by 9 percent.

Overall, suicide rates have risen more than 30 percent in the past two decades.

Take a moment to review the warning signs for suicide, as provided by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Be sure to get help for yourself or others if you see the signs. You may save a life.

According to AFSP, something to look out for when concerned that a person may be suicidal is a change in behavior or the presence of entirely new behaviors. This is of sharpest concern if the new or changed behavior is related to a painful event, loss, or change. Most people who take their lives exhibit one or more warning signs, either through what they say or what they do.

Warning sign: Talk

If a person talks about:

Killing themselves

Feeling hopeless

Having no reason to live

Being a burden to others

Feeling trapped

Unbearable pain

Warning sign: Behavior

Behaviors that may signal risk, especially if related to a painful event, loss or change:

Increased use of alcohol or drugs

Looking for a way to end their lives, such as searching online for methods

Withdrawing from activities

Isolating from family and friends

Sleeping too much or too little

Visiting or calling people to say goodbye

Giving away prized possessions

Aggression

Fatigue

Warning sign: Mood

People who are considering suicide often display one or more of the following moods:

Depression

Anxiety

Loss of interest

Irritability

Humiliation/Shame

Agitation/Anger

Relief/Sudden Improvement

For local, state, and national resources, visit The Sophie Fund’s suicide prevention page.

Tompkins Clinicians: Sign Up for FREE Training in Suicide Care

thesophiefund

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.