Counseling Suicidal People: A Therapy of Hope
One time cost of $119
This is a text-based course in how to help people at risk of suicide survive a suicide crisis and go on to build a new and better life. The book is based on the author’s 40 years of counseling suicidal people. The course includes training in basic risk assessment, management, and foundations in treatment, as well as helping skills for those thinking about suicide. More than three dozen specific counseling interventions are included to help someone to choose life over death. WE can think of nothing more frightening or hope destroying than for someone thinking of suicide to meet with an uninformed, untrained and uncomfortable counselor so terrified of suicide that he or she can't even broach the subject.
Where surgeons save lives with scalpels and stitches, counselors save them with words and empathy.
Program Purpose
If you are uncomfortable working with suicidal patients, you are not alone. One purpose for this training program is to help you deal with your anxiety around helping people contemplating suicide. Research shows that the majority of clinicians are not well trained in this area of practice and fear the suicidal patient, as a lawsuit if the worst happens. Therapist fear of patients is never a good thing in the healing arts. This book should help you feel more confident and competent to help those considering ending their own lives.
Program Description
This is mostly at text-based course, but some sections include interactive scenario-based practices sessions.
Upon completion, participants should be able to:
- Demonstrate increased knowledge about suicide and its causes
- Identify unique verbal, behavioral, and situational suicide warning signs during counseling sessions
- Know how to inquire about suicidal intent and desire
- Know how to engage suicidal clients with empathy and understanding
- Apply multiple intervention strategies with suicidal clients
- Know how to immediately reduce the acute distress, despair, and hopelessness being experienced by the suicidal client
- Know how to help the suicidal client make a personal safety and survival plan
- Recognize and identify at least three risk factors for suicide
- Recognize and identify at least three protective factors against suicide
- Understand means restriction and how to immediately reduce risk
- Understand the nature of suicide and describe at least one theory of suicidal behavior
- Describe the relationship of mental illness and substance abuse to suicide and understand the fundamentals of our current knowledge about suicide and its prevention
Blurbs from the cover
"This work eloquently captures the essence of the most sophisticated interventions, that of the healing relationship of hope."
"Very illuminating! Gave me a clear understanding of suicidal pain and what I can do to relieve it."
"Paul Quinnett has a hard-earned advantage over most of us in suicide prevention work..., he has spent years in therapeutic relationship with many more suicidal people than we may ever encounter. His willingness to not only work with them and to keep them alive but to learn the lessons they impart to him, is generously shared in this book to benefit us all. Short of having Dr. Quinnett standing next to me or any hotline volunteer as we try to help suicidal people find reasons to live, this book does the next thing. It gives us knowledge and insight we need but may never be able to learn firsthand."
"Paul Quinnett has done it again. In his plain-spoken yet compassionate style, he communicates sound strategies for connecting with and helping suicidal individuals. Counseling Suicidal People deserves a place on the desk of every crisis worker and therapist who works with suicidal individuals. I will assign it to our psychology interns and psychiatry residents."