Title: Suicide Assessment: A Strengths-Based Approach

Presenters: John Sommers-Flannagan, PhD; Rita Sommers-Flanagan, PhD; and Eddy Fagundo, PhD

Description: Engaging in suicide assessment with clients who are suicidal can feel daunting to counselors, and clients can feel threatened by the process (Sommers-Flanagan & Sommers-Flanagan, 2021). Suicide Assessment: A Strengths-Based Approach (Sommers-Flanagan, 2022) presents a suicide assessment process and strategies that deepen the validity of the suicide assessment and supports empathy and relationship building. This Continuing Professional Development combines the recorded video with Dr. John Sommers-Flanagan and Chapter 3 (Suicide Assessment) of his book, Suicide Assessment and Treatment Planning: A Strengths-Based Approach (Sommers-Flanagan & Sommers-Flanagan, 2021), and provides counselors with a rationale to: 1. Understand suicide assessment as therapeutic assessment, 2. Know skills and attitudes to be competent in the suicide assessment process, 3. Recognize suicide risk factors, protective factors, and warning signs, 4. Know how to ask about suicide ideation, suicide plans, previous attempts, 5. Describe strategy for responding to irritability, hostility, and hopelessness, 6. Explain collaborative problem-solving and safety planning for assessment, treatment, and decision-making,