Developing Clinical Skills in Suicide Assessment, Prevention, and Treatment

Although most counselors work throughout their careers with depressed and suicidal clients, many do not have the formal training required to effectively assess and treat these at-risk clients. This text bridges this training gap by helping professionals master the skills and develop the knowledge base necessary to counsel suicidal clients in all age groups.

McGlothlin explains how to conduct assessment interviews and use suicide assessment tools, identify levels of lethality using his SIMPLE STEPS model, create a comprehensive suicide prevention and treatment plan, and work with family members. In addition, he offers guidance on what to do when clients kill themselves and examines the legal and ethical issues surrounding suicide. Case examples, discussion questions, measurable individual and group activities, and additional skill building resources throughout the book link theory to practice in a concrete way. A final chapter presents stories from the field that inspire counselor reflection and growth.

This is not only an essential resource for practitioners who lack formal training in this area, it is an ideal text for graduate or undergraduate courses in practica, basic or advanced skill building, assessment, and crisis counseling. Developing Clinical Skills in Suicide Assessment, Prevention, and Treatment is quite simply one of the most useful and informative books available on this topic because it offers proven and easy to follow techniques for working with suicidal clients.