Presented by Scott Fairhurst, PhD. This training addresses strategies to stabilize vicious cycles that lead to imminent suicide risk. An organizing model is presented to illustrate how perceptions of thwarted belongingness and burdensomeness can increase the desire to die. The model also illustrates how an acquired capability to die by suicide can lead to more lethal attempts. Points within the model that present a risk for escalation are discussed, with attention to risks within the LGBTQ+ community. Strategies, that can either prevent hospitalization or can provide stabilization while waiting for an ambulance, are offered for facilitating the client’s de-escalation of their thoughts, emotions, and behavioral agitation. We also address the need, especially relevant for younger clients, of facilitating de-escalation of family members, friends, or community members. Finally, we acknowledge and provide strategies to maintain the poise and self-regulation that are required by mental health staff during these high-risk and emotionally intense episodes. Recorded on February 3, 2021.
