Behavioral Emergencies Update

In this issue...

The President's Column:
Who is teaching our youth?

Letter from the Editor

Ideas for Moving Forward

Assessment of Firearm Access

The Lack of Graduate School Training in Suicide Assessment and Management

APA Program Summary

SECTION VII Members'
APA PROGRAMMING

SECTION VII BOARD MEMBERS

Pre-APA Convention

Extras

     
Section VII has a lot of potential to play a vital role in educating others in the importance of understanding how to effectively manage crises and behavioral emergencies. I propose more attempts at collaboration by members in order to achieve this goal, with the end result being an increased number of available resources.

Members could work together to create a series of lists that will address the issues inherent in dealing with behavioral emergencies. These could include:

1. A reference guide of ongoing research in the area of suicide and violence, focusing on studies which explore the development of assessment techniques in both areas. It would be wonderful to see the section develop a battery of such assessment techniques for both suicide and violence;

2. A list of therapeutic techniques which have been found useful in dealing with patients who are potentially violent or suicide- prone. A brief paragraph about what was done & how successful such interventions have been would be included in such a list.

3. Finally a list could be created identifying the most prominent intrapersonal characteristics related to suicide violence, possibly as an extension to the brochure I created last year. For example, with regards to suicide, such a list might include hopelessness, anger, constricted thinking, etc. Contributions could be sent to our newsletter editor and listed for others to view and provide comments. This could be a valuable resource in helping all of us be more aware of what to assess and how to treat these difficult problems.

I would be glad to be part of a committee to begin putting these ideas into motion, creating a Section VII Directory of Information for our members. It could also be used as a marketing tool to gain new members. Such an effort would facilitate interaction of our Section membership, and stimulate broader collaborative projects.

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