Improving the Evaluation, Management, and Treatment of Suicidal Patients: Turning A Good Intervention into an Excellent One

This workshop describes how psychologists can improve their assessment and interventions with suicidal patients by:

1. Integrating overarching ethical principles such as maximizing patient decision-making throughout the assessment and interventions.
2. Adopting a mindful approach to practice including emotional self-awareness and self-care.
3. Focusing on the professional relationship.
4. Using strategies to identify suicidal persons who are deniers or minimizers.
5. Adding steps to improve the accuracy of risk estimates.
6. Developing and implementing effective suicide management plans.
7. Ensuring that treatments include the essential elements likely to maximize success, including monitoring the patient’s suicidal risk and treatment progress.

• Better identify patients at risk to die from suicide.
• Create and implement better safety plans and interventions with suicidal patients.

Samuel Knapp, EdD, ABPP