Managing Suicidal Risk, First Edition: A Collaborative Approach

This clinical manual offers essential tools and guidance for therapists of any orientation faced with the complex challenges of assessing and treating a suicidal patient. In a large, ready-to-photocopy format, the book provides step-by-step instructions and reproducible forms for evaluating suicidal risk, developing a suicide-specific outpatient treatment plan, and tracking clinical progress and outcomes using documentation that can help to reduce the risk of malpractice liability. In addition to providing a flexible structure for assessment and intervention, The Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) approach is designed to strengthen the therapeutic alliance and increase patient motivation. Highly readable and user friendly, the volume builds on 15 years of empirically oriented clinical research.

Table of Contents:
Shneidman, Foreword. Contemporary Clinical Challenges and the Need for the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS). A Review of the Suicide Status Form and the Origin of CAMS. The Early Identification of Suicide Risk. CAMS Risk Assessment: The Collaborative Use of the SSF. CAMS Treatment Planning: Coauthoring the Outpatient Treatment Plan. CAMS Suicide Status Tracking: Assessment and Treatment Plan Updates. Suicide Status Outcomes: The Completion of CAMS. CAMS as Means of Decreasing Malpractice Liability. Future Developments: Using CAMS Across Settings and Future Research. Epilogue. Appendixes: A: The Suicide Status Form–III (SSF-III): Assessment, Treatment Planning, Tracking, and Outcome Forms. B: Coding Manual for the SSF Likert Scales: Qualitative Assessment. C: Coding Manual for SSF Reasons for Living versus Reasons for Dying. D: Coding Manual for the SSF One-Thing Response. E: Frequently Asked Questions About CAMS. F: Complete CAMS Case Example.

About the Author :
David A. Jobes, PhD, Department of Psychology, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, USA

Review :
'It is rare to find a text that is firmly grounded in science and that also offers a flexible, commonsense model for clinical practice. Jobes has given us just such a gem...This book is ideal for training graduate students or providing an infrastructure to supervision for psychologists, counselors, psychiatrists, social workers, or nurses who have contact with suicidal patients. The book will leave the reader with a newfound sense of confidence that his or her approach is embedded in 'best practices,' has a wealth of empirical support, and is one that patients will respond to in a positive fashion.'" -"" M. David Rudd, PhD, Department of Psychology, Texas Tech University, USA" 'Managing Suicidal Risk effectively meets the critical need for clear guidelines for assessing and treating the suicidal person. In the belief that most suicidal people want to end their pain, not their life, Jobes offers the clinician a comprehensive, multifaceted handbook tailored to present-day treatment realities. This book can serve to guide the clinician in providing the suicide-prone patient with hope and help through a life-threatening crisis. It is well suited for specialized courses in suicide prevention and crisis intervention, and for more general graduate-level courses in mental health counseling and assessment.' "- Katherine van Wormer, PhD, MSSW, Department of Social Work, University of Northern Iowa, USA"" "