Grace Counseling recently hosted a professional development seminar for local therapists, health workers, and other professionals in our area focusing on the topic of Suicide Risk Assessment and Management. Given the major public health concern around suicide, we wanted to create an opportunity to spread awareness and continue to educate other professionals in how to help those who are struggling.
One of our clinicians, Dr. Rob Gibson, spoke on a new and different way to assess for suicide risk. He encouraged those in attendance to think beyond the basic formula that is usually taught for suciide assessment, and consider how to assess for safety in both a compassionate and a comprehensive way.
The seminar also included a panel of doctorate-level clinicians from Grace who could answer questions from those who attended.
After the professional development portion, we included a time for networking, so local professionals could build community, an important tool in suicide prevention. One of our attendees commented saying “I enjoyed meeting new people and gained practical tools”. Inviting other professionals who are equally eager to provide quality care and serve the needs of client’s was a top priority for us at Grace. We are truly passionate about helping others understand how to help someone undergoing a mental health challenge or crisis, and we hope this time was valuable to all who came!
Thank you to all the clinicians who helped organize this and served on the panel, including Dr. Mike Kragt, Dr. Jessica Pae, Dr. Rob Gibson, and Dr. Michael Ballard. And thank you to Sarah Harrison, LMFT for organizing and hosting the event. If you would like to be informed of any future events, e-mail info@gracecounseling.net and we will be sure to inform you!
