Suicide Prevention in LGBTQIA+ Clients

Presenter: Cadyn Cathers, PsyD

Recorded Webinar

6 CEs

Dramatic portrait of a girl in the dark on white studio background with rainbow colored line representing suicidality in LGBTQIA communities

Abstract

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, but suicide rates vary by sexuality, gender, age, race/ethnicity, and a number of other factors. For example, LGBTQIA+ youth have higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors than their cisgender heterosexual counterparts. Despite the prevalence, training on managing suicidal ideation and a suicidal crisis is limited for most clinicians. Additionally, the therapists’ countertransference towards a suicidal patient can include strong emotions, such as helplessness, hatred, and anxiety, which can limit the clinician’s effectiveness.

This course will cover suicide risk and protective factors, and identification of warning signs to help psychotherapists assess suicide risk. Participants will learn about psychodynamics of suicide specific to LGBTQIA+ clients, including anger directed towards internal and external objects, desire for self-punishment, and desire to escape psychic pain. Effective interventions aimed at reducing suicidal ideation and behaviors will be covered, including management of suicidality via telehealth. Additionally, we will cover ways the therapist can take care of their own mental health when working with clients with suicidal ideation, or clients who attempt suicide or die by suicide.

As for January 2020, all California psychologists are required to complete six (6) hours of training in suicide risk assessment and intervention. This course meets the requirement for psychologists.

Learning Objectives

Identify at least 3 risk and protective factors of suicide with clients
Implement at least 2 effective interventions for reducing suicide risk during a crisis
Create a treatment plan for managing suicidality when providing telehealth services
Discuss at least 2 common themes in the psychodynamics of suicidal LGBTQIA+ clients
Discuss at least 2 common countertransference reactions to suicidal clients
Utilize effective self care strategies for managing the emotional impact on the therapist when navigating suicidal clients or after a client has attempted or died by suicide

About the Presenter

Cadyn Cathers, PsyD (he/him/his) has been teaching courses on human sexuality, psychotherapy with LGBTQIA+ communities, and psychodynamic theory for over 10 years. He is the founder and CEO of The Affirmative Couch, which provides online continuing education on clinical work with LGBTQIA+, CNM, and kink communities. He is a licensed psychologist in private practice, where he focuses on psychoanalytic psychotherapy with transgender and nonbinary patients.

$119 for licensed therapists

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Licensed therapists who work in nonprofits price is $99 (Use coupon code: suicidepreventionNP at checkout)

Student/pre-licensed price is $69 (Use coupon code: suicidepreventionPL at checkout)

You can also get access to this course and all other courses with our memberships.

Annual Membership

Lifetime Membership

Testimonials from the Live Event:

This was by far the most thoughtful and useful training on suicide prevention that I have ever taken in my decades of work in the helping field. The sense that this was not a "Cover Your Ass" required training was clear from the beginning. Thank you so much for the work and care that went in to such a meaningful presentation on a very difficult topic.

Cadyn's teaching style is comprehensive, illustrative, and practical. I will be looking forward to any LGBTQIA training taught by him.

I think this was the best training I have taken on helping clients with suicidality. Cadyn was thorough, knowledgeable and obviously cares deeply about the topic.

I think what I found most helpful was how clearly Cadyn articulated the multilayered approaches to both assessment and intervention so that it becomes an approach that can be used throughout the treatments of many different presenting clients, not just at that moment when a client is saying they have STB. I also liked that he reinforced a sense of hope that there are many ways to intervene if you are paying attention to the risk factors and the protective factors.

Cadyn is clearly very knowledgeable and compassionate: he has a warm energy that I really appreciated.

Wow! I am not used to online CE trainings being so rich and nuanced. I really appreciated the groundedness and focus on depth, rather than solutions-focused or fearmongering!

The 10-step assessment tool was a gamechanger. I also really appreciated the discussion of fantasy and [dis]continuity.

You clearly put so much time and effort into this. Thank you so much for your commitment to serving LGBTQ+ clients more effectively.

Thank you for being SO informed and for keeping YOUR energy up so that I could stay with it.

Completion Requirements

Home Study

You will need to take the post-test with at least a 80% score in order to receive your certificate for a home study course.

Additional Information

Instruction Level

This course is meant for an intermediate audience.

Who should Attend

Psychologists, counselors, and marriage and family therapists and social workers.

Format

Recorded homestudy

Financial Support

The Affirmative Couch pays course presenters for their teaching. There is no other financial support for this course.

Conflict of Interest

There is no reported conflict of interest or outside commercial support for this course.

Contact Information

For any inquiries related to subject matter, problem resolution, corrections, grievances, or anything else, please contact us.

Accommodations

The Affirmative Couch will work to accommodate reasonable accommodations requests. Requests can be emailed with “accommodation request” in the subject line. Requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Other Courses by Cadyn Cathers, PsyD

Continuing Education Approvals

APA Approved The Affirmative Couch, LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Affirmative Couch, LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

$119