Suicide Assessment and Treatment Planning: A Strengths-Based Approach

Presenter: John Sommers-Flanagan

Program Description: Suicide assessment and treatment planning is extremely stressful. When working with clients or students who are suicidal, counselors sometimes can over-focus on psychopathology and experience their own feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Join John Sommers-Flanagan for a full-day strengths-focused workshop that addresses the challenges of working with suicidality in a way that’s distinctly humanistic. John will describe fundamental strengths-based principles and provide tips on how to use a seven-dimension model to provide holistic suicide assessment and treatment, introduce evidence-based “happiness” interventions, while simultaneously addressing traditional competencies for working with suicidality in counseling or psychotherapy. 

Bio: John Sommers-Flanagan is a professor of counseling at the University of Montana, a clinical psychologist, and author or coauthor of over 100 publications, including nine books and many professional training videos. His books, co-written with his wife Rita, include Tough Kids, Cool Counseling, How to Listen so Parents will Talk and Talk so Parents will Listen, Clinical Interviewing, and Suicide Assessment and Treatment Planning: A Strengths-Based Approach. John is a sought-out keynote speaker and professional workshop trainer in the areas of (a) counseling youth, (b) working with parents, (c) suicide assessment, and (d) happiness. He has published many newspaper columns, Op-Ed pieces, and is co-host of the Practically Perfect Parenting Podcast. To maintain his own happiness, John enjoys dancing poorly and producing home-made family music videos.