(Courtesy of JFS MetroWest) On March 5, Jewish Family Service of MetroWest NJ hosted 100 professional mental health providers at our full-day conference “Unlocking Suicidal Secrets: New Thoughts on Old Problems in Suicide Prevention.”
This full-day conference provided local mental health professionals with the state-of-the art skills necessary to tackle some of the most difficult clinical situations, including suicide assessment and prevention, documentation of risk, treatment planning and building resiliency. Six clinical CE credits were available by New Jersey Psychological Association and Association of Social Work Boards for those who attended.
Captured in the photo is presenter Shawn Christopher Shea, MD. Dr. Shea is an internationally acclaimed innovator in the fields of suicide prevention, clinical interviewing and creating the therapeutic alliance having given over 850 presentations worldwide. He has been a frequent presenter at venues such as the Cape Cod Symposium, the Santa Fe Symposium, the Psychiatric Congress and the Annual Meetings of both the American Association of Suicidology and the American Psychiatric Association.
He is the author of seven books and numerous articles with his text, “The Practical Art of Suicide Assessment,” being viewed as one of the classic texts in the field of suicidology. His recent book, “Psychiatric Interviewing: The Art of Understanding, 3rd Edition” was selected by the British Medical Association as the 2017 Book of the Year in Psychiatry. Dr. Shea is the director of the Training Institute for Suicide Assessment and Clinical Interviewing, a training and consultation service providing workshops, consultations and quality assurance design in mental health assessments.
Quotes from some of the attendees:
“This conference was clearly meant to enhance and inform advanced professional education in this very important area of practice. It’s important to note that every practitioner will experience some issue of suicide no matter where you work. The other participants seated near me were also impressed with the caliber of the education and how well run the program was.”
“Training was incredibly informative, engaging and useful.”
“Dr. Shea was amazing. I had been wanting to see him for years. I was thrilled that JFS was able to coordinate his presentation.”
“Best workshop on suicide prevention I have ever attended”
The conference was sponsored by the following funders:
The Eric Eliezer Levenson Foundation for Hope, a 501(c)(3) foundation, supports programs that advance opportunities for young adults facing challenges through direct support and community awareness.
The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey is an independent, endowed grant-making organization dedicated to reducing disparities in the delivery of healthcare and improving access to quality healthcare for vulnerable populations in the greater Newark, New Jersey, area and the Jewish community of MetroWest New Jersey.
AFSP-NJ is fueled by the mission to save lives by providing education and support to the Garden State. The grassroots work they do focuses on eliminating the loss of life from suicide by delivering innovative prevention programs, educating the public about risk factors and warning signs, raising funds for suicide research and programs and reaching out to those individuals who have lost someone to suicide.
