The program will run from 8:30 am – 5:00 pm and will include lunch. Registration will open at 8:00 am. All events will be held in the Brent Auditorium in Jefferson Alumni Hall, 1020 Locust St, Philadelphia.

SCHEDULE
8:30 – 12:00  Understanding Ethical, Medico-Legal, and Treatment Issues in Individuals At-Risk of Suicide
12:00 – 12:45  Lunch
1:00 – 2:30 Secure Firearms Storage and Suicide Prevention
2:40 – 4:45 Safety-A Planning

Understanding Ethical, Medico-Legal, and Treatment Issues in Individuals At-Risk of Suicide, Dr. Lanny Berman
This workshop offers a deep dive into clinical standards of care for patients at risk of suicide. Evidence-based challenges to long-held (and misconceived) practices in assessing suicide risk will be offered; corrective strategies will be presented and linked to risk-based treatment planning. Medico-legal issues pertinent to the assessment and treatment of suicidal patients and based on malpractice cases will be discussed. In addition, ethical issues that arise in assessing and treating patients at risk, such as recognizing acute risk in patients who deny suicide ideation, dealing with non-adherence, decisions to hospitalize, confidentiality, split treatment, tel-mental health care, and standards of competence. Strategies to minimize potential complaints and the importance of documentation will be discussed.

Dr. Berman holds degrees from the Johns Hopkins University and the Catholic University of America. With over 50 years of experience, he has held significant roles in academia and suicide prevention organizations, authored or edited 9 books and more than 175 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on suicide and suicide prevention. He currently serves as an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, while also contributing to suicide prevention projects internationally and offering expert testimony in legal cases involving individuals who have died by suicide.

Secure Firearms Storage and Suicide Prevention, Dr. Mike Anestis
In this presentation, Dr. Anestis will discuss how secure firearm storage could help reduce the national suicide rate. Additionally, he will discuss the roles that different members of the community, not only clinicians, can play in promoting shifts in social norms around secure firearm storage. This presentation is non-partisan and focuses on methods for empowering firearm owners to increase their own safety and that of their loved ones.

Dr. Anestis is a clinical psychologist, the Executive Director of the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center, and an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health at Rutgers. His research focuses primarily on suicide prevention, with a particular emphasis on the role of firearms in both military and civilian populations. He is the author of over 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles and a book, entitled Guns and Suicide: An American Epidemic. He has been a named investigator in over $20 million in externally funded research projects, including serving as the PI on the initial trial of Project Safe Guard, a form of lethal means counseling. In 2018, Dr. Anestis received the Edwin Shneidman Award for early career achievement in suicide research.

Overview of SAFETY-A, Dr. Lucas Zullo
SAFETY-A (previously referred to as the Family Intervention for Suicide Prevention/FISP) is an evidence-based therapeutic assessment for youth suicide prevention. It is designed to gather information on the current level of suicide risk as well as provide a brief therapeutic intervention to mitigate this risk and establish safety. SAFETY-A is a family-focused intervention, with components to be used with the youth alone, caregiver alone, and family together. An overview of SAFETY-A will be provided along with video examples demonstrating the delivery of the intervention.

Dr. Zullo is an Assistant Professor at Thomas Jefferson University and the Clinical and Fellowship Director of the David Farber ASPIRE Center. Dr. Zullo has a passion for community-partnered, equity-driven care and is committed to making high-quality, evidence-based services available to all families seeking care at the ASPIRE Center. Dr. Zullo is one of the founders and co-leaders of the Trauma-Informed Suicide Prevention and Postvention Community of Practice within the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and his research focuses on quality improvement of clinical services, with an emphasis on care for LGBTQ+ youth at risk for suicide.

CEU, APA, and LSW/LCSW/LPC/LMFT credits offered from Drexel University. CE Statements below: 

APA (Psychologists) Drexel University College of Medicine, Behavioral Healthcare Education is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Drexel University College of Medicine, Behavioral Healthcare Education maintains responsibility for the program and its content. This program is being offered for up to 7 hours of continuing education.

LSW/LCSW/LPC/LMFT (PA SBSWE Licensed Social Workers in Pennsylvania) Drexel University College of Medicine is a preapproved provider of continuing education for Social Workers and Clinical Social Workers. This program is being offered for up to 7 hours of continuing education.