Helping the Suicidal Person: Tips and Techniques for Professionals 1st Edition

Easily the best resource I have come across. I recommend this to everyone I know. Our paths are destined to cross in the not so distant future.

I appreciated this book's style and accessible writing. It is written as a reference book filled with tips to help suicidal people. The book is geared toward the professional clinician, but it is very accessible and would be helpful for anyone who wants to know more about engaging with suicidal people. All the "tips" provided in the book are well-researched and evidence-based. Highly recommended for your bookshelf!

I recently started a job at a large university counseling center and was instantly faced with the realities of how limited my counseling master's degree education had been on how to ethically and empathetically support people with suicidal thoughts. The level of need is overwhelming in this field and I have found myself in many sleepless nights as a new counselor wondering if I responded appropriately to students' pleas for help. This book has given me clear, actionable steps on what to say, how to respond, questions to ask, resources to offer, and areas to continue to explore. It feels like a beacon of light for me as I manage the feelings of inadequacy and imposter syndrome. I am deeply grateful for the wisdom and thoughtful insights Dr. Freedenthal shared from her experience in the field. I know this book will remain a guide for me to return to as I continue to seek training and consultation from supervisors on working with people with suicide.HIGHLY recommend to all providers in the field particularly those early in their careers.

Nothing else in my education and training has come close to the insight and utility that this book offers for the assessment and treatment of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. If you are a mental health professional in any form, get this book and gain more tools to help those that are hurting.

This book is an essential resource for all medical and behavioral health professionals – honestly, I would love to see it make the required reading list for trainees as well as for all of us already out in the field - I recommend this book regularly to colleagues. This volume is so practical - I keep it on my desk and reference it whenever I am unsure as to how to proceed in helping an individual who is thinking of or has attempted suicide. Dr. Freedenthal gives us “on the spot” tools to assist our patients; her book has well-organized topic-focused chapters with pertinent tips that include clinical vignettes and even examples of the wording we might use with our patients or clients in addressing a particular point. As a family practice physician, facilitator of a suicide loss survivor support group, and a QPR Master Trainer, I have the highest praise for Dr. Freedenthal’s wise and compassionate "Tips and Techniques" in caring for the people you serve.Barbara Moser, MD

I supervise mental health interns and this book provides incredible tips and tools that they can use when faced with situations that can feel completely paralyzing. One of the most frequent concerns that I hear is, "okay, but what do I DO?". This book actually provides potential answers to that question and I am incredibly grateful to have something there that can potentially save lives!

If I could “prescribe” one book to help busy mental health professionals help those who are suicidal, this would be it! It integrates research and the perspectives of experts in the field of Suicidology with those who have lived experience in order to provide readers with information that is both comprehensive and practical. Each chapter offers clinical examples and concrete suggestions for actively helping even the most despairing suicidal individuals at each stage of the assessment and intervention process, while also acknowledging the challenges and potential pitfalls posed for clinicians of all levels of experience. Overall, this is an outstanding book that will help clinicians as well as their clients and patients.

Writing about suicide is a hard task. Stacey does it beautifully, with compassion, knowledge, and experience in dealing with individuals at risk. I know she wrote it for therapists like me, but I truly believe that anyone would benefit from her words. She managed to write about a deeply challenging theme in simple language. Her tips and wise guidance will help all of us who know people in distress. And who doesn't? What a find!