Custodians of Hope: Supporting the suicidal person

THE PRIMARY AIM OF SUPPORTING THE SUICIDAL PERSON IS TO ENGENDER A SENSE OF HOPE AND INVITING THE PERSON TO LIVE

Identifying suicide risk is only one aspect of working with the suicidal person. The increasing demand on mental health services means that front line workers are often having to provide ongoing support for those assessed as not being in imminent danger of suicide.

A recent Coroner's finding has highlighted the need for counsellors in private practice, NGO mental health support organisations and front-line health and social services to be up to date in their competency and capability to engage with the suicidal client and to have good referral processes in place.

Workshop participants will explore a range of engagement, support and safe containment outcomes for supporting the suicidal person post the risk assessment process. These outcomes can be applied to any counselling, psychotherapeutic or support model. The outcomes are grouped into:

Manaakitanga, Anchoring, Kōrero, Anchoring, Illumination, Interrupting the suicidal thought, Invitation to Live, Custodian of Hope, Restoring of Wairua, Strategies for coping.

Rather than being another model, this approach builds on counselling and/or mental health support/ recovery principles and processes.

“Supportive approaches addresses those factors that distorts, depletes, or suppresses the suicidal person’s mauri / lifeforce, and reawakens the enablers that nurtures and sustains it and restoring of the person’s wairua.”

Who Should Attend
This workshop is of value for those working in primary care, mental health, counselling, psychotherapy or social support settings who have a good understanding of counselling and/or mental health support/ recovery principles and processes. While the workshop is focused primarily around non-mental health settings, the workshop content is also relevant to workers in mental health services.

Topics covered:    

• Overview of the phenomenon of suicide and the 'suicidal moment
• Compassionate Changemaking
• Including whānau and significant others as part of the support team
• Key principles in engaging and supporting the suicial person
• Custodians of Hope model
• Coping vs Safety plan

What others have said about the workshop

"The easy to understand concepts and the model of support reduced my anxiety about working with a suicidal person. I leave far more confident and trusting of my skills to be an effective support."  AOD Counsellor

“The many examples you shared from your work enhanced my learning and made the application of the model relevant to my work”  ACC Counsellor

“Insightful, informative and passionate presentation along with your humour engaged me for the whole day.”   Psychologist

“Your cultural sensitivity and drawing on Māori understandings of wellbeing made the workshop relevant to my practice.”   Counsellor