Join us for the October Virtual CE Event





Ethics Webinar 2020

Afternoon Webinar: 1 pm- 4 pm - Ethics Session
"Assessment and Treatment of Suicidal Patients: Peril and Promise"

Dr. Thomas E. Ellis, PsyD, ABPP
Clinical Professor of Psychiatry 
Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Baylor College of Medicine

Prior to retiring in 2017, he served as Senior Psychologist and Director of Psychology at the Menninger Clinic, Houston, Texas. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Texas at Austin and his doctorate at Baylor University. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Clinical and Psychotherapy Divisions) and Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology (Cognitive Behavior Therapy). He is a Founding Fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy and Associate Fellow and Supervisor at the Albert Ellis Institute.

His research and publications focus primarily on the problem of suicide, including cognitive characteristics of suicidal individuals and the effectiveness of suicide-specific therapeutic interventions. His books include Suicide Risk: Assessment and Response Guidelines (with W. Fremouw and M. dePerczel, 1990), Choosing to Live: How to Defeat Suicide through Cognitive Therapy (with C. Newman, 1996), and Cognition and Suicide: Theory, Research, and Practice (Ed., 2006). He is the 2011 recipient of the Roger J. Tierney Award from the American Association of Suicidology, in recognition of distinguished contributions to the organization and the field of suicidology.

Presentation Overview
One of the greatest sources of stress in the practice of clinical psychology is the prospect of losing a patient to suicide, a cause of death that is on the rise in the U.S. Although working with suicidal people presents significant challenges, major advances have taken place in recent years that can substantially benefit psychologists and their patients. Indeed, such advancements raise the question whether there might be an ethical obligation to advance one’s practice with suicidal patients beyond “treatment as usual.” This presentation will briefly address this issue prior to a wide-ranging discussion of sound practices for suicide risk assessment and current, empirically-supported, transdiagnostic interventions that have been shown superior to a conventional “suicide as symptom” approach. The importance of a suicide-focused intervention, together with a sound therapeutic alliance and clinician self-care, will be discussed.

Learning Objectives
Describe some ethical issues associated with quality care for suicidal individuals
Recognize key differences between suicidal and nonsuicidal patients
Recognize the critical role of the working alliance for accurate assessment of suicide risk
Distinguish between suicide risk factors and warning signs
Describe recent developments in empirically supported interventions for suicidal individuals
Describe the ethical requirement that psychologists effectively manage stress associated with clinical practice
Demonstrate basic understanding of the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS)

CE credit will be given (certificates will be emailed to all attendees)

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Additionally, the Chapter Administrator will send a reminder email 24 hours prior to the event to those who have registered containing the virtual details.