Working With Self Harm and Suicidal Behaviour

"This book in my opinion is descriptive, informative and therefor useful to all healthcare professionals. The book is as the title says; about working with individuals who self-harm or have experienced/currently experiencing suicidal intent. Be it that they have attempted suicide or feel suicidal, it covers all you need to know, in order to work effectively with this client group. It explores in depth, how people who exhibit these behaviours feel, to what to look out for when workers come across service users, with a history of these behaviours. It explores in detail, the risks around working with or having a relative, friend or colleague who suffers with this unfortunate problem. It gives the reader a good biopsychosocial understanding of self-harm and suicidal behaviour and makes a good attempt at ensuring it is easily readable by all." Jesse Wallen, community mental health nurse, Merton Drug & Alcohol Team

An authoritative introduction to identifying and assessing suicidal behaviour, this highly informative text explores both therapeutic interventions and postvention issues. Aimed at front-line workers, it takes a non-medicalised approach and provides the reader with a toolbox of practical skills to support their work in practice.Suicide and self-harm are world-wide public health issues that can have devastating effects on families, friends and communities. They are both a priority for anyone working in mental health, social work, emergency departments and related fields, however suicidal and self-harming behaviour can take place anywhere anytime - it may be a pupil in a school, an inmate in a prison or a colleague or family member. For this reason, this book has been written in a clear, accessible and practical style for anyone who wants to learn more about working with and preventing suicidal and self-harming behaviour. - It identifies common risk and protective factors as well as specific warning signs of imminent suicidal behaviour - It provides essential communication skills for undertaking a risk assessment, illustrating how each skill can be used in real-life practice. - It looks specifically at the issue of self-harm and suicide in prisons, schools and emergency departments - It lays out clear strategies for identifying and addressing issues of self-care when working with people who are suicidal or who self-harm - It identifies how we can assist those who are bereaved following the death of a loved one by suicide Packed with learning outcomes, case scenarios and reflective questions, this book acts as a toolkit for anyone working in this difficult field.