The book looks at secondary suicide prevention (treatment for those thinking about suicide or who are actively suicidal) and is very practically focused. The first chapter reviews the prevention literature and discusses the healthier nation targets. The second chapter outlines solution focused brief therapy and presents the evidence base for this approach. Chapters 3 and 4 focus on risk assessment, management and medication. Chapter 5 presents an in– depth case study and the final chapter presents five shorter case studies. The appendices contain examples of exercises that can be given to clients. This practical book looks at secondary suicide prevention. It outlines solution focused brief therapy and presents the evidence base for this approach. Other topics include risk assessment, management, and medication. An in– depth case study and five shorter case studies facilitate a better understanding of the material. ” Includes excellent ′ how to do it′ case studies as well as practical exercises for the therapist to use, and diagrams to assist communication and understanding within the sessions. I do not hesitate to recommend this book to all workers, since anyone in the helping professions may encounter these issue in practice.” – Alasdair Macdonald Consultant Psychiatrist The approach to the subject of suicidal thinking in this book is ground– breaking, with worldwide implications for reducing suicide rates. It is a departure from the current risk assessment, management and medication approach, which sometimes fails to help people who are struggling with suicidal thoughts. Instead, Preventing Suicide: The Solution Focused Approach takes a common sense, empathic, validating and normalising approach to people considering the suicide option to help them resolve their difficulties. In addition, it aims both to give confidence to, and take away the fear from, practitioners who deal with this client group. This book on suicide prevention is a life– saving instructional handbook for counsellors, therapists, general practitioners, psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health workers, who come into contact with people who are suicidal. Whilst being written for practitioners, it will be also of great benefit to academics who teach students how to be effective with this client group. ” Includes excellent ′ how to do it′ case studies as well as practical exercises for the therapist to use, and diagrams to assist communication and understanding within the sessions. I do not hesitate to recommend this book to all workers, since anyone in the helping professions may encounter these issue in practice.” – Alasdair Macdonald Consultant Psychiatrist The approach to the subject of suicidal thinking in this book is ground– breaking, with worldwide implications for reducing suicide rates. It is a departure from the current risk assessment, management and medication approach, which sometimes fails to help people who are struggling with suicidal thoughts. Instead, Preventing Suicide: The Solution Focused Approach takes a common sense, empathic, validating and normalising approach to people considering the suicide option to help them resolve their difficulties. In addition, it aims both to give confidence to, and take away the fear from, practitioners who deal with this client group. This book on suicide prevention is a life– saving instructional handbook for counsellors, therapists, general practitioners, psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health workers, who come into contact with people who are suicidal. Whilst being written for practitioners, it will be also of great benefit to academics who teach students how to be effective with this client group. About the Author. Foreword. Preface. Acknowledgements. 1. How to Use this Book. 2. The Book’ s Style and Purpose. 3. Defining Suicide and Self– Harm. 4. Current Service Provision: Risk Assessment, Management and Medication. 5. Other Approaches to Helping the Suicidal. 6. What is Solution Focused Brief Therapy? 7. Suicide Encounters: The Crucial First Ten Minutes. 8. The Solution Focused Approach in Working with the Suicidal. 9. Case Study: Reg and ‘ the Demons Calling from the Deep’ . 10. Some more Case Vignettes. 11. Where do we go from Here? Appendix 1. Flow Diagram for an Episode of Treatment. Appendix 2. References. Index. „This book is a source of much wisdom on an issue that causes anxiety…. Practitioners will be grateful to Henden for drawing together so many ideas and practical tips to help them in this difficult and challenging work.” ( Therapy Today , February 2009) The book is a good addition to the library of anyone interested in the broad topic of cultural psychiatry. It reminds us that the importance of culture and ethnicity is not only to be seen in the context of symptom expression, or even in that of prevalence of disorders, but in the equally important context of how and why we often respond or fail to respond to psychotropic drugs. ( The British Journal of Psychiatry , March 2010) John Henden is an internationally known and well– respected workshop presenter and trainer, who has a special interest in various challenging applications of the solution focused approach to psychological problems. the subject of suicide is one such interest. John, having gained a first degree in psychology, worked in UK mental hospitals, along with many hundreds of other psychology graduates in the 1970s, to bring about positive change. During his NHS career, he had two papers published on the changing language of mental health and presented an early paper on this subject at a mental health promotion conference. After 22 years in the UK National Health Services as both a practitioner and a manger, John set up a training, counselling and consultancy partnership providing a wide range of products and services to both public and private sectors. John Henden is a counsellor and psychotherapist and over time has specialised in couples work, drug and alcohol dependency, and working with abuse and trauma. It is his specialised approach to suicide prevention which has gained most public attention over the last few years. He has presented workshops at conferences run training courses in several countries and has had numerous suicidal clients on which to field– test the radical tools and techniques he outlines. Suicide rates within mental health services have been reduced significantly in areas where this new approach has been applied. John has personal interest in the subject, as he had strong suicidal thoughts as a child lost a cousin to suicide and witnessed an exceptionally high number of suicides within formal mental health services. As a trainer and workshop presenter, John Henden has an energising and inspirational teaching style which incorporates a high level of humour, despite the seriousness of the subject.As a solution focused practitioner, John never ceases to be amazed at how its effective and well– structured approach lends itself to the widest possible range of difficulties with which practitioners are presented. John Henden is among one of the leading innovators within his field, having developed some interesting ideas and techniques of his own: leapfrogging the problem ′ the five o′ clock rule′ the solution focused feelings tank′ and, ′ beating the ′ if only…′ monster′ . Having had various articles and papers published over his long career, he has at last been persuaded to get all his ideas on suicide prevention out in book form.
