Motivational Interviewing to Support System-Involved Youth Experiencing Suicidality: Consolidating Motivation to Live

Sarah Solis, LCSW

Training Description

This training will focus on the use of Motivational Interviewing to prevent system-involved youth suicide. Attendees will examine the way in which providers fall into the fixing reflex in high acuity situations and explore means to mitigate this. The training will support provider recognition of suicide-related sustain talk and life-affirming change talk and the way in which OARS (open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections, and summaries) can be used to highlight life-affirming change talk and consolidate motivation to live. The training will culminate with breakout session practice of the use of OARS when facilitating a comprehensive assessment of suicide risk and safety planning.

Learning Objectives

· Attendees will be able to identify 2 examples of suicide-related sustain talk and 2 examples of life-affirming change talk.

· Attendees will apply the use of OARS when completing a comprehensive suicide assessment.