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.

· Attendees will apply the use of OARS when establishing a suicide safety plan.

Agenda

9:00-9:30am  Introductions and objectives

9:30-9:45am  The Fixing Reflex

9:45-10:00am  Sustain Talk

10:00-10:15am  Change Talk

10:15-10:30am  Break (CE hours not offered for this time)

10:30-10:45am  Open-ended Questions and Affirmations

10:45-11:00am  Reflections and Summaries

11:00-11:15am  Breakout room 1-comprehensive assessment

11:15-11:30am  Breakout room 2-comprehensive assessment

11:30-11:45am  Breakout room 1-Suicide safety plan

11:45am-12:00pm  Breakout room 2-Suicide safety plan

Meet Our Trainer

Director of Seeds of Change Consulting, Sarah Solis LCSW, has 20 years of experience providing care to clients impacted by trauma. She is currently employed as a Clinical Case Manager at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Sarah has worked in corrections, community mental health outpatient and day treatment programs, and community-based services for children and families. Sarah has experience providing direct service, clinical supervision, and worked as a program manager for many years. Sarah teaches Motivational Interviewing to social work graduate students at the University of the Pacific. The majority of Sarah’s experience has been working with underserved and marginalized populations. Cultural humility and responsiveness is an important element in her work. She participates in regular cultural humility work groups and facilitates trainings to address oppressive practices in clinical settings. Sarah has been training for 15 years and completed the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) training program in 2017. She remains an active member.

This course meets the qualifications for (2.75) BBS CE hours for LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCCs, and LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences & is provided by Fred Finch Youth Center, CAMFT Provider #045295.