Risk Assessment for Transitional Aged Youth

Dr. Lauren Szyper

Training Description

The focus of this training is to assess risk (harm to self, harm to others, and child abuse) and warning signs of potential risk among transitional aged youth. Clinical intervention, safety planning, and mandated reporting will be reviewed. 

Learning Objectives

• Participants will learn how to assess for danger to self through a suicide assessment and self-harm assessment
• Participants will learn how to assess for danger to others
• Participants will learn how to assess for potential child abuse
• Participants will learn how to create a safety plan 

Agenda

8:45      Sign In

9:00-9:20

• Overview of the agenda

• Review of training goals and objectives

• Introductions and discussion of current experiences working with higher-risk TAY

• Review of what the group would like to be sure to learn from the training aside from the establish training goals and objectives 

9:20-10:30

• Being aware of your own response to crisis

• Distinguishing between risk and crisis

• Examining vulnerability among TAY

o Common risk factors

o Risks specific to race

o Risks specific to gender identity and sexual orientation

o The impact of social media

• Assessing for danger to self

o Warning signs

o The distinction between passive suicidal thoughts and intention

o The distinction between self-harm (cutting) and suicide attempts

10:30-10:40: Morning Break (CEUs will not be issued for this time)

10:40-12:00

• Assessing for danger to self (continued)

o Family history of self-harm

o The impact of substance abuse

• Conducting a basic suicide assessment

• Conducting a more comprehensive suicide assessment

o The Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ)

o Suicide Assessment Five-Step Evaluation and Triage (SAFE-T)

• Risk prevention

• Safety planning

12:00-1:00: Lunch break (CEUs will not be issued for this time)

1:00-2:30:

• Assessing danger to others

• Risk factors that lead to a greater likelihood of violent behavior

o Violence in the family

o Youth involvement in gangs

• Dating violence

o Dating violence specific to the LGBTQ+ community

• Risk prevention

• Safety planning

• Crisis intervention and de-escalation

2:30-2:40: Afternoon Break (CEUs will not be issued for this time)

2:40-3:45:

• Our role as mandated reporters

• Assessment of child abuse

• Intervention

• Resources

3:45-4:00

• Opportunities for final questions 

• Review of training objectives and assuring they have been met

• Discussion of how participants will utilize what they learned in their day to day work

• Complete evaluations

4:00:      ADJOURNMENT

Meet Our Trainer

Dr. Lauren Szyper is a clinical psychologist who has worked with individuals, families, and groups for over 18 years.  Her background involves working in community mental health and school-based settings serving predominantly diverse high-risk clientele including those in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Areas of specialty include working with mood disorders, co-occurring disorders, complex trauma, and with the LGBTQ+ community. She is presently the Clinical Director for the SF Stress and Anxiety Center, has a Saturday private practice in Oakland, and is a clinical trainer.

This course meets the qualifications for (5.5) BBS CEUs for LCSWs and MFTs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences & is provided by Fred Finch Youth Center, CAMFT Provider #045295.