In this episode we are joined by one of CDP’s suicide prevention experts, Dr. Sharon Birman, to talk about means safety counseling and how to work collaboratively with a person in suicidal crisis to more effectively mitigate harm. Come join us as we talk about how this public health initiative has become a key one-on-one intervention. We’ll review common myths and barriers to the use of means safety counseling as well as resources to shore up providers’ skills in this area. Come get more comfortable with what can be an uncomfortable topic.

Sharon Birman, Psy.D., is a Military Behavioral Health Psychologist working with the Military Training Programs at the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. In this capacity, she develops and presents training on a variety of EBPs and deployment-related topics, as well as providing consultation services.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) Training developed by SPRC: https://www.sprc.org/resources-programs/calm-counseling-access-lethal-means
• Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (BCBT) for Suicide Prevention resources:
  • Manual: https://www.guilford.com/books/Brief-Cognitive-Behavioral-Therapy-for-Suicide-Prevention/Bryan-Rudd/9781462536665
  • Youtube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GSo1np_LUY&t=2s
• CBT for Suicide Prevention Manual: No longer being sold; needs to be updated.
• Means Matter Website by Harvard: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/means-matter/
• Not Mentioned in Podcast - Mountain MIRECC website: https://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn19/

Calls-to-action:

Know the legislation in your State (Means Matter website breaks down legislation from state to state)

Recognize that this is a collaborative effort - develop skills to have the conversation

Attend CDP’s Suicide Prevention training and check out additional resources listed

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