Brand-New!
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Strategies for Suicidal Clients
Presented by: Diane Bigler, LCSW, LSCSW
When: Thursday, May 28th, 2026| 9:00 AM – 12:15 PM, Pacific Time
Where: Live on Zoom. You will receive your Zoom link/invitation the week of the workshop.
Continuing Education Credit Hours: 3 CEs | $95.00
NOTE: This workshop does NOT meet the Department of Health suicide assessment CE requirements.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) approaches offer effective support and intervention for suicidal clients. Participants will learn the core tenets of the CBT model as it applies specifically to suicidal thinking and behavior, including how cognitive distortions, emotional dysregulation, and behavioral avoidance contribute to acute risk.
Through lecture, case examples, and guided practice, the course demonstrates how clinicians can use CBT’s structured, collaborative, and transparent framework to better understand the drivers of suicidality and create targeted, individualized treatment plans.
The course also explores the concept of the “suicide mode,” helping therapists recognize the cognitive, affective, physiological, and behavioral patterns that become activated during moments of heightened risk. Participants will be introduced to at least five CBT-oriented intervention methods—including cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation, problem-solving training, safety planning, and distress-management skills—that directly support clients in reducing suicidal urges and increasing coping capacity.
Workshop Objectives:
- Identify at least four core tenets of the CBT model and the conceptualization of suicide.
- Describe key cognitive and behavioral factors that emerge during activation of the suicide mode.
- Explain at least five CBT-oriented methods of providing suicide intervention to clients.