Author
Samuel Knapp, Ed.D., ABPP
22 articles
The Role of Humility in Treating Suicidal Patients
Seasoned psychotherapists have all had the experience of sitting in a room with patients who have serious thoughts of killing themselves. Some may have already had a suicide attempt or multiple attempts and continue to have access to the means to kill themselves. They may feel like others would be better off if they were […]
Samuel Knapp, Ed.D., ABPP
December 17, 2023
Education in Suicide Prevention Should Be Required in the Training of All Healthcare Psychologists
Over the last 20 years, the rates of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and suicides have rapidly increased in the United States (Garnett & Curtin, 2023). At the same time, evidence has developed that interventions can effectively reduce the risk of suicide (Calati et al., 2018). Given these changes, it is time for APA to require […]
Samuel Knapp, Ed.D., ABPP + 1 more
November 22, 2023
Patient Suicides: Preparing Students for Difficult Challenges
Having a patient die from suicide is one of the events most feared by psychotherapists, yet a recent survey found that 6% of psychologists had at least one patient die from suicide while in treatment in the last year (Leitzel & Knapp, 2021). The ongoing possibility of a patient’s suicide prompted Simon (2011) to write […]
Samuel Knapp, Ed.D., ABPP
November 22, 2023
Religion, Spirituality, and Suicide
When evaluating suicidal patients, it is often indicated to ask them about their religious beliefs about suicide because many patients believe that their spiritual or religious beliefs1 are closely linked to their mental health (Yamada et al., 2020). For example, some patients in significant emotional distress say they would not kill themselves because their religion […]
Samuel Knapp, Ed.D., ABPP
October 27, 2023
谢谢你，没有逼我热爱生活
心理治疗的成功在很大程度上依赖于关系技能，自杀患者的治疗也不例外(Norcross & Lambert, 2018)。然而一个并不理想的情况是，很多自杀患者报告说，他们的治疗师并没有总是表现出那些基本的关系品质(例如, Blanchard & Farber, 2020; Hom et al., 2020; Hom et al., 2021; Richards et al., 2019a; Richards et al., 2019b)。 自杀患者关于心理治疗中什么帮助了他们，或什么没有帮助到他们的报告，对心理治疗训练者和督导师而言或许是一种帮助，让他们在自己的工作中补充对证据支持的关系的介绍。 针对自杀患者的质性研究表明，他们希望心理治疗师能够：(1)不加评判地倾听他们；(2)对他们的表露做出适当的反应；(3)允许他们对治疗期间发生的事情保有发言权。 倾听我 心理治疗的一项基本技能是对患者表达共情的能力(Norcross & Lambert, 2018)。当被问到他们的治疗师可以如何提高服务质量时，近三分之一有自杀倾向的患者指出了倾听的重要性(Hom et al., 2021)。他们希望治疗师： “积极倾听患者所说的话” “当我们正在尝试回答你们的问题时，不要打断” “倾听他们(患者)的体验，并相信他们知道自身的感受，知道他们需要什么来好好生活” 当被问到心理治疗中的什么对他们有帮助时，自杀患者同样强调了倾听与理解(Schembari et al., 2016, p. 220)： “被倾听，被认真对待的感觉” “正是有个人理解我的感受有多糟糕” 适度的反应 许多患者报告说，对于他们的表露，治疗师要么反应过度，要么反应不足。 一些专业人员在没有考虑患者的意见，或彻底评估情况的前提下，就断定他们需要住院(Richards et al., 2019b)： “我总是遇到一个问题，就是一旦事情开始变得困难，他们就立即建议我去精神病院” “就好像是……(医院是)他们的首选，而它本应该是最后的选择”。 […]
Samuel Knapp, Ed.D., ABPP + 3 more
September 6, 2023
Shame and Self-Stigma Among Suicidal Patients
Many psychotherapists have treated patients who denied suicidal ideation, and then attempted suicide later. This can leave the treating psychotherapists upset, bewildered, and asking what they could have done differently. Sometimes patients who unexpectedly attempted suicide developed their suicidal thoughts after their psychotherapists asked them about suicide. At other times, these patients already had suicidal […]
Samuel Knapp, Ed.D., ABPP
April 9, 2023
How to teach students to live life as a psychologist: Embedding a self-care perspective into psychology training
In discussing the training of surgeons Campbell wrote, “In the classical training program we have taught how to perform surgery, but we have not taught how to live life as a surgeon” (2001, p. 702). How well have we taught our psychology students to live life as a psychologist? Ideally, our students will learn to […]
Samuel Knapp, Ed.D., ABPP
January 5, 2023
Involving Concerned Others in the Treatment of Suicidal Patients
Suicides occur from a congruence of many factors including the quality and amount of social support an individual receives. Fortunately, several treatments have strong support for their effectiveness in reducing suicide attempts including cognitive behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and the collaborative assessment and management of suicide among others (Calati & Courtet, 2016). Whatever intervention […]
Samuel Knapp, Ed.D., ABPP
September 1, 2022
What Do Suicidal Patients Want from Their Psychotherapists?
Effective psychotherapies, including treatments for suicidal patients, rely heavily on relationship skills for their success (Norcross & Lambert, 2018). Unfortunately, many suicidal patients have reported that their providers have not always displayed those essential relationship qualities (e.g., Blanchard & Farber, 2020; Hom et al., 2020; Hom et al., 2021; Richards et al., 2019a; Richards et […]
Samuel Knapp, Ed.D., ABPP
July 31, 2022
Helping Psychotherapists Adopt Productive Responses to Suicidal Patients
The death of a patient by suicide is the professional event most feared by psychologists (Pope & Tabachnick, 1993). Fortunately, evidence has accumulated for the effectiveness of the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Cognitive Behavior Therapy for the treatment of suicidal patients, although other interventions are promising as well (Calati […]
Samuel Knapp, Ed.D., ABPP
June 1, 2022