Personal Reflection On Suicide Prevention

My thoughts on reading about suicide prevention has really been an eye opener for me as an undergrad student. I believe your approach to the class has really brought forth a magnifying glass into the lives of those affected by suicide and all that pertains to it. I will have to be honest in my current job, I would usually stay distant from patients who came on the unit for suicide because I did not fully understand the ideal of wanting to end life, but after reading and being in your class, that is only the “tip of the ice burg”, we have no clue on what the underlining issues are that brings a person to that stage in life. After reading the articles and studying the assessments I can honestly say I am more competent and understanding of …show more content…
I now obtain insightful information on coping strategies to use during a crisis and also methods to creating a plan, which are generally done by a clinician and the at- risk individual. Safety plans are usually done in outpatient or in-patient facilities and crisis hot lines. My role as a practitioner is to guide the conversation, make suggestions, ensure appropriate activities, record information and keep a copy of a plan. It also a good a good idea for the person to revisit the plan to make changes when desired and always seek outside help from a professional with the plan if …show more content…
The article help me fully understand why it is important to maintain on going self-awareness and supportive networks. She also gave information on why burn out can occur, it may have something to do with the organizational structure and culture of the agency. Depending on the type of population you are providing service to you can experience secondary traumatic stress. There are many therapist who actually experience this after working with victims who have lived through traumatic events. In the reading it gives you tips on prevention, one is self-awareness, being in touch with personal values or biases are always a good start on keeping your “things” to yourself and reaching out to a supervisor or colleagues when in doubt to make sure you are not affecting the client. Second is Self-regulation, which is knowing your own boundaries and being able to regulate your emotions and thoughts. Lastly Balance, you have to maintain balance when it comes to being a social worker. Balance includes caseloads to vacation time to family time. The overall projection of self-care is to promote healthy, competent and successful social