News
March 2010
Detection, assessment and management of suicidal patients in primary care settings
Presentations by Dr Paul Quinnett, a clinical psychologist and the President and CEO of the QPR Institute, an educational organisation dedicated to preventing suicide. He and the QPR institute have developed and tested a variety of award-winning and best practice public health and clinical intervention strategies to reduce suicide attempts and completions.
While in New Zealand, Paulwill present on addressing the challenges and opportunities for the detection, assessment, and management of suicidal patients in primary care settings. His presentations will focus on current problems with suicide screens and the assessment of immediate risk, and will offer solutions for enhancing patient safety by reducing the three most common preventable medical errors.
Presentation learning objectives:
- Understand statistics about suicide
- Describe the benefits of intervention and treatment of suicidality
- Identify three avoidable practice errors
- Institute routine practices to detect suicidal patients
- Understand the need for training in suicide risk assessment
- Be able to identify where support can be found and referrals made
Presentations will not teach QPR or a risk assessment protocol, training in QPR is available through Clinical Advisory Services Aotearoa (CASA).
SPINZ, CASA and the University of Auckland invite you to a free afternoon forum with Dr Paul Quinnett and Dr Sarah Fortune. Please see flyer for details.
February 2010
University of Otago Postgraduate Course: Suicidal Behaviour, Research and Prevention 2010
This course is designed to provide an introduction to suicidal behaviours and is appropriate for those who work in education and counselling as well as for professionals in health, mental health, social services, emergency medicine, youth work, psychology, justice, child welfare and related fields.
It is the only postgraduate academic course in suicidal behaviours, research and prevention offered in New Zealand and the course will operate for the fifth consecutive year in 2010. More than 75 students have graduated from the course; they are highly enthusiastic about the course and a sample of typical comments follow:
"This is the best postgraduate paper I've completed. A wide range of lecturers brought in to give diverse aspects of their own areas of expertise"
"Loved having a variety of speakers highly regarded in their fields. I consider myself very lucky to have had lectures by them"
"It was fantastic to have so many influential lecturers sharing their knowledge"
"In my six years at university, I have found this paper to be the most interesting and informative. A positive is definitely having such qualified individuals presenting current issues"
In 2010, the course is being offered as a Block Course (two blocks of four days each), which will be held in Christchurch 14-17 July and 29 September to 2 October.
PSMX 429 Suicidal Behaviours, Research and Prevention
Enquiries to:
Professor Annette Beautrais, Canterbury Suicide Project Annette.Beautrais "at" yale.edu
Dr Lois Surgenor, Department of Psychological Medicine Lois.Surgenor "at" otago.ac.nz
Mary Hayes (Secretary, Canterbury Suicide Project) Mary.Hayes "at" otago.ac.nz
Phone (03) 372 0406 (Mary Hayes)
