NEWS RELEASE
Empathos launches eLearning in suicidality to address behavioral health workplace training needs, reduce risk and improve patient outcomes
New online course in evidence-based CAMS Framework helps states, systems and practitioners meet advancing mandates to strengthen clinical competency in treating suicidal risk in patients
The ability of behavioral health clinical providers and health care systems to more effectively treat suicidal patients is strengthened with today’s launch of online training in CAMS, the Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality, announced a spokesperson for Empathos Resources, LLC. Empathos is an eLearning solutions provider in the field of suicide prevention.
The Empathos interactive 6-hour online training, “Managing Suicide Risk Collaboratively: The CAMS Framework,” will help clinical providers, mental health agencies, larger health care systems, state-based programs, and tribal systems improve their suicide-related clinical practices, to better meet workplace training and compliance needs while improving clinical outcomes for patients at risk for suicide.
“Behavioral health providers and systems of care are seeking highly scalable and accessible training solutions to comply with evolving mandates for training and education in suicide risk assessment and treatment,” said Empathos President Denise M. Pazur. “They need to fundamentally enhance clinical skills to save lives while meeting requirements for licensure-related continuing education. Our new online training provides a solution long sought after by providers and these systems.”
Preventing suicide is now a global public health priority, identified as such by the World Health Organization and by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. In response, the Zero Suicide in Behavioral Health Care Systems initiative, launched by the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, calls upon behavioral health care systems to a) use effective, evidence-based care; and 2) to develop a workforce competent in assessing, tracking, managing and treating suicide risk.
Serious and compromising training gaps and lack of competence in treatment of suicidality were identified in a groundbreaking 2012 Task Force Report from the American Association of Suicidology, which revealed that training in assessment and management of suicidal patients is “woefully inadequate,” despite the fact that mental health professionals regularly encounter patients who are suicidal. This report’s findings are echoed by numerous other calls from national and international public, private and governmental organizations to improve training in the assessment and management of suicide risk; these organizations include the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (2002), Joint Commission (2010), U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (2001 and 2012), U.S. Public Health Service (1999), and World Health Organization (1996).
With more than 35 related publications, CAMS has been shown to improve training in assessment, treatment and management of suicide risk. The evidence-based CAMS Framework is one of the most extensively studied suicide-specific interventions in the field of suicidology, supported by more than 25 years of “real-world” clinical research in a spectrum of clinical settings. Developed by internationally regarded suicidologist David A. Jobes, Ph.D., ABPP, CAMS has been shown to effectively assess, track, treat, and manage suicidality in patients within a wide range of clinical settings.
“This is the first time that CAMS training is widely available to virtually anyone, anywhere who treats people at risk for suicide,” noted Ms. Pazur. “The strength of this intervention and its undeniable evidence base are a given. What had been problematic was accessing training in CAMS, which was quite limited—until now, with eLearning delivering a consistent, high-quality training experience for learners in multiple settings, systems and countries.”
Empathos offers both enterprise-level and individual training in CAMS via its new online course. Contact the company at 920-457-4033 or training@empathosresources.com for more information, or visit Empathos online at www.empathosresources.com.
About Empathos
Empathos Resources is a privately held Wisconsin-based limited liability corporation specializing in technology-enabled learning, training, education, and certification services in suicide risk management and care for professionals and the systems, states, tribes and enterprises in which they practice. Empathos has off-the-shelf and customization capabilities that allow the company to offer best-in-class training solutions for professionals in diverse practice settings. Learn more at empathosresources.com, or contact Empathos at 920-457-4033 or training@empathosresources.com.
About Dr. David Jobes and CAMS
As an internationally recognized and award-winning suicidologist, David A. Jobes, Ph.D., ABPP is Professor of Psychology and Associate Director of Clinical Training at The Catholic University of America in Washington DC. He is also the senior partner of the Washington Psychological Center, a group mental health practice in Washington DC. Dr. Jobes is the developer of CAMS, an evidence-based therapeutic framework that has been extensively studied in a range of outpatient and inpatient clinical settings. CAMS is designed to create a strong clinical alliance and increase a suicidal patient’s motivation for treatment. Supported by more than 25 years of “real-world” clinical research in a spectrum of clinical settings, CAMS has been shown to be an effective approach for assessing and treating suicidal risk. Use of CAMS ensures competent clinical care with the potential of decreasing the risk of malpractice liability through evidence-based practice and thoughtful clinical documentation. As one of the most extensively studied suicide-specific interventions in the field, CAMS has been implemented around the world; its sourcebook and related materials have been translated into several foreign languages.
For more information regarding online CAMS training from Empathos, call us at 920-457-4033