SafeSide Behavioral Health Program
A common language and consistent approach across inpatient, outpatient, and crisis services
Almost everyone you work with has an elevated risk for suicide, whether they've said the words or not.
Suicide concerns can come up at any point during an episode of care. Sometimes the thoughts are new; often they've been there for years.
How do we keep patients with severe struggles safe and hopeful?
SafeSide provides a recovery-oriented framework you can lean on. In unpredictable situations, having a clear structure and definition of good care is comforting. When you work as hard as behavioral health professionals do, you deserve to know what's expected and a map for how to get there.
SafeSide provides a map of best practices and a framework for communicating with colleagues, with patients, and in the medical record.
Framework
Connect, Assess, Respond, Extend
SafeSide training provides your organization with a common language and shared framework across programs and service lines. The framework provides a map of best practices in Zero Suicide care.
Co-taught by a psychologist, Dr. Tony Pisani and a suicide attempt survivor, Kristina Mossgraber, the framework comes to life in video-based teaching from these two perspectives and skill demonstrations by doctors, nurses, and therapists in behavioral health organizations.
"Using @TonyPisani Risk Formulation means no longer having to come to work with your fingers crossed that a level is suicide risk is correct #NSPC17"
Jamie Thompson @jamie_thommo, Tweet 25 July 2017
InPlace® Learning
Scalable, sustainable workforce education
Without travel or hassle, teams work together through 4 hours of video-guided learning––all at once or in briefer segments. Clinicians who formulate risk complete an additional hour of specialized learning.
All staff take away tactics, tips, and wording they can use immediately...then continue learning and contributing through optional monthly video calls and new modules added throughout the year.
New staff and trainees onboard any time.
A subscription provides year round access to video-based training and interaction with experts.
Subscription Benefits
Video-Guided Group Workshop
Learn a systematic framework for suicide prevention, then practice skills and strategies modeled by real behavioral health providers with patient actors.
4 hours of video-guided learning for the whole team. Clinicians who formulate risk complete an additional hour.
Monthly Office Hours
Interact with Dr. Pisani, the SafeSide team in brief monthly Q&A video calls.
Anyone on your team can ask questions, request feedback, and share experiences with others around the world who are applying the same framework in their practices.
Tools & Refreshers
Stay current with evolving practices, regulations, and research in behavioral health and Zero Suicide.
We update video-based instruction and release new tools, templates, and quick refreshers throughout the year.
Skill Demonstration
I want to go home, doc
A psychiatrist uses the SafeSide risk formulation model in plain language to explain to a young adult patient who is eager to go home that he is not quite ready.
SKILL DEMONSTRATION
I learned something in here, Mom!
An adolescent patient presents her safety plan to the psychiatric nurse and her mother. The nurse explores the likelihood that the teen will keep to the plan after discharge, with both the patient and her mother.
SKILL DEMONSTRATION
She said I had to come
A therapist connects with a new patient, an Army veteran suffering with PTSD, by asking directly about suicide, collaborating around safety and recovery, and committing to stick with him.
Simple Pricing Guide
How It Works
- Pay a one-time set-up fee to have training and evaluation material configured for your organization.
- Once set up, there is an annual subscription fee based on the number of employees (and contractors) who provide services or interact with patients/clients in your organization or region.
Optionally add 3 AMA Category 1 CME credits ($15 per recipient.)
International subscribers: SafeSide accepts payment in USD, AUD, and NZD.
Subscription Benefits
Video-based learning program and resource library configured for your organization, ready to deploy. Coaching with SafeSide team to support your rollout plans
Year-round access to onboard new staff
Monthly office hours with Dr. Pisani, his team, and colleagues around the world
Updates, new modules, and refreshers
Current Pricing
$2000 USD per clinic/program site - One-time fee for configuration, set up, and launch support
$45 USD per care provider or staff in organization or region - Annual subscription
SafeSide Behavioral Health Learning Objectives
Connect
You know how to connect with your patients. But when suicidal thoughts come up, it’s easy to lose that connection in an effort to assess and respond to risk. We show you how to:
- Ask clearly and directly about suicide, conveying an understanding that what a person considering suicide really wants is to alleviate pain and suffering.
- Express your desire to collaborate with a suicidal person to alleviate that pain and be a partner in their recovery.
- Stick with a person through to recovery, including engaging other helpers and supports.
Assess
Information about past, recent, and current suicidal thoughts and behavior is essential, but not sufficient. Patient-specific plans and decisions are based on additional information. We describe how you can:
- Use a consistent structure for gathering information and communicating with colleagues, clients, and their supports.
- Develop a risk formulation that is anchored in the context of the setting where a person is being assessed and in their history over time.
Respond
You’ve connected and assessed. Next, you need to act. You want to go home feeling that you’ve done everything reasonably possible. We offer four categories to consider:
- Use evidence-based treatments, including “mini-interventions” taken from more involved interventions.
- Develop contingency and safety plans, including a plan to reduce access to lethal means.
- Create plans to increase observation or contact to support the person in the least restrictive environment possible.
- Consult with team members and make referrals to address unmet needs.
Extend
Your initial responses can be extended for greater impact in the person’s life, during and after an episode of care.
- Create a system for non-demand, “caring contacts” after care transitions.
- Establish clear roles for family and other supports.
- Ensure regular, structured follow-up assessments and support.
- Employ the suicide-related warm handoff.
