Helping the Suicidal Person: A Clinical Toolbox

Stacey Freedenthal, PhD, LCSW, is an educator, psychotherapist, and writer specializing in helping people who experience suicidal thoughts or behavior. She’s authored two books: Helping the Suicidal Person: Tips and Techniques for Professionals (Routledge; 2018) and Loving Someone with Suicidal Thoughts: What Family, Friends, and Partners Can Say and Do (New Harbinger; 2023). Dr. Freedenthal also created the website Speaking of Suicide, and she has authored or co-authored more than 40 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters about suicidality and related topics.  
 
Dr. Freedenthal is an associate professor at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work, and a psychotherapist and consultant in private practice. She started working in suicide prevention in 1995, as a volunteer for a suicide hotline. After earning a master’s degree in social work from the University of Texas, she worked in various psychiatric emergency settings before earning her Ph.D. in social work at Washington University in St. Louis. She has been on the DU faculty since 2005, where she teaches classes on suicide assessment and interventions, clinical social work practice, and social justice challenges in mental health practice. 

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Stacey Freedenthal is a psychotherapist and consultant in private practice and has an employment relationship with the University of Denver. She has a family member with an employment relationship with LivingWorks. She receives royalties as a published author. Dr. Freedenthal receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Stacey Freedenthal is a member of the International Association of Suicide Prevention, the National Association of Social Workers, and the American Association of Suicidology. She uses CBT, CAMS, ACT, and other evidence-based suicide prevention strategies in her presentation.