Foster Care Training

This offering qualifies for the 6 hour BBS Suicide Prevention requirement. The Centers for Disease Control ranked Suicide the 8th leading cause of death for children 5-11 years old (CDC, 2021). According to the California Department of Public Health and the CDC, suicides among children, adolescents, and young adults ages 5-24 were 6500 in the United States. (California Dept. of Public Health, Death Statistical Master Files & CDC WONDER Online Database, 2021). This demonstrates the need for workshops to train clinicians and school based clinicians to use play to address assessment, treatment, and prevention with play. Studies indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with distress, anxiety, fear of contagion, depression, and insomnia in the general population leading to an increase in the mental health crisis. Covid-19 and its variants contributed to the need for play interventions within services, particularly for children with suicidal ideation and suicidal behaviors. Training service providers in play and how to recognize, treat and prevent suicidal behaviors like self-harm, for example, can make a difference in saving lives. Another key aspect of suicide-prevention services is parents, caregivers, and teachers to whom we must provide psychoeducation and training to teach skills so they can also be involved in supporting youth in prevention and healing. According to Burgin, E., et al. in 2022, children benefited from Client-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT), so CCPT may be considered efficacious in the treatment of depressive symptoms. Participants will assess for suicide risk via Prescriptive play, integrated expressive play into care, and suicide prevention tools. This workshop will address diverse populations’ needs. This workshop will address issues of diversity by elucidating the unique risks and warning signs for many populations, including vulnerable ones, as well as provide assessments and interventions that are culturally sensitive and aware of the need for diversity.