Decision Making in Behavioral Emergencies: Acquiring Skill in Evaluating and Managing High-Risk Patients

When a client or patient presents who is suicidal, potentially violent, and/or at risk of being victimized, this is considered a behavioural emergency, a situation that requires immediate response. The goal of this book is to help clinicians increase their ability to manage stress and decrease its negative impact when making decisions about the assessment and care of these patients. The author presents models for decision making and stress training, guidance for teaching how to evaluate and manage behavioural emergencies, decision support tools, and a discussion of legal and ethical considerations. This very practical approach to required competency will be a valuable resource for psychologists and any other mental health professionals who work in a clinical setting. It is the only known work that advocates for a decision-making model appropriate to the circumstances in which behavioural emergencies often occur.