TISA Website
Celebrates its Ninth Year!

A word from the Director:

Brand New: CASE Certification and Experiential Training in the CASE Approach

With regard to suicide prevention much excitement continues for TISA. In addition to my full-day workshop series: Unlocking Suicidal Secrets: New Ideas on Old Problems in Suicide Prevention, we are now offering a brand new full-day experiential course on the Chronological Assessment of Suicide Events (CASE Approach) which uses microtraining and macrotraining role-playing to bring groups of up to 40 clinicians to a remarkable level of clinical skill in applying the CASE Approach. Intense, yet great fun. Each participant is involved in nearly twenty role-plays related solely to learning the nuances of the CASE Approach.

In addition we have begun to train our first set of TISA macrotrainers, who will be able to take individual clinicians and certify them in the CASE Approach using macrotraining in a remarkably intense and practical 3-4 hour session alone with the macrotrainer. Participants are trained to the point of complete competence in the CASE Approach.

You can learn more about macrotraining by accessing a free macrotraining monograph that was part of the Psychiatric Clinics of North America, June 2007 issue entitled Clinical interviewing: Practical Tips from Master Clinicians. The article itself, entitled Macrotraining: A 'How-To' Primer for Using Serial Role-Playing to Train complex Interviewing Tasks Such as Suicide Assessment, can be accessed for free at the journal's website at www.psych.theclinics.com, where you will also find a free article on facilic supervision, a method of training clinicians to weave interviews that feel like conversations from a caring person as opposed to the feeling of having "been interviewed" by a clinician with a clipboard. Facilic supervision was also developed at TISA.

Please note that Dr Shea is the originator of the CASE Approach and TISA is the only organization that provides this level of role-playing on the CASE Approach. TISA is also the only organization sanctioned to certify clinicians in the CASE Approach. We are also the developers of the role-playing technology called macrotraining used to train clinicians to competence in performing the CASE Approach via role-playing.

Preventing Suicide in Colleges, Universities and High Schools

On a completely different level, TISA has become very involved in suicide prevention and violence prevention at the college and university level, as well as middle and high schools. My book of philosophy and wellness - Happiness Is. (Brodart Library Gem and Philosophy Book of the Month at the Radical Academy) - in addition to being popular across all adult age groups, has, to our great delight, begun to be popular with college students (several myspace sites have the book listed as one of their favorite books!). Happiness Is. offers a provocative approach to finding resiliency and an enduring happiness during the tough times of today, hopefully preventing suicidal ideation before it begins. Happiness Is. has been used in courses at colleges as diverse as Bryn Mawr University, DePauw University, Dartmouth University, and the University of Oregon.

In addition, I have had the privilege of giving guest lectures - based upon the book Happiness Is. - at a variety of campuses including the Commencement Address for Antioch University, a general address for undergraduates at George Washington University, a specialized address for law students at George Washington University and an open to the public address for undergraduates at the University of New Hampshire's Keene State campus.
On a clinical interviewing note, regarding colleges and universities, in the past year I have provided workshops on spotting suicide and psychotic violence at a variety of college and university counseling centers including Virginian Tech, the University of Vermont, and George Washington University. Middle school and high school clinical interviewing talks for school counselors have been given across the country including Texas, Oklahoma, and New Jersey.

These workshops are based upon the clinical interviewing strategies and techniques outlined in the book The Practical Art of Suicide Assessment: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals and Substance Abuse Counselors, where you can find more information and reviews here.

Preventing Suicide in Soldiers and Vets in the Armed Services and Military

It has been our privilege to help with suicide prevention with our soldiers and vets on duty in and returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. In January 2009 I was invited to give four workshops at the request of the Department of Defense and the VA System at their annual Suicide Prevention Conference in San Antonio. I was so impressed with their work and their dedication to our soldiers. It was a moving experience. Over the past year I have also presented for the VISN in Eastern Nebraska (two-day workshop and consultation), the VA in Madison, Wisconsin, and six workshops for Tripler Army Base in Hawaii.

Training Physicians, Nurses, Medical Students and Nursing Students in Effective Ways for Collaborating with Patients About Their Medications: the Medication Interest Model (MIM)

Finally, and certainly not least in importance, we are very excited about the response to the Medication Interest Model (MIM) as described in the book, Improving Medication Adherence: How to Talk with Patients About Their Medications. The MIM has really begun to catch fire. To see reviews on the book as well as a sample chapter, table of contents, and the Foreword click here.

It is our hope that this book, filled with over forty interviewing tips for helping patients to understand and be better able to make wise decisions about whether a medication is right for them will become a standard book in Introduction to Medicine courses for medical students and Introduction to Nursing courses for nursing students. I was very fortunate that former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, M.D. wrote the Foreword for the book. His Foreword ends as follows:

"Packed with practical interviewing techniques and no-nonsense strategies, this little book, in my opinion, is destined to fill a giant void in the training of all medical and nursing students, as well as becoming a classic read for experienced clinicians in search of the art of medicine. My advice is simple - read it."

In this light our workshop on the MIM, "Moving from Medication Nonadherence to Medication Interest" has become one of our most popular workshops.

Continued Popularity of the "Clinical Interviewing Tip of the Month" at the TISA Website

The Clinical Interviewing Tip of the Month has become a bit of a phenom on the web, now containing over a hundred tips submitted by visitors to the TISA website. It was featured in an article in the Psychiatric Clinics of North America entitled, My Favorite Tips from the Clinical Interviewing Tip of the Month Archive in the June 2007 issue, volume 30, #2. Thanks for all of the tips you have been sending, they really help clinicians around the world.


Thanks again to everyone,
Shawn Christopher Shea, M.D.
Director, TISA

(Upcoming Venues continues below)

Below are a few announcements of upcoming events around the country. These workshops will be open to mental health professionals, substance abuse counselors, and school counselors, being sponsored by various unrelated agencies. In each case we have provided the contact information through which you could register for the programs, and if a website is available with the sponsoring agent, a link has been provided for you. If you would like to invite Dr. Shea to provide a workshop or series of workshops for a local association or institute, please contact TISA through any of the e-mail buttons provided on this website.

1. 2009 Department of Defense Conference

2. Regional Training - State of New York Department of Mental Health

Title of Workshop Series: Unlocking Suicidal Secrets: New Thoughts on Old Problems in Suicide Prevention

Format: Full Day of Workshops

Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Location: Long Island, New York

Date: Thursday, January 29, 2009

Location: New York, New York

Sponsor: State of New York Department of Mental Health

Contact for Information and Registration:
www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/suicide_prevention/regional_events/cny

3. Regional Training: Fresno, California

Title of Workshop Day: Unlocking Suicidal Secrets: New Thoughts on Old Problems in Suicide Prevention

Format: Full Day of Workshops

Dates: Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Location: Fresno, California

Sponsor: Community Regional Medical Center

Contact: Sarah Jackson
(559) 824-4767

4. Regional Training - State of New York Department of Mental Health

Title of Workshop Series: Unlocking Suicidal Secrets: New Thoughts on Old Problems in Suicide Prevention

Format: Full Day of Workshops

Date: Monday, February 23, 2009

Location: Albany, New York

Sponsor: New York State Suicide Prevention Initiative

Contact for Information and Registration:
www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/suicide_prevention/regional_events/cny

5. Master Therapists Workshop Series

Title of Workshop Day: Transforming Challenging Clinical Gremlins: Reaching the People Beneath the Diagnosis

Format: Full-day workshop

Date: Friday, March 6, 2009

Location: Farmington, CT

Sponsor: University of Connecticut, Department of Psychiatry

Contact for Information and Registration:
UConn Health Center, Dept. of Psychiatry CME
Telephone: (860) 679-3789
Website: http://psychiatry.uchc.edu/education/community/mt/index.php?radar=CT

Title of Workshop Series: "Unlocking Suicidal Secrets: New Thoughts on Old Problems in Suicide Prevention"

Format: Full-day workshop

Dates: Friday, March 20, 2009

Location: Holmdel, New Jersey

Sponsor: CPC Behavioral Healthcare

Contact for Information and Registration:
Phone: (732)935-2222
Website: www.cpcbehavioral.org

7. 6th Annual Forensic Psychiatry Conference

Title of Workshop Series: "Uncovering Dangerous Secrets: Suicide, Violence, and Difficult Personality Disorders"

Format: Full-day workshop

Dates: Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia

Sponsor: BC Mental Health and Addiction Services

Contact for Information and Registration:
Phone: (604) 524-7000
Website: www.bcmhas.ca/Education/RVHConferences.htm

8. Regional Training: Worcester, Massachusetts

Title of Workshop Series: "Unlocking Suicidal Secrets: New Thoughts on Old Problems in Suicide Prevention"

Format: Full-day workshop

Date: Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Location: Worcester, Massachusetts

Sponsor: MA Department of Public Health Suicide Prevention Program

Contact for Information and Registration:
Phone: Laura Guida at AdCare Educational Institute, Inc. (508) 752-7313
Email: Laura@adcare-educational.org

9. Regional Training: Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Title of Workshop Series: "Unlocking Suicidal Secrets: New Thoughts on Old Problems in Suicide Prevention"

Format: Full-day workshop

Date: Friday, April 10, 2009

Location: Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Sponsor: The Center for Trauma Intervention and Caron Treatment Center

Contact for Information and Registration:
Phone: (603) 431-1191
Website: www.cti-llc.net

10. 38th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS)

Title of Workshop: The Delicate Art of Eliciting Suicidal Ideation

Format: Half Day Workshop

Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Location: San Francisco, California

Sponsor: American Association of Suicidology

Contact for Information and Registration:
American Association of Suicidology
Phone: (202) 237-2280
Website: www.suicidology.org/web/guest/education-and-training/annual-conference

11. Regional Training - State of New York Department of Mental Health

Title of Workshop Series: Unlocking Suicidal Secrets: New Thoughts on Old Problems in Suicide Prevention

Format: Full Day Workshop

Date: Thursday, April 23, 2009

Location: Syracuse, New York

Sponsor: New York State Suicide Prevention Initiative

Contact for Information and Registration:
www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/suicide_prevention/regional_events/cny

12. Regional Training - State of New York Department of Mental Health

Title of Workshop Series: Unlocking Suicidal Secrets: New Thoughts on Old Problems in Suicide Prevention

Format: Full Day Workshop

Date: Thursday, April 30, 2009

Location: Rochester, New York

Sponsor: New York State Suicide Prevention Initiative

Contact for Information and Registration:
www.omh.state.ny.us/omhweb/suicide_prevention/regional_events/cny

13. Door County Summer Institute

Title of Workshop Series: Transforming Difficult Clinical Gremlins: Reaching the People Beneath the Diagnosis

Format: Week-long morning workshops

Dates: Monday through Friday, July 20 to 24, 2009

Location: Egg Harbor, Wisconsin

Sponsor: Medical College of Wisconsin Psychiatry Department

Contact for Information and Registration:
Medical College of Wisconsin - Department of Psychiatry
Telephone: (414) 955-8990
Website: www.mcw.edu/psychiatry/doorcounty.htm

14. 2009 US Psychiatric Congress

Title of Workshop Series: To be announced
Format: Each workshop is one hour and 15 minutes

Dates: November 2-5, 2009

Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

Sponsor: CME LLC, Inc.

Contact for Information and Registration:
Psych Congress
Telephone: (800) 447-4474
Website: www.cmellc.com/psychcongress