To help practitioners focus on wellness within the whole person, Rita and I have been writing about seven life dimensions as they pertain to suicide assessment and treatment. Although treatments for individuals who are suicidal should focus on suicide, it’s also true that there’s much more to whole person in the room than suicidality. The seven dimensions we’re using include the following:
- The emotional dimension
- The cognitive dimension
- The interpersonal dimension
- The physical dimension
- The cultural/spiritual dimension
- The behavioral dimension
- The contextual dimension
The visual excerpt from chapter 4 included with this post (above) focuses on the emotional dimension. In chapter 4 we discuss how to use empathy to emotionally connect with clients, but also on a variety of strategies for helping clients (and students) develop strengths, resiliency, and wellness within the emotional dimension.
The book is primarily available the the American Counseling Association. Here’s the ACA link: https://imis.counseling.org/store/detail.aspx?id=78174
Dr. Sommers-Flanagan,
Thank you and Rita for creating this vital tool. Suicidal it is all around us. I have had more than one occasion of being a sort-of suicide hotline for extended family members. I look forward to having the knowledge and skills to provide the integrative intervention and treatment that you outline in your new book. This will be on my bookshelf as I begin graduate school!
Thanks again and be well,
Bridgette
Thanks Bridgette! We very much hope the book is helpful. I also hope your semester is going great.