Interventions for Suicide Exposure
Psychological First Aid and Soul Care to Stabilize Trauma and Restore Meaning
- Speaker:
- Sarah Gaer, MA
- Duration:
- 1 Hour 06 Minutes
- Format:
- Audio and Video
- Copyright:
-
Aug 18, 2026
- Product Code:
- POS150894
- Media Type:
- Digital Seminar
Description
Typical grief interventions don’t fit for suicide loss.
They don’t account for traumatic reactions of survivors – the disorienting intrusive thoughts, the overwhelming guilt, and the unnerving moral injury.
And when therapists skip over stabilization and try to get right into deeper therapeutic work, they may inadvertently increase distress, reinforce shame narratives, and pathologize normative trauma reactions.
In this session, Sarah W. Gaer – nationally recognized suicide prevention specialist and trainer – will walk you through a sequencing-based response to suicide exposure that integrates trauma science, field experience, and applied frameworks. You’ll learn:
- The common clinical missteps to avoid in your work with suicide loss survivors
- How to use Psychological First Aid principles to provide emotional support and bolster coping
- Interventions to transform moral injury and survivor’s guilt into opportunities for meaning making
Credit
Speaker
Sarah Gaer, MA Related seminars and products
Sarah W. Gaer, MA, is a suicide prevention specialist, nationally recognized mental health speaker, and national trainer in Psychological First Aid (PFA) with more than 25 years of clinical experience in trauma, addiction, and suicide prevention. She holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Antioch University and has trained over 1,000 professionals in suicide prevention, crisis response, and trauma-informed care.
Sarah has led and participated in crisis response efforts following suicides, homicides, terrorism, natural disasters, and the COVID-19 pandemic. As a consultant and trainer for the Massachusetts Suicide Prevention Coalition and has presented nationally and internationally on suicide postvention, trauma response, and Soul Care. Her published works include The Price, Goodnight Grace, and the co-authored Guts, Grit & The Grind, which explores trauma, grief, and men’s health.
Her work has been recognized by the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention and other professional bodies for leadership in advancing evidence-based suicide prevention practices.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Sarah Gaer has employment relationships with SEG Consulting and Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. She receives royalties as a published author. Sarah Gaer receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Sarah Gaer has no relevant non-financial relationships.
Additional Info
Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)Access never expires for this product.
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Objectives
- Identify acute trauma reactions that accompany suicide loss beyond traditional grief responses.
- Define the core principles of Psychological First Aid (PFA) and differentiate early stabilization support from formal therapy.
- Summarize how the Soul Care framework addresses moral injury, identity disruption, and meaning reconstruction.
Outline
Suicide Loss as Both Bereavement and Trauma
- Grief reactions versus acute trauma responses
- Neurobiological stress responses after suicide exposure
- Intrusive imagery, guilt, self-blame, anger, and disorientation
- Shattered assumptions and meaning disruption
- Secondary trauma in clinicians and responders
Common Clinical Missteps Following Suicide Loss
- Premature emotional processing
- Over-pathologizing acute trauma responses
- Confusing therapy with stabilization
- Minimizing existential or moral injury components
Psychological First Aid (PFA): Principles and Application
- Core elements of PFA
- Differences between PFA and critical incident stress debriefing
- Applying PFA in suicide loss contexts
- Scope of practice and ethical considerations
- Limitations of the research for PFA
Therapy vs. Early Stabilization Support
- When to provide PFA vs. formal therapy
- Timing considerations in trauma processing
- Referral pathways and stepped care models
Soul Care for Depletion After Suicide Loss
- Soul Care defined
- The role of understanding & forgiveness in suicide loss
- Moral injury and survivor’s guilt
- Shame and responsibility narratives
- Support social connection recovery
Limitations and Risks
- Limitations of current suicide bereavement research
- Cultural variability of trauma response
- Risks of premature processing
- Importance of referral for complex trauma
Target Audience
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Marriage and Family Therapists
- Addiction Counselors
- Other Mental Health Professionals
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