Manual Descriptions


Postvention Standards Manual
A Guide for a School's Response in the Aftermath of Sudden Death, Fifth Edition


This manual is for educators, social workers, school psychologists, counselors, and other professionals who work with children and adolescents in the aftermath of tragedies.  It is intended to guide schools and communities in developing their own postvention (services offered in an aftermath of a suicide or tragedy) policies and procedures.  This guide does not replace professional advice and should not be the only source of guidelines for a specific situation, as each crisis will be different.  Appropriately trained professionals should be consulted for discussion and evaluation of particular issues or cases.
 
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Survivors of Suicide
A Support Group Leaders Handbook


This manual is for individuals with interest in starting a group for suicide survivors.  The document provides a guide and basic outline for providing services to those isolated by their loss.
 
To print this manual, click here.
 
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Teen Handbook on Depression

We have found that educating people about depression and suicide is one of our best tools in helping to treat psychiatric illness and prevent suicide.  This handbook has been designed to help educate you [the teen] about your illness.  We hope that the information will help you remain hopeful and know that all difficult situations can improve without your needing to resort to suicide or any self-harming behavior.
 
To print this manual, click here.
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Emotion Regulation, Interpersonal Effectiveness, and Distress Tolerance Skills for Adolescents

Written for clinicians, this treatment manual is intended as a complement to and extension of STAR-Center's cognitive behavioral therapy manual for depressed and suicidal adolescents. It has been our experience that depressed youth with difficulties in emotion regulation may make great strides in CBT, but under stress will have intense emotions that interfere with their ability to utilize their skills. The manual includes guidelines and scripts for teaching teens emotion regulation, assertiveness skills, and distress tolerance skills. Ten teen skills hand-outs are included in perforated, pull-out format. In addition to individual therapy, the skills are also summarized for use in groups with teens and their caretakers.
 
To print this manual, click here.
 
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Young Adult Transition Group:  A Treatment Manual
 

To address the needs of young adults transitioning out of child/adolescent mental health services, we developed a brief group intervention delivered to young adults and their parents during the 6 months prior to completing high school.  For young adults, we offer a monthly 60-minute group that begins in March and ends in August of the final year of high school. Three concurrent parent sessions are offered in March, May, and August.  Parents and young adults join together for the final group to celebrate and conclude treatment.  The transition group program sessions focus on scaffolding knowledge about one’s own skills (and deficits) related to independent living, successful transition to college or community, and ability to independently manage a chronic mental health disorder.  Didactics and discussion focus on ways young adults can gradually build toward greater independence in several different domains.

To print this manual, click here

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The following manuals are undergoing revisions and will be made available as soon as they have been completed.

Living with Depression:  A Survival Manual for Families
Third Edition


This manual for families can help you gain a better understanding of depression and suicidality by providing the most updated information. We also offer helpful coping strategies for your family. By partnering with parents, we increase likelihood of positive teen outcomes. 
 
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Cognitive Therapy Treatment Manual For Depressed and Suicidal Youth
Includes:  Cognitive Therapy for Anxiety Supplement

This section on cognitive therapy for anxiety is designed to serve as a supplement to the CBT manual and assumes the reader has mastered the material therein.  In this supplemental section we cover assessment, education, and treatment interventions to target anxiety disorders. 
 
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Child and Adolescent Anxiety:  A Handbook for Families

This manual will provide you with an overview of the types of anxiety disorders, information about the possible causes, types of treatment available, as well as suggestions that may help your family member cope with, and recover from anxiety. 
 

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