Welcome to Are You Healing or Policing?: Disrupting Carceral Approaches to Suicide with Kenya Crawford, LMHC!

As therapists, our training often emphasizes responding to suicidality through a lens of risk management and crisis intervention, focusing on hospitalization and involving law enforcement. However, these carceral approaches can harm marginalized clients, further perpetuating trauma and violence. By recognizing the limitations of these traditional responses, therapists can shift towards an anti-carceral approach rooted in abolitionist principles. This involves understanding the impact of systemic oppression on mental health and supporting clients in ways that affirm their humanity and dignity.

Recent movements towards abolition call for dismantling oppressive systems like prisons and police and creating alternatives that prioritize community care and well-being. For therapists working with clients in crisis, adopting an anti-carceral approach means advocating for resources such as affordable housing, quality healthcare, and trauma-informed care. This shifts the focus from punishment and control to compassion and support, addressing the root causes of distress and building a foundation for sustainable healing.

By embracing an anti-carceral approach to supporting clients experiencing suicidality, therapists can contribute to broader social change by challenging harmful systems and working towards a more just and compassionate society. This training aims to empower clinicians to critically examine their practices, foregrounding the humanity and agency of their clients while advocating for policies and resources that promote healing and well-being for all.

Together we will achieve the following learning objectives:

• Deepen the understanding of the negative impacts of carceral approaches to supporting clients navigating suicidality.
  
• Develop additional anti-carceral tools to support clients experiencing suicidality.
  
• Develop proactive tools to collaborate with clients in establishing a support team.