This workshop will provide strategies that therapists can use with adults and young people to manage risk safely and effectively, through presentation and individual exercises.  

This event is for therapists who are working with clients who may present with suicidal ideation or self-harm. This course is about practical ways of working with this client group and looking after both the client and therapist.  

Event aims 

The main aims of this PDD are to: 

  • understand our own experience and beliefs around suicide and self-harm and raise awareness of the law, and the facts and figures around suicide  
  • understand risk assessment strategies – the importance of asking the right questions in the right way  
  • breaking confidentiality – be more confident in when and how  
  • safety plans: look at the benefits and potential pitfalls of safety planning  
  • self-care of the therapist when working with risk 

By the end of the PDD, you’ll:  

  • work more confidently with different forms of risk  
  • be more confident in assessing risk  
  • know how and when to break confidentiality when a client is at risk  
  • understand how and when to create a safety plan with a client  
  • recognise the need for self-care of the therapist 

Testimonials 

'An insightful, helpful and informative training which was bought to life with role play between a counsellor and client, together with the trainers own personal experiences too.' Susan

'Excellent content delivered at a good pace. It was a deep PDD so it was good to have pauses to reflect. The trainer was very skilled and shared personal experiences that brought the training alive. Very useful and essential training.' Deborah

Programme 

The PDD will begin at 9.30am and finish at around 1pm. 

It’ll be split into three presentations, each followed by a live Q&A session with Kath.  

View the full programme.

About the presenter 

Katherine Caffrey is an experienced counsellor and clinical supervisor with special interests in children and young people, neurodivergence and working with risk. She has worked in a range of settings and now has a busy private practice where she supervises therapists and supports clients with a range of presentations often including suicidal ideation and self-harm. She provides training for well-being, working with suicide and risk, and specialised training for counsellors who want to work with children. She has worked with the BACP on this PDD for several years and has also worked to update some of the Good Practice in Action resources. Currently she is also working with the Open University to provide a module on working with risk in therapy. 

Key information 

This event will take place online on Wednesday 03 February 2027. After booking you’ll receive a confirmation email. Full joining instructions will be sent out nearer the event date. 

Your booking includes: 

  • three hours of CPD presentations 
  • Q&A session with Kath after each presentation 
  • CPD certificate to download 
  • selected presentation slides 
  • opportunities to network with other attendees through the chatroom 
  • access to the on-demand service which will be available from Wednesday 03 February 2026 to Wednesday 03 March 2027 to view any recorded presentations and access any available handouts 

Accessibility 

The event livestream service is available with AI subtitles.   

The on-demand service will be subtitled and/or transcribed through a reviewed process to ensure accuracy. 

For a full list of our event accessibility commitments please visit our website >