How Organizations Use CAMS

CAMS suicide prevention framework works for patients and clinicians in a range of settings

CAMS IS A FLEXIBLE CLINICAL FRAMEWORK

CAMS is not a new psychotherapy. It is a flexible therapeutic framework that is guided by a multi-purpose clinical tool called the “Suicide Status Form” (SSF) which guides the patient’s treatment including:

  1. suicide-specific assessment,
  2. suicide-specific treatment planning,
  3. tracking of on-going risk, and
  4. clinical outcomes and dispositions.

CAMS has been primarily used with suicidal adults, but there is increasing use with suicidal adolescents and even children as young as 5 years old. CAMS has been successfully used with patients across clinical diagnoses, including certain patients with psychotic disorders.

CAMS was initially developed in an outpatient setting, but its efficacy in assessing and treating suicidal risk has become recognized as a valuable tool in a range of settings across the spectrum of treatment settings and patient populations. CAMS is being used in clinics and hospitals as both a one-session intervention to short-term approach during an inpatient stay to an ongoing treatment in intensive outpatient programs. CAMS has been incorporated in the assessment process for Mobile Crisis Response Teams in multiple states and local organizations to facilitate decisions about disposition and treatment options for patients in crisis. Both Military Behavioral Health providers and VA inpatient and outpatient providers use CAMS with their patients. CAMS has been successfully implemented in Soverign Nations and Tribes and has been integrated into Zero Suicide intiatives both in the U.S. and internationally.

Clinicians and patients report a positive experience using CAMS and find that the flexible framework makes it possible to incorporate a range of treatment modalities. Organizations and groups may arrange to obtain training in CAMS for their clinicians by contacting our team to discuss training options.

“The state Zero Suicide Steering Group, which was composed of a variety of clinicians and stakeholders, selected CAMS because of the research base, its strong track record as both an assessment and treatment tool, and because it promotes a collaborative approach with the patient using a set of structured tools. The group was strongly influenced by the data which shows that a structured tool trumps individual professional discretion in a research-based trial every time. The body of evidence for CAMS and the Suicide Status Form is significant and robust.”

Read about the success of Vermont’s Zero Suicide Initiative

JoEllen Tarallo, Ed.D., MCHES, FASHA, HC

Executive Director, Center for Health and Learning, Community Based Training Partner at Center for Health and Learning

CAMS Trainings FOR ORGANIZATIONS AND GROUPS

Our CAMS trainings for Organizations and Groups often incorporate the 4 components of CAMS Foundational Training in a flexible and customizable approach.

We work closely with an organization to determine the goals of training and the best approach that is efficient and beneficial to prepare and support clinicians to feel confident in using CAMS with suicidal patients.

Training may include:

  1. The CAMS Book, Managing Suicidal Risk, A Collaborative Approach, 2nd Edition
  2. CAMS Online Video course
  3. CAMS Pratical Role Play Training at your site
  4. CAMS Consultation Calls

Our team is available to discuss the options and design a program that meets your specific needs for the patient population your organization serves.

Application of CAMS

CAMS is a flexible approach that can be used across theoretical orientations and disciplines for a wide range of suicidal patients across treatment settings and different treatment modalities.

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ZERO SUICIDE INITIATIVES

CAMS is referenced in the Zero-Suicide Toolkit and has been successfully integrated into many Zero Suicide initiatives in the United States and abroad. Because of its flexibility, CAMS can be readily adapted into a range of healthcare settings to meet the Zero Suicide element to TREAT suicidal thoughts and behaviors using evidence-based treatments. Learn more

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GRANT APPLICATIONS

CAMS-care has experience working with funding agencies and we can help in the preparation of a grant or contract proposal and assist in collecting data relevant to the needs of the funding agency. We have created a Grants page that exhausted grant writers can literally just cut and paste into your application. Learn more

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CLINICS & HOSPITALS

CAMS has been used extensively within inpatient settings and as a brief intervention within psychiatric consultation-liaison services. Learn more

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STATE & LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS

In recent years CAMS has been systematically rolled-out as part of state-level suicide prevention efforts. We have trained thousands of providers across different systems of care and different mental health care disciplines. We encourage you to read case studies for how Oklahoma, Ohio, Vermont, and other states are using CAMS as their treatment protocol for suicidal patients. Learn more

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MILITARY & VETERANS

Military Treatment Facilities across services branches in over 30 installations throughout the U.S and 20 VA Medical Centers have trained in CAMS. Learn more

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SOVEREIGN NATIONS & TRIBES

CAMS can readily accommodate traditional medicine, ritual, and culturally-sensitive interventions to treat patient-defined suicidal drivers. Clinicians in many Native American tribes are using now using CAMS successfully. Learn more

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EMPLOYER PROGRAMS

Suicide prevention in the workplace is nothing new. What is new, are the ways in which employers are addressing the needs of their employees at risk for suicide. Recognizing a demand for customized employee and family assistance program (EFAP) suicide-specific services to address the most serious threat to employee productivity, attendance, and retention, CAMS-care created CAMS EAP. Learn more

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“Dr. Jobes and the CAMS-Care team provide the most cutting-edge, evidence-based suicide risk-assessment and treatment framework for clinicians, counselors, social workers, and other relevant professionals. Our Ohio CAMS-trained behavioral health professionals are now equipped with the skills and documentation necessary to create an effective safety plan which can potentially keep the client out of the hospital. In addition, the CAMS consultants are very professional, easy to work with, and flexible when planning for an in-person CAMS workshop. The post-training consultation calls provide our clinicians with a chance to troubleshoot with the CAMS consultant and other CAMS-trained professionals on incorporating the framework in the workplace.”

Austin Lucas

Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation