From Fear to Framework: Support High-Risk Clients Ethically
As an independent practitioner, you are the first responder when a client is in crisis. This can be daunting. This course moves beyond basic risk assessment to give you a comprehensive framework for navigating these high-stakes moments. Drawing directly on front-line NHS crisis team experience, we focus on practical skills that build your competence, reduce your anxiety, and ensure the safety of both you and your client.
Who Is This Course For?
- Practitioners in private practice who are seeing an increase in clients with complex needs and risk factors.
- Therapists who want to deepen their skills beyond initial risk-assessment training.
- Counsellors who experience anxiety or a sense of being "out of their depth" when clients present with crisis issues.
- Supervisors seeking a robust framework to better support their supervisees in managing high-risk work.
Course Syllabus: A Week-by-Week Breakdown
Week 1: Ethical Foundations & The Holding Environment
Understanding what constitutes 'high-risk' work, our duty of care, and how to create a therapeutic frame that can safely hold high distress.
Week 2: Advanced Risk Assessment in Practice
Moving beyond checklists. We explore dynamic risk factors, protective factors, and how to ask difficult questions about suicide, self-harm, and more.
Week 3: De-escalation & Crisis Management Techniques
Practical, evidence-informed strategies for managing a client in an acute state of crisis, both in-person and online. We focus on staying grounded and effective.
Week 4: Collaborative Safety Planning
Learn to create immediate, effective safety plans *with* your client. We cover what to include, how to document it, and how to use it therapeutically.
Week 5: Navigating Legal & Ethical Dilemmas
A clear exploration of when to break confidentiality, what your responsibilities are, and how to liaise with emergency services and other professionals.
Week 6: Therapist Resilience & Vicarious Trauma
This work takes a toll. We finish by focusing on you: identifying the signs of vicarious trauma and building sustainable self-care practices to protect yourself.
What Our Alumni Say
“This course was transformative. I used to feel a wave of panic when risk came up in a session. Now I feel I have a clear, professional process to follow. Invaluable.”
“The focus on the therapist's own response in Week 6 was the best self-care and professional development investment I've made. Natasha creates a space where it's safe to be honest about the challenges of this work.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this course about treating specific complex disorders like BPD?
No. This course is not designed to train you in treating specific diagnoses. Rather, it equips you with the trans-diagnostic skills needed to safely manage risk and hold clients presenting with high-distress, regardless of their diagnosis.
Will we discuss real case studies?
Yes. The training is highly practical and will involve the discussion of anonymised case vignettes to help ground the theory in real-world practice.
Is this a recorded, self-paced course?
This is a live, interactive training course delivered via Zoom to allow for questions, discussion, and group learning. Recordings are provided if you have to miss a session.