An Open Trial of a Suicide Safety Planning Group Treatment: “Project Life Force”

Marianne Goodman, Sarah R. Sullivan, Angela Page Spears, Lisa Dixon, Yosef Sokol, Kalpana Nidhi Kapil-Pair, Hanga C. Galfalvy, Erin A. Hazlett, Barbara Stanley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

In 2008, the Department of Veterans Affairs mandated that clinicians oversee the construction of a Suicide Safety Plan for every patient who is identified as “high risk” for suicide. While the Suicide Safety Plan is a mandated “best practice,” there are currently no recommended guidelines for its augmentation in a group setting. To address this gap, a novel group intervention, “Project Life Force,” (PLF; a 10-session manualized psychotherapy), was developed and piloted. Results indicate high feasibility and acceptability. Exploratory analysis revealed statistically significant decreases in suicidal thoughts/behaviors, depression, and hopelessness. Feedback from Veterans and PLF therapists is also discussed. Despite some limitations (e.g. small sample size) exploratory results suggest that PLF may be a promising treatment for Veterans with suicidal symptomology.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)690-703
Number of pages14
JournalArchives of Suicide Research
Volume25
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2021

Keywords

  • Group therapy
  • safety plan
  • suicide
  • veterans

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'An Open Trial of a Suicide Safety Planning Group Treatment: “Project Life Force”'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this