with Robert Brill, LCSW, NCPsyA
Wednesday, June 24th, 2026 | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EST
On Zoom Only – 1 CE
Participation is FREE
$17 Admin Fee for each CE
Registration closes June 24TH at 10:00 AM EST
“WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE MIND OF THE SUICIDAL PATIENT ?”
This is a question many of us want to understand, particularly as it applies to our patients, ourselves, and the world at large.
Two British practitioners, one a psychiatrist/psychoanalyst and the other an analyst specializing in work with children and adolescents, write a penetrating treatment of the subject. The title is Working in the Dark: Understanding the Pre-suicide State of Mind, by Donald Campbell and Rob Hale, which explores the pre-suicidal mind of the individual.
We know that understanding the mind of our patients gives us insight into their lives, their emotions, and their aims in life. More than a few of my patients have contemplated suicide; some have even tried it. There are some that have succeeded. This has a profound effect on the therapist.
At our Brown Bag Lunch, we will examine Freud’s views on the subject of suicide, and how it is a form of acting out. We will consider the warning signs for suicide, and what possible ingredients might go into the mind of the person considering suicide. Of course, it is important to understand the ways the transference/countertransference dynamic plays into this clinical situation.
There are other ideas that we should explore as well. It would do us good to consider the anguish that leads individuals to consider suicide. It is also important to think about the role that hope plays in the individual who makes a suicidal plan. Looking at the history of studying suicide also tells us a good bit about where we’ve been and where we’re going on the subject.
Course Objectives – Participants will be able to:
- IDENTIFY AND DESCRIBE The common warning signs associated with suicide risk.
- EXPLAIN the “three wishes” often experienced by individuals considering suicide and discuss how these wishes inform clinical understanding and intervention.
- RECOGNIZE AND REFLECT on countertransference reactions that may arise when working with suicidal individuals, and discuss how awareness of these reactions can enhance assessment, treatment, and therapeutic engagement.
Robert Brill, LCSW, NCPsyA, is a practicing, licensed clinical social worker and psychoanalyst based in Louisville, Kentucky. He trained at the Kentucky Psychoanalytic Institute and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Brill is an Advanced Certificate Candidate at ACAP and has been taking classes since 2020. He has worked in addictions treatment, leading groups focused on family-of-origin work. Brill has been in private practice in the Louisville area since 1993, working with individuals, couples, and groups.
Email: brillrs@gmail.com
ACAP is an approved CE provider for:
Art Therapists
Counselors
Marriage and Family Counselors
Psychoanalysts
Social Workers
NY Creative Arts Therapists
Psychologists
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For questions or additional information,
contact us at events@acapnj.org or 973-629-1002.
Learn about ACAP’s CE programs and nationally accredited
Psychoanalytic Certificate program:
Learn about BGSP-NJ’s regionally accredited MA’s in
Clinical Mental Health Counseling and in Psychoanalysis:
