The Affirming Minds Podcast

Purchase this course individually using the link below and complete the post-test and evaluation to earn CE credit. As of July 16, 2026, AFFIRM Academy memberships are no longer available. Existing members can continue accessing CE podcast episodes through their member portal until August 31, 2026. Register now: https://shaina-siber-sanderowitz.mykajabi.com/offers/oLH6u9zf

Course Information: https://canva.link/a0n8fhtx7enkw24

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Episode Summary: Suicide assessment is only the beginning of suicide care. In this continuing education podcourse, we move beyond identifying risk to explore how clinicians can formulate suicide risk, directly address suicidal thoughts and behaviors, develop collaborative safety plans, reduce access to lethal means, and determine appropriate levels of care.

We discuss suicide-specific approaches including CAMS, CBT for Suicide Prevention (CBT-SP), and DBT, as well as the role of psychiatric treatment and interdisciplinary coordination. The course also explores chronic suicidality, medication considerations, hospitalization and alternatives to hospitalization, post-crisis care, and more complex presentations involving violence risk, postpartum psychiatric emergencies, financial crises, and emerging technology.



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Resources:

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 for 24/7 crisis support in the U.S.

Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC): Clinical resources for suicide assessment, safety planning, lethal-means counseling, treatment, and care transitions.

Zero Suicide: Evidence-informed tools and resources for suicide-safer healthcare systems.

Stanley-Brown Safety Planning Intervention: Safety-planning resources and guidance are available through SPRC.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, contact emergency services or go to the nearest emergency department.

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Conflict of Interest Disclosure:

Shaina Siber-Sanderowitz, LCSW, is the Founder of Affirm Mental Health, an accredited CE provider. She receives financial compensation from Affirm Mental Health for the development and delivery of continuing education content. There are no other conflicts of interest to disclose.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for clinical training or treatment. If you or someone you know needs mental health support, please reach out to a licensed professional.

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Don't Forget to Subscribe: If you love this episode, be sure to follow The Affirming Minds Podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts. Share it on your socials and help us grow the community of engaged, empowered, and educated mental health professionals.

Join the Conversation: What did you think of this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Tag us on social media with your biggest takeaways!

Find Us Here: https://www.affirmmentalhealth.com

Instagram: @affirmmentalhealth

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AFFIRMMentalHealth

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556924200735

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaina-siber-sanderowitz-905089249/

TikTok: @affirm_mental_health

Purchase this course individually using the link below and complete the post-test and evaluation to earn CE credit. As of July 16, 2026, AFFIRM Academy memberships are no longer available. Existing members can continue accessing CE podcast episodes through their member portal until August 31, 2026. Register now: https://shaina-siber-sanderowitz.mykajabi.com/offers/kSdSviQA

Course Information: https://canva.link/zrmazhs6bovkq9y

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Episode Summary: Suicide is one of the most complex and consequential issues mental health professionals encounter. In this CE-eligible episode of the Affirming Minds Podcast, Shaina Siber, LCSW, explores what we know about why suicidal thoughts develop, what increases the risk that thoughts become actions, and why understanding suicide requires looking beyond diagnosis alone.

We explore psychological pain, hopelessness, entrapment, perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, trauma, mental illness, chronic pain, social conditions, minority stress, and access to lethal means. We also examine how human cognition and our capacity to imagine the future may contribute to suicidal suffering.

The episode considers major theories in suicidology, disparities in suicide risk, the distinction between suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior, and the complicated role of psychiatric hospitalization. Throughout the conversation, the focus remains on understanding the individual person: What has become unbearable? What feels impossible to escape? And what does the person believe suicide would solve?

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Resources:

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
If you or someone you know is experiencing a suicidal crisis, emotional distress, or needs immediate crisis support in the United States, call or text 988. Support is free, confidential, and available 24/7.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

SAMHSA Suicide Prevention Resources
Resources for people experiencing suicidal thoughts, people concerned about someone else, clinicians, and communities.
SAMHSA Suicide Prevention

CDC Suicide Prevention Resources
Evidence-informed information on suicide prevention, risk and protective factors, data, and prevention strategies.
CDC Suicide Prevention Resources

Veterans Crisis Line
Veterans and their loved ones can call 988 and press 1or text 838255 for confidential crisis support.
Veterans Crisis Line & VA Suicide Prevention

VA Lethal Means Safety Resources
Information and resources for reducing access to potentially lethal means during periods of increased suicide risk, including safer storage of firearms and medications.
VA Lethal Means Safety

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Conflict of Interest Disclosure:

Shaina Siber-Sanderowitz, LCSW, is the Founder of Affirm Mental Health, an accredited CE provider. She receives financial compensation from Affirm Mental Health for the development and delivery of continuing education content. There are no other conflicts of interest to disclose.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for clinical training or treatment. If you or someone you know needs mental health support, please reach out to a licensed professional.

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Don't Forget to Subscribe: If you love this episode, be sure to follow The Affirming Minds Podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts. Share it on your socials and help us grow the community of engaged, empowered, and educated mental health professionals.

Join the Conversation: What did you think of this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Tag us on social media with your biggest takeaways!

Find Us Here: https://www.affirmmentalhealth.com

Instagram: @affirmmentalhealth

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AFFIRMMentalHealth

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556924200735

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaina-siber-sanderowitz-905089249/

TikTok: @affirm_mental_health

Child sexual abuse prevention is a conversation every therapist should be part of.

In this Mental Health Edit episode, Shaina sits down with Chris Yadon of Saprea to discuss child sexual abuse prevention, survivor healing, child-on-child sexual abuse, healthy sexual development, disclosure, the evolving role of technology and AI in exploitation, and practical ways clinicians, parents, and communities can help protect children.

Chris also introduces Saprea's incredible free resources, including prevention education, support groups, online learning, and a trauma-informed retreat for adult survivors.

Resources:

Saprea: https://saprea.org/

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a colleague. Together, we can help bring these important conversations to more clinicians.

Purchase this course individually using the link below and complete the post-test and evaluation to earn CE credit. As of July 16, 2026, AFFIRM Academy memberships are no longer available. Existing members can continue accessing CE podcast episodes through their member portal until August 31, 2026. Register now: https://shaina-siber-sanderowitz.mykajabi.com/offers/QyQFM5BU

Course Information: https://canva.link/iu035nzvevyhqux

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Episode Summary: How do trauma and attachment shape the way we connect with our closest relationships? In this episode, Shaina speaks with Kathy Gusenkov, LMFT, about how developmental trauma influences adult relationships and explores trauma-informed approaches to fostering safety, co-regulation, and secure functioning in couples therapy.

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About Our Guest:

Kathy Gusenkov, LMFT, is a licensed marriage and family therapist and the founder of Serendipity Psychotherapy LLC in the Phoenix area, where she has been in practice since 2020.

She specializes in working with couples and individuals, with a focus on the psychobiology of relationships — how the nervous system, attachment, and early experience shape the way we connect with the people we love most. Her work draws on body-based and trauma-informed approaches, with particular attention to what happens between partners in real time.

Alongside her clinical work, Kathy contributes to relationship research at the ASU HEART Lab and has taught and guest lectured at the graduate and undergraduate level. She brings the same curiosity that drives her in the research and classroom into the therapy room, staying close to what the science actually says about how people change and heal together.

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Topics Discussed:

Developmental trauma and adult attachment

Disorganized attachment and relationship patterns

Secure attachment vs. secure functioning

The Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy (PACT)

Co-regulation and nervous system-informed interventions

Trauma-informed strategies to strengthen connection and communication

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Resources:

https://www.instagram.com/serendipitypsychotherapy/

https://www.tiktok.com/@serendipitypsychotherapy

https://thepactinstitute.wildapricot.org/

https://www.asuheartlab.com/

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Conflict of Interest Disclosure:

Shaina Siber-Sanderowitz, LCSW, is the Founder of Affirm Mental Health, an accredited CE provider. She receives financial compensation from Affirm Mental Health for the development and delivery of continuing education content. There are no other conflicts of interest to disclose.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for clinical training or treatment. If you or someone you know needs mental health support, please reach out to a licensed professional.

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Don't Forget to Subscribe: If you love this episode, be sure to follow The Affirming Minds Podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts. Share it on your socials and help us grow the community of engaged, empowered, and educated mental health professionals.

Join the Conversation: What did you think of this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Tag us on social media with your biggest takeaways!

Find Us Here: https://www.affirmmentalhealth.com

Instagram: @affirmmentalhealth

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AFFIRMMentalHealth

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556924200735

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaina-siber-sanderowitz-905089249/

TikTok: @affirm_mental_health

Want CEs for listening to this episode? Purchase this podcourse using the link below and complete the post-test and evaluation to earn CE credit. Register now: https://shaina-siber-sanderowitz.mykajabi.com/offers/g9zK2M7L/checkout

Course Information: https://canva.link/4u10ccs43ort0sh

As of July 16, 2026, AFFIRM Academy memberships are no longer available. Existing members can continue accessing CE podcast episodes through their member portal until August 31, 2026.

Psychosis has long been viewed through a medical model focused on symptom reduction—but recovery is about much more than eliminating symptoms. In this episode, Shaina sits down with Maggie Mullen, LCSW, DBT-LBC, to explore recovery-oriented, disability justice-informed approaches to psychosis. Together, they discuss common misconceptions, reducing stigma, person-centered care, and the emerging role of psychotherapy—including DBT—in supporting individuals experiencing psychosis. In this episode:

Recovery-oriented approaches to psychosis

Disability justice and person-centered care

Reducing stigma and pathologizing language

The role of psychotherapy and DBT

Resources
• Maggie Mullen: www.maggiemullen.com
• The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Psychosis



Don't Forget to Subscribe: If you love this episode, be sure to follow The Affirming Minds Podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts. Share it on your socials and help us grow the community of engaged, empowered, and educated mental health professionals.

Join the Conversation: What did you think of this episode? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Tag us on social media with your biggest takeaways!

Find Us Here: https://www.affirmmentalhealth.com

Instagram: @affirmmentalhealth

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AFFIRMMentalHealth

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556924200735

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaina-siber-sanderowitz-905089249/

TikTok: @affirm_mental_health