Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS)

The Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS), developed by Dave Jobes, PhD, is an evidence-based clinical intervention that has significantly evolved over 25 years of clinical research. CAMS is best understood as a therapeutic framework that emphasizes a unique collaborative assessment and treatment planning process between the suicidal patient and clinician. This process is designed to enhance the therapeutic alliance and increase treatment motivation in the suicidal patient. Central to the CAMS approach is the use of the Suicide Status Form (SSF), which is a multipurpose clinical assessment, treatment planning, tracking, and outcome tool. CAMS and the SSF can be used in a single session context or as a therapeutic framework for ongoing care.  When used in ongoing care, CAMS assists the clinician in organizing the sessions to target and treat suicidal “drivers” and resolve suicidality.  CAMS presumes the clinician brings their own psychotherapeutic expertise and when suicidality resolves the clinician continues with treatment or concludes treatment according to their own treatment model.
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To date, CAMS (and the clinical use of the SSF) has been supported by six published correlational studies and one randomized clinical trial (RCT) to resolve suicidal ideation and psychological distress more quickly and for much longer than standard care. Currently, two well-powered RCTs are under way, and various CAMS-related projects are also being pursued.

UW Annual CAMS Training
Training is provided at the University of Washington and/or Harborview Medical Center in the Spring and is designed for clinicians at all levels and all behavioral health disciplines.

The training inludes:
  • Understanding what is at the root of suicidality and how to change it
  • How to  engage and maintain in a collaborative process with an acutely suicidal client
  • ​How to conduct a therapeutic assessment using the Suicide Status Form 
  • How to develop and effective crisis response plan
  • How to gain commitment to an outpatient treatment plan
  • How to organize follow-up sessions to speedily resolve suicidality through attention to its most significant drivers 
  • How to resolve CAMS and move the client forward with appropriate follow-up

Cost: 
  • $50/day for UW Medicine, Seattle Children's Hospital, and VA Puget Sound clinicians
  • $25/day for UW Medicine, Seattle Children's Hospital, and VA Puget Sound trainees 
  • $200/day for everyone else
      Note: Level II requires completion of Level I, for a total of two days’ fees.
This year, the University of Washington CAMS Training took place March 19-20, 2020.  Please email dbtcams@uw.edu if you would like to receive the 2021 UW CAMS Training announcement when it is available.

Who should attend
Training is designed for behavioral health providers from all disciplines working in both inpatient and outpatient behavioral health and general medical settings.
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If you are not part of the Pacific Northwest community and would like to learn CAMS, please see CAMS-care for other training opportunities" and give website https://cams-care.com/
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