David A. Jobes, Ph.D., ABPP
David A. Jobes, Ph.D., ABPP, is a Professor of Psychology, Director of the Suicide Prevention Laboratory, and Associate Director of Clinical Training at The Catholic University of America. Dr. Jobes is also an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, at Uniformed Services University. He is the author of seven books and hundreds of articles and book chapters. Dr. Jobes is a past President of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) and the recipient of various awards for his scientific work including the 1995 AAS “Shneidman Award” (early career contribution to suicidology), the 2012 AAS “Dublin Award” (for career contributions in suicidology), and the 2016 AAS “Linehan Award” (for suicide treatment research). He is the recipient of the 2022 Alfred M. Wellner Award for Lifetime Achievement (for research excellence) from the National Register of Health Service Psychologists. He has been a consultant to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Academy of Medicine, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and served as a “Highly Qualified Expert” to the U.S. Army’s Intelligence and Security Command. Dr. Jobes is a Board Member of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and he Chair of the AFSP Public Policy Council. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and is board certified in clinical psychology (American Board of Professional Psychology). Dr. Jobes maintains a private clinical and consulting practice in Washington DC and in Maryland.
The Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) is one of a handful of suicide-focused clinical treatments with extensive clinical trial support. CAMS is a therapeutic framework that focuses on patient-identified "drivers" of what makes them suicidal. CAMS is patient centered and focuses on empathy, collaboration, and honesty. As an outpatient intervention CAMS is designed to form a strong clinical alliance and to increase motivation in the patient with helpful clinical documentation that reduces the risk of malpractice liability.