Suicide Risk in Adults: Assessment and Intervention

Course overview

Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States across all ages and is disproportionately higher in some populations. The purpose of this course is to assist clinicians to understand factors that contribute to suicidal behavior, conduct comprehensive suicide risk assessments, and engage patients in brief, empirically supported interventions to reduce risk for death. This intermediate-level course is designed for social workers, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, and psychologists. This course meets an increasing demand of many mental health professionals seeking information about working with suicidal clients and conducting empirically supported suicide risk assessments. This course examines methods of assessing suicidal danger in adult clients who are seeking mental health care. Varied approaches to intervention are discussed in detail, including safety planning and the use of crisis cards. The course provides practical examples of intervention implementation through the use of sample interviews, case scenarios, and outlines of the different brief, empirically supported interventions. References and resources for those interested in pursuing further education on this topic are provided at the end of the course.