In Session: Practicing Clinical Skills to Prevent Suicide in Children and Adolescents

Course overview

Suicide is now the second leading cause of death among youth between 10 and 24 years old. The rate of suicide for this age group tripled from 2007 to 2017. It is growing fastest among children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 14 years (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020; Curtin, 2018, 2020; Zerosuicide, 2020; The Trevor Project, 2016). As rates of suicide among youth continue to increase, it is essential for behavioral health clinicians and other professionals working with children and adolescents to understand the dynamics of suicide among young people as well as best practices for intervention. This course will provide you with an opportunity to apply your existing knowledge of suicide prevention to assess and intervene with an at-risk adolescent. By interacting with her in a simulated therapy session, you will see how your selection of responses impacts her level of risk and outcomes. Supervisory input will also help guide you through this simulation exercise. If you have not participated in in-depth training on preventing suicide among children and adolescents, we recommend that you review our other courses about suicide among children and adolescents first. After learning about evidence-based approaches for preventing suicide among children and adolescents, you can then use this simulation to reinforce your knowledge.