10 Hours / 10 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Assessment and Management of Suicidal Clients is presented by Michele Galietta, Ph.D. This badge-earning program can be shared digitally on platforms like LinkedIn or your resume and counts towards a certificate. Enroll in this program to earn credit towards Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Certificate and share your new digital credentials with prospective employers and colleagues. It is the third of 7 programs in this certification.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) was initially developed for patients with multiple problems, whose therapeutic progress was often hindered by their complex clinical presentations and indefinite challenges, including chronic suicidality. DBT is one of only a few evidence-based treatments effective in reducing suicidal ideation and behaviors. In DBT, self-harm is viewed as an individual’s attempt to cope with or solve a problem, typically intense emotional pain they feel they cannot change or tolerate.

To reduce suicide risk, DBT providers must help individuals identify and implement adaptive solutions (i.e., DBT skills) to the problem. Mental health professionals cannot effectively intervene to reduce suicide risk unless it is known that suicide risk is present. Therefore, this program teaches participants to conduct suicide risk assessments using an evidence-based approach. In addition, participants learn how to assess for direct indicators of suicide risk, indirect indicators of suicide risk, and protective factors. This program teaches DBT providers how to monitor suicidal thoughts and urges so that providers can intervene when the risk for self-harm is high. Lastly, providers learn to effectively examine variables that lead to increased or decreased suicidal thoughts/behaviors over time.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

  • 1 Describe suicide risk literature
  • 2 Describe risk factors
  • 3 Describe risk assessment
  • 4 Describe chain analysis
  • 5 Describe risk formulation
  • 6 Describe how to use behavioral chain analysis in practice

  • Intended Audience

    This training is intended for mental health professionals who provide care to individuals experiencing chronic suicidality or self-harm. It emphasizes comprehensive, evidence-based approaches, including cognitive-behavioral treatments, and is suitable for those seeking to enhance their skills in delivering care to individuals with complex mental health needs.

    • Mental Health Professional
    • Psychologist
    • Psychiatrist
    • Social Worker
    • Counselor
    • Case Manager
    • Nurse
    • Marriage & Family Therapist
    • Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselor
    • Other mental health professionals working with individuals at risk for suicidality or self-harm

  • Experience Level

    This training is applicable for entry-level professionals. This training is designed for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals seeking foundational knowledge and skills in the assessment and management of suicidal clients using Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

    • Beginner: Participants are new to DBT or suicide risk assessment, may have limited experience with evidence-based suicide risk interventions, and are seeking to develop core competencies in identifying risk factors, conducting risk assessments, and applying behavioral chain analysis in clinical practice.

  • Practice Setting

    Mental health professionals who work with individuals experiencing chronic suicidality or self-harm typically practice in environments that support comprehensive assessment, crisis intervention, and ongoing therapeutic care. These settings are designed to facilitate evidence-based treatments, such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and provide multidisciplinary collaboration to address complex mental health needs. Practitioners may work in both outpatient and inpatient settings, community mental health centers, hospitals, or private practices, where they routinely assess suicide risk, monitor client safety, and implement structured interventions.

    • Outpatient mental health clinics
    • Community mental health centers
    • Hospital psychiatric units (inpatient or partial hospitalization)
    • Crisis stabilization units
    • Private therapy practices
    • School-based mental health programs
    • Substance use treatment facilities
    • Integrated primary care/behavioral health settings
    • Residential treatment centers
    • Telehealth platforms for mental health care

Presented By

Michele Galietta, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Dr. Michele Galietta is Associate Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York where she served as Director of the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program from 2005-2013. Dr. Galietta is a researcher and clinician specializing in the training, adaptation and dissemination of empirically-supported treatments to community and forensic/correctional settings.

View More Programs from this Presenter
Michele Galietta, PhD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Mindfulness Activity and HW

  • Risk Assessment

  • Risk Factors

  • Behavioral Chain Analysis

  • BCA Practice p1

  • BCA Practice p2

Earning a Certificate

This is a badge-earning program, which means it will help you earn a certificate that can be showcased on digital platforms like LinkedIn.
View Certificates

CE Sponsorship Information

Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by, recognized by, or maintains sponsorship provider status with the following boards and agencies. We maintain responsibility for all content in our CE/CPD programs. For more information, visit here. 

  1. American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.

  2. Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.

  3. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

  4. National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).



Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0356 and the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0073. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6811. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CONCEPT Professional Training, #1480, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. CONCEPT Professional Training maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 11/22/23-11/22/26. Social workers completing this course receive (clinical or social work ethics) continuing education credits.