Continuing & Professional Studies, Palo Alto University

This self-paced training program on Suicide Assessment, Management, and Prevention is presented by Robert J. Cramer, PhD.

Drawing on competency and skill-based learning modalities, this course targets multidisciplinary health professionals who work in suicide assessment, management, and prevention. The competencies are derived from contemporary theory, research and expert guidelines concerning suicide prevention. The course utilizes a variety of learning strategies including, but not limited to, journal article readings, guided lecture, self-assessment and self-reflection tools, and case examples for the learner to practice many competencies.

Mental health and public health efforts in suicide prevention have moved toward mastery of specific competencies.  A body of medical and psychological literature (e.g., American Association of Suicidology, 2010; Hung, Binder, Fordwood, Hall, Cramer, & McNiel, 2012; Joiner, 2005; Kleespies, Hough, & Romeo, 2009; Liebling-Boccio & Jennings, 2013; Rudd, Cuckrowicz, & Bryan, 2008; Sullivan & Bongar, 2009) has articulated specific suicide-related competencies, streamlined into a framework of the following 10 specific competencies:

Recognizing attitudes and reactions toward suicide when with a client

Developing and maintaining a collaborative, empathic stand toward the client

Eliciting evidence-based risk and protective factors

Focusing on the current plan and intent of suicidal ideation

Determining chronic and imminent risk levels

Collaboratively enacting an evidence-based treatment plan

Involving appropriate social support

Documenting risk, plan and clinical reasoning

Knowing the law concerning suicide

Engaging in debriefing and self-care

Participants discuss suicide prevention knowledge, improved suicide prevention-related attitudes, enhanced self-perceived competency, and improved objectively-rated performance (Cramer, Bryson, Eichorst, Keyes, & Ridge, in press; Cramer, Bryson, Stroud, & Ridge, in press).  This  course also addresses three primary additions in order to enhance the potential impact: (1) evidence-based public health approaches to suicide prevention are covered as an additional general core competency, (2) a sample high-risk setting (i.e., corrections) is addressed in terms of identification of setting-specific competencies that may augment the general core competencies, and (3) a sample high-risk population (i.e., lesbian, gay, and bisexual [LGB] persons) is addressed to provide the learner an example of population-specific tailoring of some general core competencies.