Healthcare Training Institute - Quality Education since 1979
CE for Psychologist, Social Worker, Counselor, & MFT!!

Course Learning Objectives/Outcomes

By the end of the course, the Counselor, Marriage and Family Therapist, Social Worker or Psychologist will be able to:

a. Suicide Risk Assessment
     (i) How to structure an interview to gather information from a client or patient on suicide          risk and protective factors and warning signs, including substance abuse.
-Explain how optimized or 'no problem' questions are problematic when asking about suicidal ideation.
-Name five biopsychosocial risk factors for suicide.
-Explain the suicidal warning signs that the mnemonic IS PATH WARM stands for.
-Explain a reason why alcohol and/or drug misuse significantly affect suicide rates.

   Suicide Risk Assessment
     (ii) How to use the information referenced in (a) (i) to understand the risk of suicide.
-Explain the four-step approach used by the CDC to address suicide, a public health problem.

   Suicide Risk Assessment
     (iii) Appropriate actions and referrals for various levels of risk.
-Name three possible interventions for patients with a moderate suicidal risk factor.

   Suicide Risk Assessment
     (iv) How to appropriately document suicide risk assessment.
-Explain how risk factors are documented when completing a suicide risk assessment.

b. Treatment and Management of Suicide Risk
     (i) Available evidence-based treatments for patients and clients at risk of suicide, including          counseling and medical interventions such as psychiatric medication and substance          abuse care.
-Name four evidence-based psychotherapy interventions for the prevention of suicide.
-Name two important risk factors for suicide that are known to have gender-specific components to their prevalence and expression.
-Name four primary drivers of suicidality.
-Name five signs of a quality treatment program.

   Treatment and Management of Suicide Risk
     (ii) Strategies for safety planning and monitoring use of the safety plan.
-Name six steps in implementing the safety plan.
-Explain how the sustainability of treatment and safety plans is enhanced.

   Treatment and Management of Suicide Risk
     (iii) Engagement of supportive third parties in maintaining patient or client safety.
-Explain a major barrier in preventing critical information exchanges between crisis centers, external crisis and emergency services, and other third parties.
-Name four tasks that administrators can assign clinical supervisors in making sure that the tasks involved in extending care beyond the immediate actions are carried out.

   Treatment and Management of Suicide Risk
     (iv) Reducing access to lethal means for clients or patients in crisis.
-Explain the most common suicidal method reported.
-Name four lethal means methods of suicide.

   Treatment and Management of Suicide Risk
     (v) Continuity of care through care transitions such as discharged referral.
-Name four main patient groups that are eligible for referrals to the suicide prevention team.
-Name two primary approaches that can be used by schools to identify youth with possible increased risk for suicide.

c. Veteran Populations
     (i) Population-specific data, risk and protective factors, and intervention strategies.
-Name nine suicidal risks that are specific to veterans.

d. Risk of imminent harm through self-injurious behaviors or lethal means
     (i) How to recognize nonsuicidal self-injury and other self-injurious behaviors and assess          the intent of self-injury through suicide risk assessment.
-Name three subcategories of moderate self-injurious behavior, also known as superficial self-injurious behavior.
-Name five risk factors that are associated with non-suicidal self-injurious behavior.
-Name four differences between non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicide.
-Explain why it is important to recognize self-injury and treat the client appropriately and quickly in order to prevent complications.

   Risk of imminent harm through self-injurious behaviors or lethal means
     (ii) (A) Objects, substances and actions commonly used in suicide attempts and impulsivity                 and lethality of means.
-Explain the most common method of attempting suicide among adolescents.

   Risk of imminent harm through self-injurious behaviors or lethal means
     (ii) (B) Communication strategies for talking with patients and their support people about                 lethal means.
-Explain the three-part response that is recommended for clinicians to use with patient who are extremely irritable.

   Risk of imminent harm through self-injurious behaviors or lethal means
     (ii) (C) How screening for and restricting access to lethal means effectively prevents suicide.
-Explain the fundamental assumption underlying restricting access to means of suicide.

"The instructional level of this course is introductory, intermediate, or advanced depending on the learners clinical area of expertise."