Target Audience: Psychologists, marriage and family therapists, mental health counselors, advanced social workers, independent clinical social workers, social worker associates-advanced, and social worker associates-independent.

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The overall goal of this training is to demonstrate how screening for and restricting access to lethal means effectively prevents suicides.

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By the end of these sessions:

Session 1: Participants should feel more comfortable with gender-affirming terminology, gain a deeper comprehension, appreciation, and humility for the complexities of the LGBTQIA+ umbrella (Helgeson, 2020), learn how to create an LGBTQ Affirming Clinic, and to identify suicide risks associated with gender identity and being a member of a marginalized community.

Session 2: Participants should have a working knowledge of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) and how to use it with a client or patient to assess risk of imminent harm, suicide risk (Brown et al., 2020). 

Session 3: Participants should know how to establish appropriate linkages to systems of care for suicidal clients’ (patients’) specific needs based on the level of suicide risk determined using the C-SSRS.

Session 4: Participants should comprehend military culture, effective means restriction, and why restricting access to lethal means prevents suicides.

Session 5: Participants will be able to use the SOARS questionnaire to identify non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), and other self-injurious behaviors (Westers et al., 2023).

Curriculum Plan

Upon purchase of the curriculum, participants will obtain access to Pacific Northwest Social Scientists (PNWSS) online Learning Management Software system (LMS) uniquely developed and designed for this training.
The participant will work through 5 learning sessions in sequential order. Each session begins with a video-recorded presentation (Closed Captioning available). After the presentation, the participant is directed to True/False and Multiple-Choice quizzes designed to reinforce knowledges and skills acquired during the session. Some of the sessions include self-guided exercises for the participant to complete prior to moving on to the next section.
An 80% will be required to pass the quizzes and self-guided exercises, which can be repeated until a passing grade is achieved. Upon passing the quiz or exercise, the next session will be accessible until all 5 sessions are completed. After the entire course is completed, the participant will receive the option to download a PDF version of their CEU Certificate of Completion. A copy will also be retained by PNWSS for four years in the event of auditing.

Note: The user will have the ability to leave in the middle of a session and return later. The user will also have multiple chances to achieve a passing grade within each session.

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Citations

Brown, L. A., Boudreaux, E. D., Arias, S. A., Miller, I. W., May, A. M., Camargo, C. A., Bryan, C. J., & Armey, M. F. (2020). C‐SSRS performance in emergency department patients at high risk for suicide. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 50(6), 1097–1104. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.12657

Helgeson, V. S. (2020). Psychology of gender (Sixth edition). Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Joiner, T. (2007). Why people die by suicide (First Harvard University Press paperback edition). Harvard University Press.

Kalat, J. W. (2023). BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY. CENGAGE LEARNING.

Posner, K., Brown, G. K., Stanley, B., Brent, D. A., Yershova, K. V., Oquendo, M. A., Currier, G. W., Melvin, G. A., Greenhill, L., Shen, S., & Mann, J. J. (2011). The Columbia–Suicide Severity Rating Scale: Initial Validity and Internal Consistency Findings From Three Multisite Studies With Adolescents and Adults. American Journal of Psychiatry, 168(12), 1266–1277. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2011.10111704

Salvi, J. (2021). Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS).

Westers, N. J., Needham, H. E., & Walsh, J. B. (2023). Effectiveness of a Curriculum for Pediatric Residents to Address Adolescent Nonsuicidal Self-Injury. Academic Psychiatry, 47(1), 18–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-022-01684-3