Suicide Assessment and Prevention

SW732, Section 801

Suicide is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Suicide risk assessment, risk formulation, and treatment are consistently difficult in practice and greater attention to this public health issue and prevention efforts are needed, especially so, by social workers who provide the majority of mental health services in the U.S. This one-credit course is designed for MSW students who are focused on interpersonal practice and will cover the following topics: the critical issue of suicide (prevalence), suicide-risk assessment (risk and protective factors, warning signs, components of the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale scale), formulating suicide risk (determining a level of suicide risk for subsequent alignment with appropriate action), and prevention approaches including evidence-informed interventions (including multi-level prevention at the universal, institutional, and individual levels). Students will have the opportunity to apply knowledge and practice skills with use of case vignettes, roleplays, and simulations.

Learning Objectives:

1. Differentiate between suicide risk factors, protective factors, and warning signs.
2. Facilitate suicide risk assessment using evidence-informed screening and assessment tools.
3. Formulate a case conceptualization to determine suicide risk level.
3. Develop an intervention plan based upon suicide assessment and case conceptualization.
4. Explain and implement evidence-informed suicide prevention strategies.