Suicide Prevention & Risk Assessment Course Duration

This high-stakes course focuses on objective risk stratification, removing the "fear factor" for clinicians by providing standardized tools to measure suicidal intent, plan, and means. Participants will move from relying on clinical "intuition" to using evidence-based frameworks that meet medical-legal standards. The curriculum emphasizes the shift from "contracting for safety" to collaborative safety planning.

1. Screening Tools & Mastery Core Concept: High-fidelity administration of the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS).

Focus Areas: Understanding the screening questions vs. the full version; identifying "Lifetime" vs. "Past Month" risk; and recognizing subtle indicators of intent.

2. Risk Formulation & Stratification Core Concept: Moving beyond "High/Medium/Low" labels.

Focus Areas: Identifying modifiable risk factors (e.g., substance use, insomnia) vs. non-modifiable factors (e.g., history of attempts); analyzing the weight of "Protective Factors" (e.g., sense of responsibility to family/pets).

3. Safety Planning (Stanley-Brown Model) Core Concept: Collaborative harm reduction.

Focus Areas: Why "No-Suicide Contracts" are ineffective and clinically obsolete; co-creating a 6-step Safety Plan; and "Lethal Means Counseling" to reduce access to harm in the home.

4. Legal & Clinical Documentation Core Concept: Defensive documentation and standard of care.

Focus Areas: How to document clinical rationale for "Level of Care" decisions; ensuring "Warm Hand-offs" during transitions of care; and legal requirements for involuntary commitment (72-hour holds).