Resource Types: Training

If you are involved in developing or expanding a state- or community-based suicide prevention program, this course is for you. This free online training from SPRC can help you identify issues and populations to focus on, select activities that can effectively prevent suicide, and prioritize your efforts to achieve maximum impact. Regardless of your experience with suicide prevention or strategic planning, using a strategic planning approach is a feasible way to improve your prevention efforts. To bring that approach to life, this training presents a case study that illustrates how a community task force applies the strategic planning process to their work. This course is highly recommended for any professional responsible for suicide prevention in states, communities, organizations, schools, or workplaces.

Handouts for this course include the following:

Developing Goals and Objectives

Finding Help with Evaluation

Overview Strategic Planning Approach

Understanding Risk and Protective Factors 

At a Glance: National Data Sources for Suicide

State and Local Data Sources

Data is critical to effective suicide prevention, but figuring out what data you need, where to find it, and how to make sense of it can sometimes feel overwhelming. This free online course from SPRC offers step-by-step guidance to help you find and interpret suicide-related data in order to target your prevention efforts effectively. The course explores a variety of commonly used data sources for information on suicide deaths and attempts, suicidal ideation, and related factors—as well as new frontiers in suicide surveillance, such as interactive dashboards and real-time data collection. It also explains key concepts that will help you better understand the data you find. This course is highly recommended for anyone involved in national, state, or community suicide prevention.

Handouts for this course include the following:

At a Glance: National Data Sources for Suicide

Mortality Data Considerations

Accessing Data about Suicidal Behavior among American Indians and Alaska Natives

Data on Suicidal Behavior among College and University Students

State and Local Data Sources

Making a Data Request

Another useful resource is the video Using Data to Prevent Suicide with Dr. Alex Crosby, a medical epidemiologist with the CDC

Reducing access to lethal means, such as firearms and medication, can determine whether a person at risk for suicide lives or dies. This free online course focuses on how to reduce access to the methods people use to kill themselves. It covers how to: (1) identify people who could benefit from lethal means counseling, (2) ask about their access to lethal methods, and (3) work with them—and their families—to reduce access.

While this course is primarily designed for mental health professionals, others who work with people at risk for suicide, like social service professionals and health care providers, may also benefit from taking it.

Handouts for this course include the following:

The Basics of Firearms

What Clients and Families Need to Know

Clients Who Need Lethal Means Counseling

Firearms Laws Relevant to Lethal Means Counseling

What Clinicians Can Do

This free online course describes the Safety Planning Intervention and how it can help individuals. It explains when to work with patients to create a safety plan and describes the steps involved in crafting one.

This online course teaches healthcare professionals who work in an ED how to conduct screening, assessment, and brief interventions, such as safety planning and lethal means counseling. It also addresses patient-centered care for patients with suicide risk, patient safety during the ED visit, and incorporating suicide prevention into discharge planning.