Course Description
The course content was developed around the 2020 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Guide “Treatment for Suicidal Ideation, Self-Harm, and Suicide Attempts Among Youth,” one of SAMHSA’s Evidence-Based Resource Guides. “The goal of this guide is to review the literature on treatment for suicidal ideation, self-harm, and suicide attempts among youth, distill the research into recommendations for practice, and provide examples of how practitioners can use these practices in their programs.” For the purpose of this course, registrants will read only Chapters 1 and 4 of the Guide—a total of 23 pages. The focus of these two chapters includes an overview of the current approaches and challenges related to youth suicide and self-harm, along with examples of suicide treatment programs. To complete the course, readers will complete the assigned reading in the SAMHSA Guide, view two short web-based video clips, and complete a reader exercise before taking the online posttest.
Target Audience
This course was written for social workers, behavioral health practitioners, and other service providers who are interested in recent research and evidence-based practices related to suicide ideation, self-harm, and suicide attempts in youth.
Learning Objectives
After completing the course, registrants will be able to do the following:
- Identify current approaches and challenges to addressing suicidal ideation, self-harm, and suicide attempts among youth.
- Identify examples of suicide treatment programs for youth who are currently experiencing suicidal ideation, self-harm, and/or suicide attempts.
- Identify risk factors unique to adolescents and young adults experiencing suicidal ideation, self-harm, and/or suicide attempts.
- Identify timely, related resources.