4-Hour Course: Suicide Prevention & Crisis Intervention

What Will You Learn?

• Upon completion of this 4-hour course, participants will be able to:
• Suicide Risk Understanding & Recognition
• Identify emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and environmental warning signs of suicide risk.
• Distinguish passive vs. active suicidal ideation, including plan, intent, and access.
• Recognize how trauma, stress, and mental health symptoms influence suicide vulnerability.
• Crisis Assessment Competencies
• Conduct a structured, scope-appropriate suicide-risk assessment.
• Use direct, clinically appropriate phrasing to assess ideation, plan, intent, and access.
• Evaluate protective factors that may lower risk.
• Crisis Intervention Skills
• Apply stabilization strategies to reduce emotional overwhelm during crises.
• Communicate effectively using non-judgmental, supportive, and de-escalating language.
• Determine appropriate levels of care based on behavioral indicators.
• Safety Planning & Referral
• Develop a collaborative, scope-aligned safety plan with clients.
• Identify when outpatient counseling is insufficient and emergency referral is required.
• Implement ethical follow-up procedures after a crisis.
• Ethical & Legal Responsibilities
• Understand confidentiality limitations, duty-to-warn/duty-to-protect standards, and referral obligations.
• Document crisis assessments and interventions in accordance with Behavioral Health Board standards.
• This course provides practical, immediately applicable skills for real-world practice.