AMSR: Assessing and Measuring Suicide Risk-Online Training of Trainers
We are partnering with the Zero Suicide Institute to offer a training of trainers free of cost to those who attend! After attending this training, you will be able to return to your organization ready to train staff in AMSR, and will receive 6.5 continuing education credits. For more information on the training and agenda, please follow the registration link.
To become an authorized AMSR trainer, qualified participants first attend a 3-day Training of Trainers course, where an experienced AMSR lead trainer will demonstrate expert facilitation and provide new trainers with the opportunity to practice and receive feedback on key aspects of AMSR curricula. Upon completion of this course, AMSR Trainers are prepared and authorized to deliver workshops. In order to schedule your own workshop, you will complete the AMSR proposal form for your sponsoring organization, which will start the process to schedule the training. Workshop sponsors will need to pay a per person participant fee to EDC for access to EDC's online registration system, participant manuals (printing and shipping), web-based collection of participant feedback, certificates of completion, continuing education credits (where applicable), and staff time associated with these services. When you lead an AMSR training, each participant must receive their own manual to keep to validate their attendance and certificate.
Eligibility/Approval: This training is open to people working in the suicide prevention/mental health field with youth ages 10-24. Anyone working in schools, DCFS, juvenile justice, or an organization that primarily serves youth and families is eligible to register. Can include, but not limited to, social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and psychiatric nurses.
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Assessing and Measuring Suicide Risk (AMSR) Training
Health and behavioral health providers play a crucial role in preventing suicides. Studies have shown that a substantial proportion of people who have died by suicide had either been in treatment or had some recent contact with a mental health professional. Yet many providers report that they feel inadequately trained to assess, treat, and manage suicidal clients. AMSR meets providers’ need for research-informed, skills-based training by presenting five of the most common dilemmas faced by providers and the best practices for addressing them. We provide a framework to determine individuals’ risk and how to make relevant and meaningful treatment decisions. Teaching and skill-building methods include:
- Expert teaching
- Video demonstrations
- Group discussion
- Documentation practice
Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk (AMSR®) for Health and Behavioral Health Professionals Working in Outpatient Settings (AMSR-Outpatient) uses a research-informed risk formulation model and helps clinicians and providers feel confident navigating challenging conversations about suicide. AMSR offers key strategies for providing compassionate care to people at risk for suicide. The training is designed for clinicians with a master’s or doctoral degree in a behavioral or mental health field, including:
- Social workers
- Professional counselors
- Marriage and family therapists
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Psychiatric nurses
This 6.5 hour training will teach essential skills through video, live demonstrations, and group and written practice. By the conclusion of the training, participants are able to:
- Reconcile the potential conflict between their goal to prevent suicide and the patient’s desire to eliminate psychological pain via suicidal behavior.
- Manage their own emotional reactions with the aim of establishing a shared perspective and maintaining a non-adversarial stance.
- Use skilled questions to elicit each patient’s unique suicidal ideation, behavior, and plans in order to offer patients realistic hope for recovery.
- Develop a collaborative safety plan that is tailored to a patient’s needs and conveys the message that their safety is the highest priority.
- Discussion of Means Restriction.
- Gain knowledge in the following core competencies: maintaining an effective attitude and approach; collecting accurate assessment information; formulating risk; developing a treatment and services plan; and managing care.
- Identify changes to make in their practice, specific to the assessment and management of individuals at risk for suicide.
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At the intersection of Suicide and Domestic Violence: Assessment and Safety Planning
Assessment and Safety Planning are cornerstones of mental health, substance use, and domestic violence work.
This training will explore how to integrate a domestic violence perspective into your current assessment and safety planning processes.
Objectives:
- Increase knowledge of best practices when working with clients experiencing mental health or substance use challenges who disclose domestic violence.
- Analyze current practices when addressing DV in mental health or substance use services.
- Explore methods for developing and implementing an assessment and corresponding safety plan that integrates both domestic violence and suicide.
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Associations Between Substance Use, Suicide Risk, and Mental Health
Join Prevention First's Mental Health and Technical Assistance Team as we host a webinar on associations between substance use, suicide, and mental health. During this webinar, we will be discussing ways substance use is a risk factor for suicide and negative mental health outcomes.
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June Power Hour: Pride and Men's Mental Health Awareness Month
Join Prevention First's Mental Health Training & Technical Assistance Team for a Power Hour Session during Pride and Men's Mental Health Awareness Month. In this session, we will have an interactive discussion on ways to support LGBTQIA+ people and men in the unique struggles those populations face with their mental health.
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Leveraging Data to Improve Care Continuity for Youth Suicide Prevention
In this webinar, AllianceChicago will present their work on the project Improving the System for Timely Referrals: Youth at Risk for Suicide completed in partnership with the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Objectives:
- -Identify key gaps in the existing processes for timely referrals of youth from tertiary care to primary and behavioral care following an attempt or crisis event.
- -Evaluate potential policy solutions to improve the referral system to facilitate care continuity among youth experiencing suicidality.
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Moving Toward Zero Suicide: Policies and Practices
When organizations consider implementing Zero Suicide, they often wonder if they have organizational capacity to do so. However, many organizations are already implementing parts of the framework in their efforts to provide safer suicide care. This includes screening and assessing for suicide, safety planning and lethal means safety, and treatment. In addition, Zero Suicide is a continuous quality improvement approach. The work your organization is doing to improve quality of care, such as data collection, reporting and analysis are key to successful implementation of Zero Suicide. This webinar highlights key organizational strategies that help build capacity to effectively implement and sustain Zero Suicide, including those that align with accreditation standards (i.e. Joint Commission, CARF).
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Navigating Outpatient Suicide-Focused Care for Youth After Hospitalization
Join Prevention First and AllianceChicago for an interactive webinar as we discuss appropriate, evidence-based ways to navigate re-entry for youth after hospitalization for suicide across various settings.
Objectives:
By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:
1. Discuss how and when outpatient suicide-focused care is appropriate after hospitalization
2. Engage youth in conversation about digital re-entry after hospitalization
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Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR)
QPR qprinstitute.com/
QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. Each year, thousands of Americans like you are saying “Yes” to saving the life of a friend, colleague, sibling, or neighbor. QPR can be learned in our Gatekeeper course in about one hour. Learn more about QPR.
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safeTALK
safeTALK livingworks.net/training/livingworks-safetalk/
LivingWorks safeTALK is a four-hour training that equips people to be more alert to someone thinking of suicide and better able to connect them with further help. Using a simple yet effective model, LivingWorks safeTALK empowers everyone to make a difference. With over 120,000 people attending each year, it’s the world’s fastest-growing suicide prevention skills training course. Learn more about safeTALK.
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Second-Annual Suicide Prevention Symposium
Join Prevention First's Mental Health Training & Technical Assistance Team for our Second-Annual Suicide Prevention Symposium! You're invited to learn from experts and each other about issues, current trends, and innovative practices related to youth suicide prevention and mental health. Our symposium includes presentations for professionals working across micro, mezzo, and macro settings. Stay tuned on our webpage for an upcoming agenda and speaker updates!
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Youth Mental Health First Aid
During this course, you will learn how to support young people in your life and your work.
Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among adolescents ages 12-18.
You will build the skills and confidence you need to reach out and provide initial support to young people who are struggling. You will also learn how to help connect them to appropriate support.
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