Webinar Title
School-Based Suicide Risk Assessment of Children and Adolescents (1.5 CE/CPD)
Recorded Presenation
Click here to access the recorded webinar.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
Identify prominent risk factors and warning signs for youth suicidal behavior.
Identify variables that contribute to the transition from suicidal ideation to more severe forms of suicidal behavior.
Identify procedures for effectively conducting individual suicide risk interviews with children and adolescents and linking assessment to effective intervention.
Abstract
Suicide is a major public health problem and a leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the U.S. In part because of the extensive time children and adolescents spend in schools, school mental health professionals (SMHPs) frequently are called upon to conduct suicide risk assessments. Unfortunately, many SMHPs report that they are not adequately prepared to conduct these assessments.
The purpose of this webinar is to provide an overview of school-based suicide risk assessment, including identifying risk factors and possible warning signs of youth suicidal behavior, understanding the suicide ideation-to-action model of suicide and its implications for risk assessment, and the benefits and challenges of universal screening measures. A primary focus of the webinar will be on conducting effective child and adolescent interviews, determining suicide risk level based on interviews, and providing appropriate interventions for at-risk youth.
Bio
David N. Miller, Ph.D., is professor of School Psychology at the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY-Albany). He is the author of numerous publications in youth suicidal behavior and mental health, including the recent book Child and Adolescent Suicidal Behavior: School-Based Prevention, Assessment, and Intervention, Second Edition (2021). A scientific advisor for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and a past president of the American Association of Suicidology, he was an invited expert reviewer for the national documents After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools (2018), Preventing Suicide: The Role of High School Mental Health Providers (2019), and the Model School District Policy on Suicide Prevention (2019). Prior to his current academic position, he was a practicing school psychologist and has extensive experience conducting suicide risk assessments in schools.