Teen Suicide Prevention: Counselors and Mental Health Professionals
The Role of Mental Health Counselors in Preventing Suicide:
People who are in danger of harming themselves may try to reach out to you as a mental health professional -sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly. As a mental health counselor, you should be alert for imminent warning signs that a patient may be at risk of suicide.
Approximately 50 percent of those who die by suicide were in treatment with a mental health professional at the time of their death. The suicide of a client has been called an “occupational hazard” for mental health providers and yet many of them do not feel they receive adequate training in the assessment treatment and management of suicidal clients. (Link to Glendon suicide page for resources)
Training Opportunities for Mental Health Professionals:
Online:
- Something to Lose: An Interview with Lisa Firestone, Ph.D. (Psychotherapy.net – CE’s available)
- Suicide: What Every Mental Health Professional Needs to Know (CE’s available)
For a full list of resources to help you as a practitioner deal with a suicidal client, visit The Glendon Association – Suicide and Self-Destructive Behavior
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