Understanding Suicide: Effective Tools for Prevention, Intervention, and Survivor Support 

Suicide provides unique challenges to both the professional caregiver and those within the informal support system. This course will help define challenges for those faced with providing crisis intervention with suicidal people and their support systems. It seeks to examine evidence-based concepts and gives practical tools to equip helpers with suicide awareness, professional referral, peer support intervention and supporting survivors in the aftermath of a suicide completion. The course is interactive and uses lecture, small and large group discussion, role-plays, and video interviews with survivors and experienced leaders in the field of suicidology.​

Course Highlights

• Identify current relevant suicide data relating to demographics, means and methods
• Explore the relevant research surrounding the suicidal mind
• List key risk and protective factors to protect and support suicidal individuals
• Identify important myths surrounding suicide
• Identify an evidence-based model for suicide intervention and supporting suicidal individuals
• Explain how to educate support systems on restricting access to lethal means
• Articulate ways to support survivors in the immediate aftermath
• Identify elements of suicide grief and utilize key tools for both immediate response to survivors long-term grief recovery
• Identify key suicide prevention and support resources to assist families, organizations and communities

Certificates and Continuing Education:

General Contact Hours: 

Two-Day Course; 14 Contact Hours: 1.4 General CEUs from University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Dept. of Emergency Health Services Professional and Continuing Education (PACE). Based on a formula of 1 Continuing Education Unit for every 10 contact/classroom hours.

ICISF Certificate of Completion:

After the completion of this ICISF course, with verified full attendance, participants are eligible to receive an electronic ICISF Certificate of Completion including General Continuing Education Units. Participants are required to complete a course evaluation prior to receiving this Certificate of Completion.

Completion of ICISF courses and receipt of an ICISF Certificate of Completion does not attest to competence in the field, nor does it provide certification in the field of CISM.