Suicide Prevention Resources for Clinicians

For decades, the outgoing message for all mental health providers and organizations included the phrase, “If this is an emergency, please hang up and call 911.” As of July 16, 2022, there’s another 3-digit number that social workers should know about: 988.

Suicide and suicidal behavior among youth and young adults is a major public health crisis. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among young people 10-24 years of age in the United States (US), and rates have been rising for decades.

Dr. Matt Wintersteen, Associate Professor, Director Research at Thomas Jefferson University, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior talks about asking young people “are you okay?” and being prepared for the answer. Dr. Wintersteen has also received a research grant from AFSP.

Attitudes In Reverse® or AIR® offers a comprehensive mental health plan to educate youth, from elementary level through college-age. AIR’®s programs are wrapped in messages of understanding, empathy and kindness towards all.

Whether your suicide loss has been of a patient/client, loved one, student, and/or colleague, we know that the impact of this traumatic loss can be profoundly painful, that it often extends into our professional work and identities. In addition, due to the unfortunate stigma (both around suicide and professional vulnerability) that exists with our field, we know that there are very few “places” to even acknowledge this loss or its impact. We want to welcome you to join the CCS, and hope that this is a site where you can find understanding, validation and support, and to know that you are not alone.

The Coalition of Clinician Survivors exists to provide support, education, resources and consultation  to mental health professionals and other professional caregivers who have experienced suicide losses in personal and/or professional contexts. We recognize that, regardless of whether the loss was of a loved one, a client/patient or a student, the repercussions are profound and are likely to impact a clinician both personally and professionally.

Our mission is to make sure no young person feels alone in their depression. We are dedicated to creating a community of empathy and education. We create upper elementary, middle school and high school mental health, depression and suicide awareness programs so educators, families and teens can create safe spaces to learn about mental health, letting students know they are never alone, and there is somewhere to turn.

From detecting the warning signs to addressing the stigma, learn how to recognize suicidal behavior in others, gather prevention tools and resources, and find out where to get help today.

Practice-based digital learning to improve mental health and well-being in schools, campuses, and communities. Kognito role-play simulations enable organizations to rapidly build the capacity of educators and students to lead real-life conversations that change lives.

The U.S. has a youth mental health crisis. School mental health services help address the crisis. Through our School Mental Health Initiative, the MHTTC Networks aims to accelerate the implementations of effective mental health services in schools.

At Minding Your Mind, we create experiences that open minds and show people they are not alone when they are struggling. Our group of young adult speakers, who have successfully and productively coped with their mental health challenges, share their stories of hope, recovery, and resilience.

In November 2024, NJAMHAA launched a new campaign, Untold Stories You will read several success stories within these pages. These successes were realized by individuals who were fortunate enough to access the appropriate mental health and/or substance use treatment and supports they needed to assist them in reaching their goals of healthier and more productive lives. There are, unfortunately, so many untold stories – stories of those who are unable to access such services. They are tragically often counted among the statistics on suicides, hospitalizations, imprisonment and overdoses.

Our mission is to break the grip of emotional isolation that is killing our young people. We do this by expanding and delivering measurable, science-based programs that fill critical gaps and equip America’s youth with the skills they need to thrive.

Sheppard Pratt is committed to providing education and resources to support clinicians, caregivers, and the broader community in understanding and addressing complex mental health challenges. Their educational series explores evidence-based strategies for topics such as managing difficult-to-treat depression and suicide prevention, offering valuable insights from leading experts in the field.

Each educational series is designed for mental health professionals, healthcare providers, and anyone invested in improving outcomes for individuals facing these critical issues. Whether you are seeking the latest research, practical interventions, or community-based approaches, these programs provide actionable knowledge to enhance care and support.

Available Educational Series:

• Difficult-to-treat depression: learn how to assess and manage patients whose depressive symptoms are not responding to traditional treatments.
• Suicide Prevention in Primary Care: learn to improve suicide screening and management through relevant clinical information, examples, and workflows.

Join Sheppard Pratt in advancing the conversation and improving care for those who need it most.

SOS Signs of Suicide is an affordable, evidence-based suicide prevention program that has demonstrated a 64% reduction in self-reported suicide attempts.

The Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide has compiled a list of Crisis and informational resources for parents and caregivers.

Explaining suicide death to a child or teen can feel overwhelming and intimidating. As adults, we often want to protect them from the stigma and shame that can accompany such a death. Here are some tips for talking with children and teens about a suicide death and ways to support them in their grief.

Just released from the Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention

To support the shift to telehealth services in recent years, the Action Alliance produced a series of videos to facilitate the adoption of standard suicide risk screening practices in telehealth. The second video, launched on January 22, provides practical strategies for setting up virtual screening within an electronic health record portal and steps to take when virtual screening indicates that risk is present.

Since 2000, the TLC has been providing support to communities affected by traumatic events such as homicide and illness; the most difficult being suicide.