Essential Suicide Prevention Resources for Social Workers and Other Mental Health Professionals

September is Suicide Prevention Month.

by Christopher Maxwell

With special thanks to the AAS Members who comprise much of these organizations' staff and leadership

(Editor's Note: This is the second in our Suicide Prevention Month series, in collaboration with the American Association of Suicidology.)

AAS Trainings and Certifications

The American Association of Suicidology offers a variety of trainings and certifications for mental health professionals. These range from Psychological Autopsy certifications to Recognizing and Responding to Suicide Risk for Clinicians, to Suicide Bereavement for Clinicians and Crisis Worker Certification.

These trainings and certifications uniquely position mental health professionals, including social workers, to address suicide risk in their clients and within their communities.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 800-273-TALK (8255)

The Lifeline is the national hotline for those in need of support. Calls and instant messages via the Internet are answered by local and regional call centers across the country. When someone reaches out to the Lifeline, their contact is routed to the nearest crisis center in the Lifeline network to help to ensure provision of accurate and relevant resources or treatment referrals.

Of note: callers or “chat visitors,” as those who reach out via instant message are known, do not necessarily have to be in acute suicide crisis when making contact. Most call centers have protocols to ensure support for a range of people’s emotional needs, including depression, self-harm, anxiety, and so forth.

Follow-Up Matters

The Lifeline’s Follow-Up Matters initiative provides resources, research, and materials for clinicians looking to provide support for individuals post-discharge from a healthcare or behavioral healthcare setting. Many social workers provide care to those who are exiting the public health system and are looking for ongoing treatment and may find this information useful for this work.

Suicide Prevention Resource Center

The SPRC is the nation’s only federally supported resource center devoted to advancing the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.

Crisis Text Line

Crisis Text Line (CTL) - Text HOME to 741741

CTL provides 24/7 crisis and emotional support via text messaging in the U.S. Trained crisis counselors for CTL are located across the country.

Trans Lifeline

Trans Lifeline - 877-565-8860

TL is a nationwide peer-support hotline for and staffed by trans individuals. TL also provides material support, advocacy, and education.

Trevor Project

The Trevor Project - 1-866-488-7386

Trevor offers 24/7 support via phone, chat, or text to LGBTQ+ young people (individuals 13 - 24). Their website also provides comprehensive resources, education, and advocacy materials for those looking to do more in their communities.

OurDataHelps

OurDataHelps.org

ODH is a free platform that allows anyone to donate their social media data (in a completely confidential and de-identified manner) to help develop tools for clinicians to better address suicide crises for their clients. Early research using donated data has shown promising results, including the possibility to predict someone’s increased risk before a suicide crisis. People who have survived a suicide attempt, those who have lost loved ones to suicide (including social media data of someone who has died from suicide), and those who have never been affected by suicide are all encouraged to donate. The more data, the more robust the research, and the more effective the tools being created.

Social Work Podcast

The Social Work Podcast

Jonathan Singer, Ph.D., LCSW, creator and host of The Social Work Podcast, provides unique and powerful insight into the profession from a variety of perspectives. Leaders in the fields of social work, psychology, mental health, suicide prevention, bipolar disorder, and many more have been interviewed by Dr. Singer to enhance and enrich the capacities of those professionals.

Notable episodes:

Suicide Prevention Social Media Chat

For more than five years, SPSM has provided leading-edge information surrounding innovation, technology, research, and ethics surrounding suicide prevention in the digital realm. The mission of SPSM has been to create more effective conversations about suicide and to focus on actionable initiatives for its participants.

Notable episodes:

Chris Maxwell is the communications coordinator for the American Association of Suicidology. In this position, he leverages media relationships, collaborations, and partnerships to develop an effective voice for suicide prevention and to help the general public better understand this massive public health concern. Chris has worked in the suicide prevention and mental health field for the past nine years, including experience as a crisis hotline counselor, a statewide suicide prevention grant administrator, and most recently facilitating communication between the crisis centers in the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Network.