Addressing Suicide Prevention, Intervention and Postvention in Schools

Description

Schools are on the frontlines of youth suicide prevention—but too often, educators and behavioral health professionals are left without a clear roadmap for responding effectively before, during, or after a suicide crisis. This course provides the critical knowledge and tools needed to navigate the complexities of school-based suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention.

Informed by leading research and real-world strategies, this training equips clinicians to offer ethical, culturally responsive, and evidence-based support for students at risk. Whether you’re preparing a safety plan or guiding a community after a suicide loss, this course delivers the guidance you need to act with confidence and compassion.

Dr. Jonathan B. Singer, Ph.D., LCSW—Associate Professor of Social Work at Loyola University Chicago and President of the American Association of Suicidology—is one of the field’s foremost experts on youth suicide prevention. As a prolific author, sought-after international speaker, and coauthor of Suicide in Schools, Dr. Singer brings unparalleled insight and clarity to this vital subject.

Through this engaging online self-study format, Dr. Singer presents a nuanced, research-informed approach that blends clinical insight, systems thinking, and cultural humility. The course offers immediately applicable strategies for working within school systems and across diverse student populations.

Participants will learn to recognize and apply current suicide-related terminology, differentiate empirically supported prevention programs, design effective safety plans, and implement postvention efforts that are both trauma-informed and culturally attuned. Real-world examples and school-based scenarios illustrate how to turn best practices into practical action.

Key Takeaways:

• Use the right language: Understand and adopt preferred suicide-related terminology to reduce stigma and support recovery.

• Apply research-based models: Identify proven school-based prevention programs and learn how to implement them effectively.

• Respond with skill and sensitivity: Create and use comprehensive safety plans and postvention protocols grounded in cultural humility.

Why This Course?

• Trusted expertise: Dr. Singer is a globally respected authority in youth suicide prevention, bringing both academic rigor and frontline experience.

• Focused on schools: Unlike general suicide prevention trainings, this course is tailored to the real-world context of K–12 schools and the professionals who serve them.

• Backed by a mission-driven team: Telehealth Certification Institute is dedicated to delivering high-quality, practical continuing education for behavioral health professionals committed to ethical care.

Learning Objectives:

• Distinguish between preferred and problematic suicide-related concepts

• List empirically-based suicide prevention programs

• Identify the 7 components of a safety plan

• Explain how planning and cultural humility can be protective following a student's suicide death

By the end of this course, you’ll feel more prepared, empowered, and aligned with best practices in supporting student mental health and safety. We invite you to explore this important topic and deepen your capacity to make a life-saving difference in your school community.

Enroll today to bring clarity and confidence to your work with students.

Format and Access

This is a non-interactive self-study course. Instruction consists of 1 hour of video instruction and a post-test.

Course Details

Availability: 

From the time of registration, you have six months to access the coursework.

Who Should Attend: 

This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.

Teaching Methods: 

This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.

How to Attend:

Course access and completion instructions.

Instructor and Disclosures

Instructor

About Dr. Jonathan B. Singer, Ph.D., LCSW

Dr. Singer is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Loyola University Chicago, President of the American Association of Suicidology and coauthor of the 2015 Routledge text, Suicide in Schools: A Practitioner's Guide to Multi-level Prevention, Assessment, Intervention, and Postvention. He is a two-time winner of the National Association of Social Workers Media Award (2012 and 2016). He was a 2014 Visiting Scholar at Fordham University, the 2017 Lucille N. Austin Scholar at Columbia University, and the 2018 Distinguished Lecturer at Weber State University. Dr. Singer is a well-regarded international speaker who has given hundreds of continuing education workshops, keynote addresses, and presentations on youth suicide, ethics, technology, adolescent development and attachment-based family therapy in the USA, Latin America, and Europe. He is the author of over 75 publications and his research has been featured in national and international media outlets like NPR, BBC, Fox, Time Magazine, and The Guardian. His co-authored article with Arielle Sheftall and John Ackerman about the news media's reporting on the suicide deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain won the prestigious 2019 SDX prize for research on journalism. He is an NASW Expert, Healio Psychiatry Peer Perspective Board member, and on several national youth advisory boards including Sandy Hook Promise, JED Foundation, and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. A pioneer in the integration of technology and social work, Dr. Singer is an original member of the online suicide prevention social media community #SPSM, the Treasurer for the International Human Services Information Technology Association, and co-lead for the Social Work Grand Challenge initiative "Harness Technology for Social Good". Dr. Singer is the founder and host of the award-winning Social Work Podcast (www.socialworkpodcast.com), the first podcast by and for social workers. The Social Work Podcast has over 40,000 followers on social media, listeners in 208 countries and territories, and a million podcast episode downloads per year. He lives in Evanston, IL with his wife and three children and can be found on Twitter as @socworkpodcast and Facebook at facebook.com/swpodcast.

Disclosure Statement:  

The instructor(s) for this course receive compensation for their services. There are no reported conflicts of interest to disclose.

CE Hours

Credit Hours:

This course consists of 1 continuing education hour of credit.

Counselors:

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No, 6693.  Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. 

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Mental Health Counselors. #MHC-0048.

Marriage and Family Therapists: 

Many MFT licensing boards accept our courses or one of the approvals which we have from professional associations.  You can check with your board to determine if your licensing board would accept this course.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0135, effective May 8, 2025.

Social Workers:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, #1609, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 05/02/2024 – 05/02/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 1 clinical continuing education credit.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Social Workers #SW-0435.

Addiction Professionals:

This course has been approved by Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits, effective 2/9/2022. NAADAC Provider #193104, Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is responsible for all aspects of the programming.

Psychologists:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Telehealth Certification Institute LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Psychologists #PSY-0128.

Art Therapists: 

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Creative Arts Therapists #CAT-0093.

Other Professionals:

This course qualifies for 60 minutes of instructional content as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and professional organizations.  Retain your certificate of completion and contact your board or organization for specific filing requirements.

This is a non-interactive, self-study course.

Accommodations and Policies

Close Captioning is available for live webinars and recorded video presentations.

You can click on the following links to view our policies:

• Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities.
• Cancellation Policy
• Grievance Policy
• Support Options
• Disclosure Statement