Description: Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) is a skills-focused training that looks at addressing the “how” of suicide prevention, rather than the “why”. Addressing access to lethal means and determining effective strategies to reduce access for those at risk of suicide has been proven to reduce suicides by thirty to fifty percent, which provides a critical opportunity for intervention. Suicidal crises, or the period of time in which someone is seriously considering attempting suicide, are often short, most frequently lasting less than 10 minutes. When someone at risk of having a suicidal crisis has access to lethal means, including medication or firearms, their chance of survival is greatly decreased, especially given that firearms make up over fifty percent of all suicide deaths. However, if we can create time and distance between the individual and lethal means of suicide, we can often deter attempting at all, and save a life in both the short and long term. This training utilizes the ambivalence that often comes with thoughts of suicide, as a point of both prevention and intervention. By reducing access to lethal means, we significantly improve the safety of those at risk of attempting suicide. Participants in this training will learn relevant information and be given data on access to lethal means and suicide rates. More importantly, they will also gain and practice essential skills via role playing on how to ask about access to lethal means and engage with participants and their support system to reduce access until they are no longer at elevated risk. Case studies will also be reviewed and discussed.
This course is for anyone who comes into contact with people who may be at risk for suicide. This includes mental health providers, but many people at risk for suicide do not go to a psychiatrist or counselor – or, if they do, they may be there for other reasons like to shore up a failing marriage, cope with a gambling problem, attend court-ordered anger management sessions, etc. A wide array of providers may come into contact with suicidal people: police officers, school personnel, youth detention workers, corrections personnel, defense and divorce attorneys, leaders of grief support groups, emergency department and other health professionals, and so on.
Continuing Education Hours: 3.0* Satisfactory completion of continuing education hours (CEHs) requires attending at least 85% of the training duration, participating in activities (e.g., polls, breakout rooms), and completing the training evaluation.
Requirements This training is virtual, occurring live over Teams. All participants are required to join on camera and expected to fully engage in the training to be eligible to receive a Continuing Education (CE) certificate upon completion.
Questions Please direct any questions about this training to TPT via email tpt@carecg.com or by calling 1-888-878-0865.