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Suicide Assessment and Safety Planning
Six hours on the clinical work most mandates point at and most clinicians want more practice in: structured risk assessment, collaborative safety planning, means safety conversations, disposition decisions, and documentation that reflects what you actually assessed. Aligned with recognized frameworks including the Columbia protocol and the Stanley and Brown safety planning intervention.
BySeph Fontane Pennock
Reviewed byMichael Callans, MSWCurriculum and outcomes
After this course you will be able to
- Conduct a structured suicide risk assessment using recognized frameworks
- Build a collaborative safety plan a client can actually use
- Hold a means safety conversation without rupturing the alliance
- Document assessment, plan, and follow-up defensibly
What the course covers
- 01Risk assessment frameworks and structured inquiry
- 02Collaborative safety planning, step by step
- 03Means safety conversations
- 04Disposition, follow-up, and continuity of care
- 05Documentation and worked case demonstrations
Who this course is for
- Clinicians who want structured assessment instead of gut feel
- Anyone whose state mandates suicide prevention training
- Supervisors who want a shared framework for their team
State rules that name this topic
These state rules name the topic this course teaches. Two things to check before you rely on it: this course is self-paced and asynchronous, so it cannot be used where a rule requires live or synchronous training, and it is not yet CE-approved for any license. Each requirement guide shows the current rule, the hours required, and the source.
California
Suicide risk assessment and intervention
Washington
Suicide assessment, treatment and management
Pennsylvania
Suicide prevention
How it works
This is a self-paced, asynchronous course (home study), not a live webinar or scheduled class. Reading with optional audio, case material worked in full, and short knowledge checks along the way. The course ends with a final exam (60 questions, retake allowed) and a course evaluation. Your certificate of completion issues immediately and stays downloadable from your private course link.
Common questions
Which frameworks does it teach?
Structured inquiry aligned with the Columbia protocol, the Stanley and Brown safety planning intervention step by step, means safety conversations, and disposition decisions with a fully worked outpatient case.
Does it satisfy my state mandate?
Several states mandate suicide training (Washington, California one-time, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Nevada and others). Approvals and state acceptance are in progress; the eligibility line on this page will state exactly what the course satisfies before you rely on it.
Is it appropriate if I rarely see acute risk?
Yes. The course is built for generalist practice: recognizing risk you were not expecting, responding without panic, and documenting defensibly.
Our promise
Take the course. Work the cases. If it is not what you needed and you have not yet passed the final exam, one email within 30 days gets you a full refund. No forms, no questions, no partial credit games.
Three ways to take it
This course
$69
- 6 hours of instruction
- Final exam and certificate of completion
- 12 months of access
- Courses that are not open yet offer a waitlist
Secure checkout by Stripe. Invoice included automatically. Full refund within 30 days if you have not yet passed a final exam. Email us to request it.
Saves $48 against buying the three separately
The Launch Bundle
$99
- Three flagship courses, 12 hours
- Ethics, suicide assessment, AI in practice
- $147 bought separately
- Each with exam and certificate
Annual CE Membership
$149/year
Saves $371 against buying the 11 open courses separately
- Every course we have open
- Every course we release this year
- Certificates stay yours if you cancel
The Psychology.com standard
How our courses are developed and delivered.
Development
Built to a specification written by licensed clinicians, first-drafted with generative AI, and reviewed by our editorial board before release. The development disclosure appears on each course page. We disclose the AI drafting because you deserve to know how the material was made, and because a course you rely on professionally should never hide its method.
The exam
The final exam opens after you mark every reading module complete. Question and answer order are randomized for each attempt; retakes are allowed.
Sources and dates
The course reader includes a bibliography. Our state requirement guides identify board sources and show a last-verified date.
Credit
Our courses are not CE-approved and carry no license-renewal credit. Completion earns a certificate of completion.
Eligibility
This course is self-paced and asynchronous, so it does not satisfy any requirement for live or synchronous training. CE credit approvals for this course are in progress with our accreditation partners. Until an approval is confirmed for your license type and state, treat this course as professional development. This page will list the exact approvals the course carries; we do not claim approvals we do not have.
Crisis resources
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) in the US. Our courses train professionals and are not a crisis service.