QPRT Suicide Risk Assessment and Training Course ©

The QPRT Suicide Risk Assessment and Training Course for university or continuing education unit (CEU) credit is an online and multimedia course designed for all primary healthcare professionals, counselors, social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists, substance abuse treatment providers, clinical pastoral counselors and licensed and certified professionals who evaluate and treat suicidal persons.

A recent national survey found that very few practicing clinicians use formal suicide-specific assessment methods or psychological tests to assess suicide risk, but do rely on the clinical interview. The QPRT model was developed by clinicians for clinicians to fill this need for a brief, structured risk assessment clinical interview. QPRT has been successfully employed with more than 200,000 patients of all ages in all settings over the past ten years.

This course is designed to:

• Orient the provider to suicide as a problem in health care settings
• Provide the human services professional with suicide risk and protective factor information
• Train the provider in a proven suicide risk assessment protocol
• Reduce the risk of suicide malpractice through an award-winning documentation system
• Reduce patient morbidity and mortality associated with suicidal behavior

This course covers:

• Size and scope of the suicide problem in America
• Risk factors for suicide
• Relationship of mental illness to suicide
• Current status of suicide risk assessment
• How to conduct a suicide risk assessment interview
• How to determine immediate risk for suicide
• How to document a suicide risk assessment and risk management plan
• How to avoid claims of suicide malpractice

Course Content:

• Orientation to QPRT Suicide Risk Assessment and Training Course
• Orientation to QPRT Suicide Risk Management Inventory© tool
• The Epidemiology of Suicide (65-minute video/CD lecture)
• Mental Illness and Suicide (45-minute video/CD lecture)
• Avoiding Suicide Malpractice (40-minute video/CD lecture)
• The Current Climate of Suicide Risk Assessment (text file)
• Introduction to the QPRT Suicide Risk Management Inventory© rationale and development
• Conducting a suicide risk assessment interview
• Role play exercises
• Documentation exercise
• Evaluation and national test

Course Objectives:

• State at least ten risk factors for suicide and state what methods of suicide are used in America
• List specific factors that affect the choice of method used to attempt or complete a suicide and list specific groups at high risk for suicide
• Explain how suicide rates are calculated and compare rates of suicide across states, regions and various countries
• Describe the relationship between untreated mental illness to suicide attempts and completions and the relationship of substance use disorders to suicide attempts and completions
• Identify suicide mortality rates by major psychiatric illness diagnoses
• Identify those persons in a clinical population most at risk for suicide and identify five clinical signs associated with imminent suicide attempts and completions
• Discuss the current climate regarding suicide malpractice
• State the essential requirements necessary to minimize the risk of successful litigation for suicide malpractice and identify three types of practice errors that may lead to claims of suicide malpractice
• Identify the four "Ds' necessary for the prosecution of a claim of malpractice
• State how to significantly reduce exposure to even accusations of suicide malpractice
• State clinical risk information important to assessing suicidal persons and the current limitations in suicide risk assessment
• Apply assessment skills through evaluated role-plays
• Identify information on suicide risk reduction practices and critical information on unrecognized suicide risk
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