Learn how to use the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)

5920 Homestead Road,Fort Wayne IN 46814

24 August, 2021

Description

Learn to identify what kind of help someone with suicidal thoughts needs. You could prevent a tragedy. People struggling with mental health concerns often turn to their churches first for help. It is important that church staff and volunteers know how to identify the type of help someone who is experiencing suicidal thoughts needs in order to prevent a tragedy. The Stop Suicide Northeast Indiana coalition is working to help churches, service providers, educators, and other agencies build a common language around suicide by learning to use the same standardized suicide screening tool: the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). It is used world-wide by first responders, health care providers, educators, corrections departments, and military branches and is available in more than 140 languages. Use of the C-SSRS reduces unnecessary referrals and interventions by more accurately identifying who needs help, and it makes it easier to correctly determine the level of support a person needs with recommended steps to help someone stay safe from suicide. This training provides hands-on experience using the C-SSRS screening tool in realistic practice scenarios. About the presenter The course is taught by Colleen Carpenter, the facilitator of the Stop Suicide Northeast Indiana coalition. Her mission is to help organizations and communities tighten their safety nets so that people who are struggling with suicide and mental health issues are identified and helped. Carpenter sits on numerous local and state level suicide-related committees and is board chair of the Indiana Suicide Prevention Network. She has master’s degrees from Loyola University Chicago (sociology) and the University of North Carolina (public health). She has won local and national awards for her work in suicide prevention. She is also a survivor of her Uncle John’s suicide.