Staff Perspective: Behavioral Health Resources I Wish I Had Known About for Suicide Prevention
Professionals and researchers across the behavioral health field agree that preventing suicide is a complex problem that must be addressed at multiple levels. In honor of Suicide Prevention Month, I’d like to reflect on a couple of resources I wish I had known about earlier and share with you some resources that the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) will release in 2024.
While not new, I wish I had known earlier about the resources available through the Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Suicide Prevention (https://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn19/index.asp). They have created excellent resources to help busy clinicians connect with research, education, and clinical tools. While their work primarily focuses on Veterans, the resources and consultation opportunities are available and applicable to those working with service members and their families. All of their content is useful, but I would like to highlight some clinical tools that are especially beneficial when providing care to service members and Veterans. First is the Therapeutic Risk Management with Patients at Risk for Suicide (https://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn19/trm/). The risk stratification tool provides a comprehensive model for suicide risk assessment and management. Informed by clinical work and medical/legal experts, it offers stratification of both Acute and Chronic Suicide Risk (together forming overall Suicide Risk). The tool describes Acute and Chronic Risk by level of risk (low, intermediate, high) and offers recommended actions associated with each level.
The second resource, also from the Rocky Mountain MIRECC, is the Suicide Risk Management program (https://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn19/consult/). The program provides consultation, support, and resources to clinicians treating Veterans and other military-connected individuals at risk for suicide. Their website offers information about the program, a link to request free consultation, and online tools. They also provide postvention tools and consultation for clinicians who have lost a patient to suicide.
Another resource that I wish I had learned about earlier is the Psychological Health Resource Center (https://www.health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Centers-of-Excellence/Psychological-Health-Center-of-Excellence/Psychological-Health-Resource-Center) of the Military Health Service and DHA. This notable resource provides access to "service members, veterans, family members, clinicians, commanders, or anyone with a question about psychological health in the military" 24/7 by phone, email, or chat. They will provide customized responses to questions and links to community resources. While not a treatment center, they offer assistance in accessing care.
Now, I want to mention a couple of CDP resources coming your way in 2024. Many clinicians have participated in evidence-based psychotherapy training with us online. Sometimes, this online training occurs in an avatar-based platform called Second Life. However, you might not be aware that CDP also hosts Second Life islands for on-demand learning opportunities (https://deploymentpsych.org/virtual-provider-training-in-second-life). We currently have training islands accessible to learn about PTSD and Sleep Problems/Disorders that can be reached via the above link. In 2024, we will be releasing our Suicide Prevention Island. This island was developed as an immersive, engaging behavioral health island. As you journey across the island, you will participate in challenges that move you through parts of suicide prevention clinical work from risk assessment, safety planning, lethal means, and relapse prevention for suicide with an avatar “patient.” We’ve even included a firing range on the island where you can learn more about firearms and safe storage. We hope you’ll be on the lookout for the grand opening of the island that is…COMING SOON!
Lastly, I want to mention another great training opportunity through CDP that will be launched in June 2024. As part of the DoD Child Collaboration Study (https://deploymentpsych.org/DoDKidsStudy), we will develop a free, on-demand training series on suicidal self-directed violence and non-suicidal self-directed violence in military children. You can access other military kids and families topics in the training series now, but please stay tuned for the special focus on suicide prevention, with the first training of the series scheduled for release in JUNE 2024!
I hope highlighting these resources has been helpful. In doing so, I’ve reflected on the many men, women, and children I have had the good fortune to treat who have struggled with suicidal thinking or behaviors. They have taught me so much- you know who you are, thank you. Also, I have a special message to clinicians treating individuals with suicidal thinking or behaviors: take care of yourselves, seek consultation, and use all the resources in your work- we need you, and you matter!
The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.
Erin R. Frick, Psy.D., is the Assistant Director, DoD Child Collaboration Study, for the Center for Deployment Psychology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences at Bethesda, Maryland.
Professionals and researchers across the behavioral health field agree that preventing suicide is a complex problem that must be addressed at multiple levels. In honor of Suicide Prevention Month, I’d like to reflect on a couple of resources I wish I had known about earlier and share with you some resources that the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) will release in 2024.
While not new, I wish I had known earlier about the resources available through the Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Suicide Prevention (https://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn19/index.asp). They have created excellent resources to help busy clinicians connect with research, education, and clinical tools. While their work primarily focuses on Veterans, the resources and consultation opportunities are available and applicable to those working with service members and their families. All of their content is useful, but I would like to highlight some clinical tools that are especially beneficial when providing care to service members and Veterans. First is the Therapeutic Risk Management with Patients at Risk for Suicide (https://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn19/trm/). The risk stratification tool provides a comprehensive model for suicide risk assessment and management. Informed by clinical work and medical/legal experts, it offers stratification of both Acute and Chronic Suicide Risk (together forming overall Suicide Risk). The tool describes Acute and Chronic Risk by level of risk (low, intermediate, high) and offers recommended actions associated with each level.
The second resource, also from the Rocky Mountain MIRECC, is the Suicide Risk Management program (https://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn19/consult/). The program provides consultation, support, and resources to clinicians treating Veterans and other military-connected individuals at risk for suicide. Their website offers information about the program, a link to request free consultation, and online tools. They also provide postvention tools and consultation for clinicians who have lost a patient to suicide.
Another resource that I wish I had learned about earlier is the Psychological Health Resource Center (https://www.health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Centers-of-Excellence/Psychological-Health-Center-of-Excellence/Psychological-Health-Resource-Center) of the Military Health Service and DHA. This notable resource provides access to "service members, veterans, family members, clinicians, commanders, or anyone with a question about psychological health in the military" 24/7 by phone, email, or chat. They will provide customized responses to questions and links to community resources. While not a treatment center, they offer assistance in accessing care.
Now, I want to mention a couple of CDP resources coming your way in 2024. Many clinicians have participated in evidence-based psychotherapy training with us online. Sometimes, this online training occurs in an avatar-based platform called Second Life. However, you might not be aware that CDP also hosts Second Life islands for on-demand learning opportunities (https://deploymentpsych.org/virtual-provider-training-in-second-life). We currently have training islands accessible to learn about PTSD and Sleep Problems/Disorders that can be reached via the above link. In 2024, we will be releasing our Suicide Prevention Island. This island was developed as an immersive, engaging behavioral health island. As you journey across the island, you will participate in challenges that move you through parts of suicide prevention clinical work from risk assessment, safety planning, lethal means, and relapse prevention for suicide with an avatar “patient.” We’ve even included a firing range on the island where you can learn more about firearms and safe storage. We hope you’ll be on the lookout for the grand opening of the island that is…COMING SOON!
Lastly, I want to mention another great training opportunity through CDP that will be launched in June 2024. As part of the DoD Child Collaboration Study (https://deploymentpsych.org/DoDKidsStudy), we will develop a free, on-demand training series on suicidal self-directed violence and non-suicidal self-directed violence in military children. You can access other military kids and families topics in the training series now, but please stay tuned for the special focus on suicide prevention, with the first training of the series scheduled for release in JUNE 2024!
I hope highlighting these resources has been helpful. In doing so, I’ve reflected on the many men, women, and children I have had the good fortune to treat who have struggled with suicidal thinking or behaviors. They have taught me so much- you know who you are, thank you. Also, I have a special message to clinicians treating individuals with suicidal thinking or behaviors: take care of yourselves, seek consultation, and use all the resources in your work- we need you, and you matter!
The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.
Erin R. Frick, Psy.D., is the Assistant Director, DoD Child Collaboration Study, for the Center for Deployment Psychology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences at Bethesda, Maryland.