Western Mass Hospital to Offer Lecture on Assessing, Managing Suicide Risk

WESTFIELD — Western Massachusetts Hospital will host a free workshop by Barry Feldman, Ph.D. titled “Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk” on Monday, June 18 from 8:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the Conference Center. Lunch will be provided at the event.

The event will incude six and a half hours of training, in a mix of lecture, paired practice, written exercises, and video modeling; an engaging participant manual, including bibliographies for each of the five major sections; post-workshop access to additional resources on a webpage exclusively for AMSR participants and trainers; and ample time for discussion.

Suicidal behavior is a major cause of death and disability in the U.S. More than 30,000 people die by suicide each year, the equivalent of one major airliner filled with passengers crashing every two days. Hundreds of thousands of people are treated in hospital emergency departments each year following a suicide attempt.

A significant proportion of people who die by suicide have had recent contact with a mental-health professional. However, many providers are inadequately trained to assess, treat, and manage suicidal patients or clients. “Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk” was designed to address that training gap. It teaches essential core competencies that meet the needs of an entire spectrum of mental-health professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed counselors, social workers, and employee-assistance professionals.

To register for the event, call Kate Bryda, clinical educator, at (413) 784-9189.