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Why Take This Course

Suicide prevention is not something clinicians—or the people they serve—have to navigate alone. Families, loved ones, and other important people can play a meaningful role in supporting individuals at risk for suicide. Knowing how to engage these support networks thoughtfully and effectively can strengthen suicide prevention efforts and promote a more collaborative approach to care. In this course you will:

  • Explore ways to meaningfully involve family members, loved ones, and other important people in supporting individuals at risk.

  • Enhance your ability to engage clients and their support networks in creating practical, collaborative approaches to safety.

  • Discover how strength-based approaches can support suicide prevention and encourage meaningful participation from important others.

  • Strengthen your ability to involve support networks thoughtfully while respecting clients' needs, preferences, and circumstances.

What You'll Learn

By the end of this course, you will be better able to:

  • engage important others in suicide prevention,

  • develop collaborative safety plans, and

  • enhance suicide prevention efforts via strength-based approaches.

Who Developed This Course

Senior Instructor Teresa McDowell

Teresa McDowell, EdD, LMFT is professor emerita at Lewis & Clark, where she served as department chair and co-founded the college’s Problem Gambling Services. With over 40 years of experience as a clinician, educator, administrator, and consultant, Teresa focuses on workforce development, equity-based clinical practice, integrated treatment for problem gambling, and clinical supervision. She is a social researcher, program evaluator, and consultant with Partners in Social Research and Senior Instructor for ACORN. Dr. McDowell has authored more than 50 scholarly publications and is lead author of Socioculturally Attuned Family Therapy: Applying Third Order Thinking to Theory and Practice (3rd Ed., 2026).

Who This Course Is For

This course is designed for mental health and addiction treatment professionals who want to strengthen their suicide prevention skills by engaging families, loved ones, and other important support networks. It is particularly relevant for professionals seeking practical, collaborative, and strength-based approaches to supporting individuals at risk for suicide.

  • mental health counselors (MHC / LPC), marriage and family therapists (MFT / LMFT), art therapists (AT / LAT), social workers (SW / LSW / LCSW), psychologists;

  • Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors (CADCs) and Certified Gambling Addiction Counselors (CGACs);

  • Qualified Mental Health Associates (QMHAs) and Qualified Mental Health Professionals (QMHPs);

  • peers and behavioral health supervisors.

What About CE Hours

Certificate of completion will be made available on the Student Dashboard after you complete all required course activities and the course evaluation survey.

ACORN is approved by the Mental Health & Addiction Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO), Provider ID: 26-0044, to provide continuing education courses. Additionally, ACORN is approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7274. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. ACORN is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

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Important Disclaimer

The information provided in this course is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

Laws, rules, regulations, and professional codes may change, and information presented in this course may not reflect the most current requirements at the time it is reviewed. You should not act, or refrain from acting, based solely on information provided in this course without reviewing current laws, administrative rules, professional codes, and board guidance, and seeking legal advice from qualified counsel in the relevant jurisdiction when appropriate.
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