The AMSR approach to training empowers providers of suicide care
We understand the challenges that healthcare providers face when working with individuals at risk of suicide. The AMSR approach encourages clinicians to understand their own thoughts and feelings about suicide and how it impacts the work they do. AMSR focuses on gathering pertinent information to guide the formulation of risk so clinicians can collaboratively plan with individuals in their care to keep them safe from suicide.
AMSR’s research-informed, person-first risk formulation model helps health and behavioral health professionals increase their confidence navigating challenging conversations and providing compassionate care to individuals at risk for suicide.
AMSR Risk Formulation
AMSR training provides participants with the knowledge and skills they need to address suicide risk and behaviors.
Participants will have the opportunity to increase their knowledge and apply practical skills in each of the twenty-four core competencies of effective suicide treatment.
The AMSR risk formulation groups these competencies into five teachable areas.
- 1. Approaching Your Work
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Learn how to manage reactions related to suicide and maintain a collaborative, non-adversarial stance. Acquire the skills to address potential conflicts between your goal to prevent suicide and maintain an individual’s safety and their goal to eliminate their psychological pain via suicidal behavior.
- 2. Understanding Suicide
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Gain an understanding of the definitions and language used when talking about suicide. Learn about risk and protective factors, warning signs, and precipitating factors for suicide. Understand how data can inform your risk formulation.
- 3. Gathering Information
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Identify key points in treatment when a suicide assessment should occur, the type of information to gather to inform the assessment, and ways to build trust to elicit key information about an individual’s risk of suicide. This training presents the main domains to a comprehensive suicide specific assessment and explores why an individual may not disclose suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Participants practice using assessment questions in an interactive learning environment designed to help build confidence. The training includes interactive exercises.
- 4. Formulating Risk
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Practice synthesizing assessment information into a risk formulation that will help inform next steps in treatment. AMSR emphasizes the importance of using the risk formulation to assist in collaborative decision making with recovery-oriented treatment planning. It is not used to predict suicidal behavior.
- 5. Planning and Responding
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Learn ways to appropriately plan next steps for treatment based on an individual’s risk level. Interventions discussed include collaborative contingency planning, safety planning, means safety counseling, and crisis management.
AMSR Services
Training
We offer a one-day training for health care providers, and a three-hour session for other staff members who, along with the provider, provide care to patients at risk of suicide.
AMSR for Inpatient, Outpatient, and Substance Use Disorder settings are appropriate for clinical professionals who conduct suicide risk assessments with patients, including counselors, social workers, therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and nurses.
We offer a companion version, AMSR Direct Care for Inpatient and Outpatient, for other staff on the care team who need to understand the risk formulation and treatment plan but do not do the risk assessment.
Training of Trainers
We offer several opportunities for qualified professionals to become AMSR trainers. AMSR trainers are authorized to train other behavioral health professionals in one or more curricula based on the AMSR risk formulation model.
AMSR Trainers go on to administer valuable training within their organizations and are eligible to earn fees for leading trainings outside their organization.
Courses
We offer versions of our AMSR curricula that have been adapted as self-paced online courses.