The vision of the Institute for Adolescent Suicide Prevention at The Chicago School is to reduce youth suicide. Every hour and fifteen minutes, a young person dies by suicide. Over the last decade, we have seen a dramatic and disturbing increase in youth suicide in the nation, and suicide risk is the most common emergency encountered by clinical psychologists and other clinical mental health providers.

The Institute’s mission is to become the premier national resource for professionals, organizations, and communities seeking new ways to address adolescent suicide. The Institute will begin its work in Southern California and then expand efforts nationally. For additional information about the Institute for Adolescent Suicide Prevention and its activities, email IASP at [email protected].

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

Areas of Focus

To increase awareness and educate communities and health care professionals on the risks of adolescent suicide, the Institute for Adolescent Suicide Prevention has established three interconnected focus areas: 

  1. Community Outreach
    1. The goal is to integrate and coordinate suicide prevention activities across multiple sectors and settings. The Institute is developing and implementing effective programs that promote wellness and prevent suicide and related behaviors.
  2. Professional and Community Education
    1. Our goal is to deliver training and education to graduate students, and community behavioral health treatment professionals to prevent and reduce suicide and related behaviors.
  3. Translational Research
    1. The goal is to motivate faculty and students to increase scientific evaluation studies of new or existing adolescent suicide prevention interventions.

TCSPP Student Support

The Institute for Adolescent Suicide Prevention assists The Chicago School students by providing information and tools to assist in their prevention work with K-12 schools, crisis hotlines, and other local agencies engaged in prevention and early intervention. The Institute of Adolescent Suicide Prevention works closely with the Division of Community Partnerships to equip faculty to establish partnerships with organizations engaged in community presentation activities.

Expertise in Suicidology

Faculty from The Chicago School have extensive experience with suicide assessment and management and share this education with schools and community agencies. The Suicide Prevention Resource Center authorizes faculty to deliver training in Assessment and Management of Suicide Risk to graduate students and professionals.

IASP Courses Available for Homestudy​​

Surviving Suicide Loss: Journey to Healing

The foundational objective of this presentation is to educate the participants on the impact of suicide among those who are survivors of those whom they have lost. This population is defined. To fulfill this objective, the information for this presentation will primarily come from reputable sources such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and organizations who conduct research and activities centered around suicide prevalence, prevention, and support for those who have attempted and those who have lost someone to suicide. Some statistical data from the World Health Organization and others will be included to describe the latest statistics around suicide.

The second objective of this presentation is to provide background information on survivors of suicide loss that is lacking in global discussion, experiences of those who have encountered loss from suicide. The third and final objective is to provide resources and information that can be used for survivors of suicide loss and next steps for healing. The need for support aimed at this population group is essential and discussed. Information regarding recognition of grief related to this group will be discussed as well as self-care activities as it relates to the impact the suicide on those left to absorb the trauma from this act.

These three objectives will enhance the participants understanding of need for discussion, support, and impact of suicide among survivors of suicide and how to best assist them in getting assistance or connect to community or national resources to prevent delayed grief reactions and lead to healing and acceptance.

Reducing Youth Suicide

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 15-19 according to The Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The suicide rate for youth between the ages of 15 and 24 was the highest recorded rate ever (Heron, 2019). The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System found that rates of feelings of hopelessness and sadness, suicidal ideation, making a suicide plan, and injuries resulting from suicide attempts have significantly increased between 2007 and 2017 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018).

The workshop provides data on recent trends in adolescent suicide and addresses warnings signs, as well as risk and protective factors. Clinicians will gain knowledge of available suicide risk screening and assessment tools. In addition to discussing suicide in general, the workshop will address the unique needs of specific populations who have increased risk based on unique social factors. Moreover, the importance of postvention strategies will also be addressed.

Youth Suicide Prevention in the TEXTing Environment

Suicide rates have risen in recent years among adolescents to the second leading cause of death in the United States. Although there have been multiple interventions introduced since 2010, one of the newest forms of intervention is via text message. In a society where advancements in technology develop daily, electronic means of assistance within the mental health field has grown. Additionally, the lockdowns falling the COVID-19 provided an opportunity for mental health organizations to determine that telehealth and remote communication was doable and, in some cases, preferred. Texting is an easy way for individuals to communicate and the patient may be more likely to open up while texting a message instead of in a face-to-face setting. During this three-hour session join mental health professionals and educators to learn more about how texting can deter and prevent suicide among adolescents.