Impact of a Virtual Suicide Safety Planning Training on Clinician Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, and Use of Safety Plans in Community Mental Health Clinics

• Published in: Archives of suicide research 2024, Vol.28 (1), p.428-437
• Main Authors: Whitmyre, Emma D, Esposito-Smythers, Christianne, Goldberg, Debora G, Scalzo, Gabriella, Defayette, Annamarie B, López, Jr, Roberto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; At risk populations; Clinical psychology; Clinical training; Clinics; Community health services; Community mental health services; Community psychology; Community-based programs; Health insurance; Health planning; Health status; Humans; Implementation; Intervention; Knowledge; Measurement; Mental Health; Planning; Psychological assessment; Risk assessment; Safety; Self Efficacy; Suicidal Ideation; Suicide; Suicide - psychology; Suicide Prevention; Suicides & suicide attempts; Training; Youth
• ISSN: 1381-1118; 1543-6136
• DOI: 10.1080/13811118.2023.2183163

Safety planning is a critical evidence-based intervention used to prevent suicide among individuals who report suicidal ideation or behavior. There is a dearth of research on optimal ways to disseminate and implement safety plans in community settings. The present study examined one implementation strategy, a 1-hour virtual pre-implementation training, designed to teach clinicians to effectively use an electronic safety plan template (ESPT), integrated with suicide risk assessment tools, in the context of a measurement feedback system. We examined the effect of this training on clinician knowledge and self-efficacy in use of safety planning as well as ESPT completion rates. Thirty-six clinicians across two community-based clinical psychology training clinics completed the virtual pre-implementation training as well as pre- and post-training knowledge and self-efficacy assessments. Twenty-six clinicians completed a 6-month follow-up term. Clinicians reported significant improvements in self-efficacy and knowledge from pre- to post-training. They retained significant improvements in self-efficacy and a trend toward greater knowledge at the 6-month follow-up. Of the clinicians who worked with suicidal youth, 81% attempted to use an ESPT and 63% successfully completed all sections of the ESPT. Reasons for partial completion included technological difficulties and time constraints. A brief virtual pre-implementation training can improve clinician knowledge and self-efficacy in use of an ESPT with youth at risk for suicide. This strategy also holds the potential to improve the adoption of this novel evidence-based intervention in community-based settings.