A widely-used strategy for managing acute suicide risk is the contract for safety, also known as the no-suicide contract. Despite its widespread use across mental health and medical settings, accumulating consensus is that this approach may be ineffective. Alternative strategies such as crisis response planning or the related safety planning intervention have therefore been proposed. Written on an index card, the crisis response plan outlines simple steps for a suicidal individual to follow when in a crisis. Results of a recently completed randomized clinical trial show that crisis response planning reduces suicide attempts by 75% as compared to the contract for safety, thereby supporting the method’s efficacy. The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of crisis response planning, and to differentiate the method from other, less effective means for managing suicide risk.

     This Suicide Prevention Across the Educational Continuum 5-Part Webinar Series is a collaboration between the Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center and the Mountain Plains Prevention Technology Transfer Center. Both Centers are located in the HHS Region 8 which includes Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.