Barry Feldman
Department of Social Work
University of New Hampshire
317 Pettee Hall
Durham NH 03824
USA
Phone: (603) 862-5027
Email: barry.feldman@unh.edu

Purpose: Nearly 30,000 people die annually of suicide.  Social workers who provide mental health services are in a crucial position to intervene with suicidal clients, yet little is known about the suicide intervention training that social workers receive.  This study investigates how much training social workers receive in suicide intervention and how such training influences social workers’ perceived competence in working with suicidal clients.

Methods:  In a national survey of 598 master’s-level social workers, participants reported the suicide intervention training they received in their MSW classes, field placements, post-graduate work experiences, and continuing education.  Social workers ranked their agreement with three separate statements that they felt confident, competent, and/or comfortable working with a suicidal client.  These three items were combined into a scale representing perceived competence (Cronbach’s alpha=.73).  Multiple regression analyses were performed with variables significantly related to perceived competence in bivariate correlations.

Results:  The vast majority of respondents reported they did not receive enough suicide-related training in their MSW program.  Only 20% of participants indicated that their MSW program offered a course or seminar specifically on suicide intervention.  Participants received, on average, less than 2 hours of training in their MSW program. Overall, participants perceived themselves as moderately competent in suicide intervention.  Regression analyses revealed that individuals whose MSW program offered a class on suicide intervention reported higher levels of competence.  Data also revealed significant associations between perceived competence and learning about suicide intervention in post-graduate supervision and being licensed to practice independently.

Implications:  Findings indicate that few social workers received formal training in suicide intervention, although such training is significantly associated with how effectively social workers perceive they work with suicidal clients.  Given the gaps in social workers’ perceived competence and the importance of suicide prevention, more graduate-level training in suicide intervention may be needed.