Suicide prevention in social work education: How prepared are social work students?

Baseline results from a randomized intervention study of the Question, Persuade, and Refer suicide prevention gatekeeper training with 73 advanced masterÕs of social work student interns show suicide knowledge was average, attitudes about suicide prevention were generally neutral, and use of suicide prevention practice skills was low. These results indicate an opportunity for enhancing student outcomes through training and inform social work education regarding necessary preparation for student interns and new graduates to identify and respond effectively to client suicide risk.