Training Mental Healthcare Providers to Reduce At-Risk Patients' Access to Lethal Means of Suicide: Evaluation of the CALM Project

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the “CALM” (Counseling on Access to Lethal Means) training, in which community-based mental health care providers were trained to work with at-risk clients and their families to assess and reduce access to lethal means of suicide, including firearms. In 2006, CALM trainers conducted workshops in 7 community-based mental health care centers in New Hampshire towns. Participants completed a post-test immediately after the workshop and a follow-up questionnaire approximately 6 weeks later. At follow-up, 65% reported that they had counseled clients' parents about access to lethal means (n = 111). Findings also indicate that the workshop influenced participants' attitudes, beliefs, and skills regarding conducting lethal means counseling.

Keywords:

• counseling
• mental health
• prevention and control
• suicide

Acknowledgments

Partial funding for the CALM trainings was generously provided by a grant from the Gutin Family Foundation to the Injury Prevention Center at Children's Hospital at Dartmouth. The evaluation of the CALM trainings was supported by grants from the Joyce Foundation and the David Bohnett Foundation.

We would like to acknowledge: the work of the advisory council; the involvement of local police departments; Cynthia LaPointe, for administrative assistance with the workshops; Effie Malley, for her on-going support; and Vanessa Dautruche, for assistance with data management.

Notes

Note. ^a All questions were on the post test. The response options were (1) strongly disagree, (2) disagree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (4) agree, (5) strongly agree.

^b The statistical significance of the differences between participants' beliefs prior to and after the CALM Workshop were assessed using the Wilcoxon Rank-Sum test, a non-parametric analog to the paired t-test.

Note. ^a The response options were (1) strongly disagree, (2) disagree, (3) neither agree nor disagree, (4) agree, (5) strongly agree.

^b The statistical significance of the differences between participants' beliefs immediately and 6-8 weeks after the CALM Workshop were assessed using the Wilcoxon Rank-Sum test, a non-parametric analog to the paired t-test.