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CE Course Description

In 2024, suicide was the tenth leading cause of death for people of all ages, claiming close to 50,000 lives. When looking beyond 2024 at suicide trends for the last twenty-five years, rates have been steadily increasing since 2001. However, since 2017, suicide rates have been mostly stable, though they peaked in 2022 and decreased slightly by 2024. Between 45,000 and 50,000 people have died by suicide every year since 2017, with certain disparities existing in these rates. In the U.S., social workers are the nation’s largest group of mental health service providers, making them an essential profession in suicide prevention. Since social workers are providing a significant amount of mental health services in the U.S., they must be skilled in suicide risk assessment, while considering the legal, ethical, and professional liabilities associated with navigating suicide risk. Multiple states are now requiring suicide risk assessment training. This training can help navigate complex ethical dilemmas when assessing and responding to suicide risk. This training integrates the National Association of Social Work’s (NASW) Code of Ethics with evidence‐based suicide prevention practices to help clinicians make ethically sound, trauma‐informed decisions in high‐risk situations. Participants will learn how to conduct a suicide risk assessment and identify ethical principles that are relevant to this area of practice. They will also learn trauma-informed, culturally responsive strategies for suicide risk assessment and how to navigate ethical dilemmas. In addition, they will learn how to document ethically defensible decisions. 

Author: Amy Colver, MSSA, MA, LISW

CE Course Objectives 

1. Identify ethical principles relevant to suicide risk assessment, including autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and professional integrity.
2. Apply the NASW Code of Ethics to real-world suicide‐related scenarios involving minors, adults, and vulnerable populations.
3. Demonstrate trauma‐informed, culturally responsive strategies for assessing suicide risk without causing harm or retraumatization.

Social Work Approval

Social Work CE Credit for this course is offered with the following approvals. Many state boards of social work will accept the approvals listed. Provider Approvals by state and license type can be found here.

• Quantum Units Education is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, CAMFT Provider #89970, to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEP. Quantum Units Education maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.
• Florida board for Social Workers CE Provider #50-8650 (Quantum 'immediately' reports CE Credits to Florida licensees) 
• Illinois Department of Professional Regulation, License No. 159.001261 approved CE Sponsor
• Ohio CSWMFTB #RCST091701 approved CE Provider
• Texas Board of SWE #5070 approved CE Provider
• Quantum Units Education, #1289, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 01/03/2026 - 01/03/2029. Social workers completing this course receive 2.00 'Ethics' continuing education credits.

To see other approvals in your state, see our state by state provider approval listings here.

Course Development: Each course is identified and reviewed by the appropriate Quantum Units Education consultant with professional and licensed expertise in the various disciplines we serve. Our professional consultants oversee course development to satisfy the needs of various professionals based on their board requirements, rate course degrees of difficulty and ensure the course content and exam questions are appropriate, relevant and comprehensive. See our professional staff and their bios here.

*Questions regarding how to take a course, refunds, grievance policy and ADA policy can be found here.
*Questions regarding this course or need support? Contact us at support@quantumunitsed.com.

Added On: 10/12/2026