Given the high rates of suicide in the United States as well as the rate of contact of suicidal individuals with mental health practitioners, assessment regarding procedures utilized in response to client suicidality is warranted. The purpose of this study was to identify suicide risk assessment and management practices utilized for varying levels of suicidality in children and adolescents among mental health practitioners. Currently practicing clinicians were invited to participate in the current study via email recruitment. Participants were presented with a vignette of a client with either low, medium, or high suicidal risk and were asked a series of open- and closed- ended questions regarding assessment and management practices. Participants also completed the Stigma of Suicide Scale (SOSS) as well as questions regarding their educational experiences, confidence, and knowledge about suicide. Three-hundred-and-seventy- two practitioners took part in this study. The majority of participants reported experience with providing a direct intervention to clients presenting with suicidality. Notably, approximately 20% of participants reported losing a client to suicide at some point in their professional career. With regard to confidence, knowledge (e.g., risk/protective factors, evidence-based interventions), and training experiences, no differences were found among varying degree levels (e.g., Master's vs. doctorate), degree types (e.g., school psychology, clinical psychology, social work), or licensure (e.g., licensed vs. non-licensed). Participants endorsed stigmatized views of suicide, especially with regard to perceptions that glorify or normalize suicidality. These stigmatized views of suicide were related to the number of children and adolescents treated who presented with suicidal ideation such that more experience with this presentation increased stigmatized views that normalize suicide. Overall, this study highlights a dearth of training among mental health practitioners in the area of suicide risk assessment and management practices. At the same time, results from this study point toward a need for training, as evidenced by a lack of knowledge of how to effectively treat suicidal clients, a task that is ultimately inevitable for practitioners. Recommendations for improving clinician knowledge and competence with regard to suicide risk assessment and management practices are discussed.

Keywords: suicide, risk assessment and management, training.