“Ordinary People” to “13 Reasons Why”: Intervening to Reduce Youth Suicide and Self-Harm Risk
Tuesday, June 29, 2021 at 1:00 PM EDT, 10:00AM PT
Presented by Joan Asarnow, Ph.D., UCLA, 2020 SCCAP Distinguished Career Award Recipient
Moderator: Jennifer Hughes, Ph.D., MPH, UT Southwestern
2020 SCCAP Distinguished Career Award recipient, Joan Asarnow, PhD, will highlight key results gleaned from her career developing, evaluating, and disseminating treatments for depression, self-harm, and suicide prevention in children and adolescents. This presentation will focus on risk factors and evidence-informed interventions for suicide in youth.
Learning objectives:
1. To describe one or more major risk factors for suicide in youth
2. To describe an evidence-informed care process for youth presenting with suicidal episodes.
2. To describe one intervention with demonstrated efficacy for reducing suicide attempts.
Dr. Joan Asarnow is a Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA and a Board Certified Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychologist (ABPP). She directs a SAMHSA-funded Center for Trauma-Informed Suicide, Self-Harm, and Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention (ASAP Center, with Co-Director Dr. David-Goldston) which offers trainings, consultation, and technical assistance on trauma-informed approaches to evaluation and treatment for reducing suicide and self-harm risk. At UCLA, Dr. Asarnow directs the UCLA Youth Stress and Mood Program, a depression and suicide prevention program with clinical, educational, and research components. She has led efforts to integrate care for behavioral health problems within pediatrics and other medical settings and to develop and disseminate evidence-based treatments for youth suicide and suicide attempt prevention and depression. Dr. Asarnow received the 2017 Research Award from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention for her work developing and evaluating treatment and service delivery strategies for youths suffering with suicidal and self-harm behaviors and the 2020 Distinguished Career Award from the Society for Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. Two programs developed by Dr. Asarnow were listed in the National Registry for Evidence-Based Programs (SAMHSA): 1) SAFETY-A/the Family Intervention for Suicide Prevention, a crisis treatment for youths after a suicidal/self-harm episode; and 2) Depression Treatment Quality Improvement, an evidence-based depression treatment program that has been integrated within primary care, mental health, and other settings. Dr. Asarnow has received grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, Centers for Disease Control, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and other organizations. She currently serves on the Scientific Council of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Scientific Advisory Board of the Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation.