Clinical Assistant Professor University of Oklahoma Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Overview: This poster explores lessons learned from teaching a multimodal Suicidology unit over three years in a mid-western MSW program. Observational data from teaching this content to MSW students (N = 282) is used to conceptualize adverse student responses and strategies for responding to student distress.Proposal text: Background
Suicide-specific education has been identified as a deficiency in graduate education programs for helping professions. A majority of early career clinicians report feeling unprepared for basic assessment and treatment of suicidal clients. An MSW program in a Mid-western state has attempted to remedy this shortcoming by integrating suicide-specific content in their coursework. An overview of lessons learned from three years of teaching this content is provided with recommendations for responding to adverse student experiences.
Learning Objectives:
1. Participants will learn about a four week, multimodal unit on Suicidology. 2. Participants will explore a range of adverse reactions that may be experienced by vulnerable students. 3. Participants will identify pathways for supporting students who experience adverse reactions to suicide-related content.
Methods
The suicidology unit was designed to be delivered through a four-week module integrated into required curriculum. The unit integrates didactic instruction, readings, role plays, and high-fidelity simulation within modules on prevention, intervention, and postvention. Observational data from 282 MSW students was collected to better understand adverse student reactions to this content.
Results
The majority of students did not report adverse reactions to the content (85%). Among students who experienced a negative reaction (N = 42), 44% reported unspecified concerns, 26% reported having lost a friend or family member to suicide, and 30% reported a personal history with suicidal behaviors. The most common adverse reaction was emotional distress (87%) followed by avoidant behaviors (missed class, 13%). Most adverse reactions (86%) emerged as students prepared for the simulation assignment. The remaining 14% reported significant reactions to the didactic lessons, readings, and role plays.
Most students who reported an adverse reaction were able to successfully complete the unit without accommodations (70%). Remaining students received some form of accommodation, with 13% electing to complete a simplified simulation (screening without full assessment), 11% chose to observe a peer’s simulation, and 5% completed an alternative assignment where they processed their cognitive and affective reactions to the content. A small number of students attempted to complete the simulation, but ended their experience early due to a strong emotional reaction (1%).
Implications for Social Work Education
As an increasing number of MSW programs take steps to integrate suicide-specific content in their curriculum, it is important to consider the needs of students who experience adverse reactions to this material. A major lesson learned in this study is that standard practices, like trigger warnings, are not sufficient to address many student’s needs. It is recommended that MSW programs make efforts to normalize adverse experiences and provide ample opportunities for students to process their cognitive and affective responses. Formal accommodations should be available to students with strong reactions to the material. Programs that integrate experiential elements should also ensure that faculty are available to debrief in the event of a strong emotional reaction with referrals to student counseling services when necessary. It is recommended that programs provide tiered accommodations to meet the needs of individual students with options for reduced experiential activities, observational alternatives to experiential activities, and alternative assignments.
