An encore lecture series on assessing and managing suicide risk in Montana will be held in Helena this weekend.

John Wilkinson, executive director of the National Association of Social Workers in Montana, said the topic was discussed last year during a suicide prevention conference. While the response was positive, conference attendees said they wanted more than just basic information.

“As we were checking with folks, they said the prevention stuff was good … but a lot of those clinical people work with people who have a significant mental illness, like PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), depression and some people who are just chronically suicidal. They wanted more about the assessment and management of people at risk for suicide,” Wilkinson said.

So the organization invited John Hancock, the chief psychologist at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore., to take them to the next level. Hancock has been active in training clinicians both to manage suicide risk and to use evidence-based strategies in the treatment of suicidal behavior.

Wilkinson notes that Montana has the dubious distinction of leading the nation in suicide rates in every age group, and has been in the top five for the past 30 years. About 19 of every 100,000 people kill themselves in Big Sky Country, compared to a national average of 11 people per 100,000, and between 2000 and 2005, the highest rate of suicide in Montana was among American Indians, at 21 per 100,000.

“This workshop can help any mental health clinician — including social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors and others — improve their confidence and skills for assessing and managing risk,” Wilkinson said. “We will review competencies for assessing and managing risk, and we will also review in detail a cognitive therapy approach which has been associated with a reduction in suicidal behavior.”

He added, though, that the conference is open to everyone, and people can register at the door. The cost of the conference, titled “Assessment and Management of Suicide Risk: Core Competencies for Mental Health Professionals,” is $195 for NASW members and $215 for nonmembers. Discounts are available for students and retired registrants.

The conference will be held at the Red Lion Colonial Hotel on Friday and Saturday.

In addition to Hancock’s presentations, a team of Montana suicide experts will discuss supporting three populations with special risk for suicide: veterans, American Indians and adolescents.

To register for this conference or for more information, contact Wilkinson at 449-6208 or register online at naswmt.org.

AMSR is a collaboration between the Suicide Prevention Resource Center and American Association of Suicidology.

Eve Byron: 447-4076 or eve.byron@helenair.com