Suicidal Assessment: When to Consider a Higher Level of Care

A Clinical and Ethical Discussion on Risk Assessment, Hospitalization, and Community-Based Support

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• Date: April 17, 2026

• Time: 10:00–12:00 PM EST

• Format: Live Virtual Training

• CEUs: Approved for 2 CEUS

• Target Audience: Social Workers, Counselors, Therapists, Case Managers, and Helping Professionals

 

Overview

Assessing suicide risk is one of the most complex and high-stakes responsibilities helping professionals face. This training is designed to support clinicians in making thoughtful, ethical, and clinically sound decisions when determining whether a client may require a higher level of care.

 

Participants will explore suicide prevalence data, risk and protective factors, and practical approaches to suicide risk assessment. The training also demystifies psychiatric hospitalization—what actually happens during admission, how to advocate for clients, and how to support transitions back into the community in ways that reduce future risk.

 

This session balances clinical skill-building with real-world application, recognizing the emotional weight and ethical tension that often accompany these decisions.

 

What You’ll Learn

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Participants will leave this training able to:

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• Assess suicide risk with clarity by identifying warning signs, protective factors, and levels of risk

• Determine when a higher level of care is clinically indicated, including outpatient, intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, and inpatient options

• Understand the psychiatric hospitalization process, from intake and evaluation to discharge planning

• Advocate effectively for clients during hospitalization and care transitions

• Strengthen continuity of care through community-based supports that reduce recurrence of crisis

 

Who This Training Is For

 

This training is ideal for helping professionals who:

 

• Conduct suicide risk assessments or crisis evaluations

• Struggle with uncertainty around hospitalization decisions

• Want a clearer understanding of levels of care and ethical responsibility

• Support clients before, during, or after psychiatric admission

 

About the Facilitator

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Sara Mark, LPC

CMU Psychiatric Case Manager & Therapist

 

Sara Mark, LPC is a licensed therapist and psychiatric case manager with over 17 years of experience in community mental health and university counseling in the Pittsburgh area. For the past nine years, her work has focused on crisis intervention and psychiatric case management, supporting individuals navigating acute mental health needs and complex systems of care.

 

Sara brings a grounded, transparent, and practical approach to her clinical work. Her therapeutic toolkit includes Gestalt Therapy, DBT, Solution-Focused Therapy, PCIT, and trauma-informed practices. She is known for balancing clinical expertise with warmth, humor, and real-world applicability.

Her path to becoming a therapist was deeply personal. After facing her own challenges accessing mental health support, Sara became committed to making therapy more accessible, human, and healing; particularly for individuals in crisis.

 

Originally from Buffalo (and a proud member of Bills Mafia), Sara recharges through distance running, Sunday dinners with family, and cooking meals that bring people together. She believes it is a privilege to hold space for others’ growth and healing.

 

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