CAMP HILL, Pa. — Aug. 31, 2026 — The American Association of Suicidology (AAS), the nation’s largest and oldest suicide prevention membership association, today announced a new partnership with the Center for Ethics in Suicide-Safer Care (CenterEthics-SSC) to deliver asynchronous, continuing-education-accredited training in suicide-safer care to behavioral health providers and care managers nationwide.

The collaboration brings CenterEthics-SSC’s Shared Compass Framework™, a suicide prevention and intervention training series grounded in ethics, shaped by risk management, and delivered in a conversational approach, to AAS’s national network, hosted through AAS’s self-paced learning platform and backed by national CE accreditation. Developed from a social work perspective, the training treats the provider-client relationship as an equal one and is applicable and appropriate to all behavioral health professionals.

The partnership comes as malpractice cases involving suicide continue to move through the courts, with providers found liable for failing to follow established standards of care, standards that most graduate programs address only minimally, if at all, leaving clinicians to pick them up in practicum or after graduation.

“Every behavioral health provider deserves rigorous training in suicide-safer care, and every client deserves a provider who has received it,” said Jenna Mehnert Baker, Chief Executive Officer of AAS. “This partnership lets us bring that training to our national network at scale, with the CE accreditation providers need and the ethical grounding this field has been missing.”

The Center is led by Michelle Scott, PhD, MSW, a professor in the Monmouth University School of Social Work, and Maureen Underwood, LCSW, a clinical social worker with more than 40 years of practice and expert witness experience in malpractice cases. The two co-chaired the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) task force that wrote the first national standard of care for suicide within the social work profession, adopted by the NASW executive board in June 2026 and expected to be released publicly in September.

“Most suicide prevention training tells clinicians what to do. Very little of it addresses the ethics of the work itself,” said Underwood. “Ethics is the mortar between the bricks.”

Continuing education credits earned through the partnership are not limited by state but recognized nationally in relation to the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) for social workers, the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) for professional counselors, and the American Psychological Association (APA) for psychologists, with nurse practitioner recognition to follow. Providers receive one credit hour for each hour of training, with CE documentation issued on successful completion of each course and its evaluation.

The partnership begins with two Suicide Prevention Awareness Month webinars, both presented by Scott and Underwood from 12 to 1 p.m. Eastern. “Navigating Ethical Challenges in Liability Protection,” on Tuesday, September 8, covers the three components of malpractice liability and how standards of care are incorporated into an assessment interview. “Overview of NASW Standards of Care for Suicide Prevention,” on Friday, September 25, covers the six standards of care and their relationship to social work ethics, and how the standards apply to both clinical and generalist practitioners across micro and macro settings.

Registration for each webinar is $0 without CE credit, $5 for AAS members with CE credit, and $10 for non-members with CE credit; members must be logged in to their AAS account to receive member pricing. One CE credit is approved for APA, NBCC, and ASWB. Registration closes Monday, September 7, for the first webinar and Thursday, September 24, for the second. Questions may be directed to training@suicidology.org.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is available. Contact your local crisis line, or reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling, texting, or chatting at 988lifeline.org.

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About the American Association of Suicidology

Founded in 1968, the American Association of Suicidology is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the nation’s largest and oldest suicide prevention membership association. AAS advances the field through professional training, accreditation and certification, research, and an annual conference. Its mission is to empower individuals and communities toward resilient lives, inspire hope, and prevent suicide through the advancement of suicidology. Learn more at suicidology.org.

About the Center for Ethics in Suicide-Safer Care

CenterEthics-SSC trains behavioral health providers and care managers in evidence-based standards for suicide-safer care, grounded in ethics, shaped by risk management, and delivered in a conversational approach that brings clients and providers onto the same course. Training is available in person, virtually, and in self-paced delivery for organizations of any size, setting, and population. Learn more at centerethics-ssc.com.