By profession
For employers, managers, frontline and healthcare staff, caregivers and community members who want to recognize warning signs, ask directly, and connect people to 988 and care.
For: Employers and managers, frontline workers, healthcare and direct-care staff, family caregivers, volunteers and members of the public in the United States who want practical, safe skills to help someone who may be thinking about suicide.
Learn what to do when you're worried someone may be thinking about suicide. You'll learn the latest CDC data, the risk factors, protective factors and warning signs that matter, how to ask directly and listen without judgment, when to call 911 and when to call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, how veterans reach the Veterans Crisis Line, and how to help keep someone safe in the moment. Branching conversations, a crisis decision tool and spot-the-warning-signs exercises let you practice before it counts.
This course is built for the people who are most often first to notice: managers and coworkers, healthcare and home care staff, caregivers, coaches, faith and community volunteers, and family members. It explains your role and its limits clearly, so you can help without trying to be a counselor, and gives care staff the escalation and documentation steps their settings expect.
Over 49,000 people in the United States died by suicide in 2023, and millions more seriously considered it. This course follows the 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, NIMH's five action steps and safe messaging guidance, and goes beyond warning signs to cover safety planning, follow-up, workplace postvention and self-care. You leave with a crisis resource sheet, a conversation prompts card, a scenario worksheet and a personal wellness plan.
What you’ll be able to do Monday morning
7 modules · 28 lessons · about 2 contact hours
Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check
Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check
Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check
Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check
Diagram · In practice checklist · 3-question knowledge check
Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check
Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check
Try it now, no account needed
A branching scenario from this course. Your choices are not saved.
Practice activities
Job aids you keep
This course awards a certificate of completion for 2 contact hours of instruction. It is not currently approved or accredited by any licensing board, state agency or continuing education accreditor. Several states require suicide prevention training for certain health professionals, sometimes from programs approved by the licensing board or listed by the state (for example, Washington, Kentucky, Nevada and Connecticut for registered nurses), and many states have suicide prevention training rules for school staff. This national awareness course is not approved in any state and does not replace that training. Before you enroll to meet a requirement, check with your licensing board, employer or state agency whether this course is accepted.
Pathways we may pursue for future editions include nursing continuing education through an approver accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), counselor continuing education through the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), social work continuing education through the Association of Social Work Boards ACE program, and approval by state licensing boards in states that require suicide prevention training. None of these approvals exists today; the course page will show any approval only after it is granted.
Our full approvals listState notes
There is no single federal rule requiring suicide prevention training for health professionals or the general workforce, but several states require it for certain licensed professions, and many states have suicide prevention training laws for school staff. Hours, content, timing and approved-provider rules differ by state and by profession. Examples for registered nurses, verified from board pages and regulations on 10/07/2026:
Other professions in these states, such as physicians, counselors, social workers, psychologists and pharmacists, may have different requirements, and other states have their own rules. Many states also have laws, often called Jason Flatt Acts, requiring suicide prevention training for educators, sometimes from programs on a list the state approves. Local crisis resources also vary: many states and counties run mobile crisis teams and crisis lines alongside 988.
This course is not approved in any state. Use the state lookup in Module 7 for examples, then confirm the current rule on your licensing board's or state education agency's website before relying on this course for a requirement.
Not automatically. This course earns a certificate of completion for 2 contact hours and is not approved by any state board or accreditor. Some states, such as Washington, Kentucky, Nevada and Connecticut for nurses, require suicide prevention training, sometimes from approved programs, and many states have rules for school staff. Check with your licensing board, employer or state agency before you rely on this course for a requirement.
Anyone who wants to help someone who may be thinking about suicide: managers and HR staff, coworkers, healthcare and home care workers, caregivers, coaches, faith and community volunteers, and family members. No clinical background is needed. Healthcare staff will find specific guidance on escalation, scope of practice and documentation.
No. You'll learn to notice warning signs, ask directly, listen, help keep someone safe in the moment, connect them to 988 or other care, and follow up. Risk assessment, diagnosis and treatment belong to trained clinicians and crisis counselors. The course is clear about where your role ends and who to bring in.
Plan on about 2 hours, including seven modules with practice cases, interactive exercises, knowledge checks and a final assessment. Each module takes about 15 minutes, so you can finish in one sitting or in short sessions.
The final assessment draws 23 questions from a larger bank, including crisis-response and scenario questions, and you need 80 percent to pass. Every question includes feedback. When you pass, you receive a certificate of completion showing the course title, 2 contact hours and the completion date, and you keep four downloadable job aids.
Please reach out. Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, any time. Veterans and service members can call 988 and press 1 or text 838255. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. You can pause the course at any time and return when you are ready.
This course is general education and training awareness from CE Courses Hub about suicide prevention. It is not legal, medical or professional advice and does not replace your employer's policies, your licensing board's rules, or advice from a qualified professional. Completing it earns a certificate of completion for the stated contact hours; it is not approved or accredited by any licensing board, state agency or accreditor unless an approval is shown on the course page. Check with your board, employer or state agency whether this course meets your specific requirement. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org; veterans can press 1. In an emergency, call 911.