BEYOND THE SAFETY PLAN
Practical guidance for navigating suicide-risk assessment, clinical decisions, and safety planning with greater confidence.
Suicide-risk work can bring uncertainty, fear, and difficult clinical decisions. Beyond the Safety Plan is an on-demand, self-study training designed to help outpatient therapists approach suicide-risk assessment, referral, treatment, and ongoing management with greater clarity and confidence.
Through practical guidance, clinical examples, and downloadable resources, clinicians will learn to move beyond checklists and scores toward thoughtful assessment, informed clinical judgment, collaborative safety planning, and appropriate follow-up.
You don't have to be unafraid to do this work well.
What's Included:
What's Included
- On-demand, self-paced training covering suicide-risk assessment, referral, treatment, and ongoing management
- Comprehensive Clinical Guide with step-by-step guidance for clinical decision-making
- Suicide Risk Decision Tree for quick reference
- Downloadable clinical assessment and safety-planning templates that can be adapted for your EHR
- Two-page, client-facing Plan for Safety
- Completed clinical case example demonstrating the process from assessment through follow-up
- Sample clinical documentation and progress notes
- Assessment tools, crisis resources, and additional clinical references
- Continuing education certificate upon successful completion of the training, post-test, and evaluation (2 CEUs)
About the Author of Beyond the Safety Plan
Michelle Worley, LMFT, is the founder and director of Great Oaks Therapy Center and Great Oaks Institute in Kansas City, Missouri. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist, AAMFT Approved Supervisor, and educator with a passion for supporting therapists in both their clinical work and professional development.
Her clinical approach is grounded in systems thinking, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and a deep respect for the complexity of human relationships. As a supervisor and educator, Michelle is especially interested in the space between what therapists learn in graduate school and what they actually encounter in practice.
Through Great Oaks Institute, she creates opportunities for clinicians to explore the parts of this profession that aren't always taught in classrooms—from clinical decision-making and supervision to the realities of building and sustaining a private practice.
Michelle believes that becoming a skilled therapist involves more than learning techniques. It requires curiosity, reflection, community, and the willingness to keep learning long after graduate school ends.
Course curriculum
01 | Start Here
- Welcome & Course Instructions
- Learning Objectives
- CE Completion Requirements
- How to Use the Clinical Toolkit
02 | Overview
- Understanding Clinical Uncertainty
- The Suicide-Risk Assessment & Safety Planning Process
- The Role of Consultation and Clinical Judgment
03 | Assessment
- Recognizing When Suicide-Specific Assessment Is Indicated
- Exploring Hopelessness and Clinical Distress
- Asking Directly About Suicide
- Structured Assessment Tools and Clinical Decision-Making
04 | Referral
- Determining the Appropriate Level of Care
- Recognizing When Outpatient Care May Not Be Enough
- Consultation and Referral Coordination
- Responding When Clients Decline Recommendations
05 | Treatment
- Collaborative Safety Planning
- Creating Practical, Usable Safety Plans
- Reducing Access to Lethal Means
- Revisiting and Updating Safety Plans
06 | Management
- Ongoing Monitoring and Reassessment
- Clinical Consultation
- Documentation and Clinical Rationale
- Follow-Up and Continuity of Care
07 | Final Reflections
- Navigating Uncertainty
- Supporting Clinicians With Lived Experience
- Key Clinical Takeaways
08 | Clinical Toolkit & Resources
- Clinical Guide and Decision Tree
- Assessment and Safety Planning Templates
- Worked Case Example and Documentation Samples
- Client and Clinician Resources
09 | Course Completion
- Post-Test
- Course Evaluation
- CE Certificate
-
1Start Here
-
2Training
-
3Clinical Toolkit + Resources
-
4Course Completion
