Continuing an Evaluation of the Skills for Safer Living Program by Developing and Testing an Outcomes Evaluation Measure

The proposed research project is an evaluation of the outcomes of a suicide prevention program, Skills for Safer Living (SFSL). The program is an intervention that targets individuals with a high risk of suicide as indicated by multiple prior suicide attempts. SFSL has been adapted from a previous program that has shown positive outcomes, but an evaluation of SFSL outcomes has yet to be done. In this research a measure to evaluate immediate and long-term outcomes of the program will be developed and tested in collaboration with program staff and participants to ensure the research suits their needs. The partner organization will to benefit from this research since the research will inform the organization of their effectiveness in achieving the intended outcomes of SFSL and of possible improvements that can be made to the program. The partner organization will also benefit from the development of a measurement that can be used by the organization after the completion of the internship to continually evaluate the program outcomes.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Geoff Nelson

Student:

Amanda Demmer

Partner:

Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington Dufferin

Discipline:

Psychology

Sector:

Service industry

University:

Wilfrid Laurier University