Professional Development
As part of its mission, STAR Center develops and disseminates new knowledge and strategies for preventing and treating suicidal behaviors, depression, and anxiety to teachers, mental health professionals, and the public.
STAR staff deliver virtual trainings and travel throughout the Commonwealth providing specialized presentations on a wide-range of topics, including:
For school districts:
- At-risk youth
- Crisis prevention and intervention
- Postvention consultation: planning and services after a tragic loss
For physicians and primary care providers:
- Medication management for teens and pre-teens
- Strategies for assessing depressed youth
- Determining level of care
For mental health providers:
- Suicide risk assessment
- Managing self-injurious behavior in depressed and suicidal youth
- Self-protection and care for helpers
- Safety planning
For families and community organizations:
- Trauma and loss
- Survivors of suicide
- Psychoeducation for parents about depression and the importance of restricting lethal means
This is not an exhaustive list, nor are the topics confined to the specified target group.
Contact us here to learn more.
Annual STAR Conference
STAR Center holds an annual conference, historically based in Pittsburgh, PA. The conference has been virtual since the pandemic, and to maximize reach, will continue to be virtual in 2025.
Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention Grants
Since 2008, STAR-Center has provided services and support for multiple Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention Grants awarded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to the Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS).
Over the years, these grants aimed to develop behavioral health screening in primary care (2008 – 2013), address youth suicide prevention in schools (2014 – 2019). In 2019, the grant aimed to establish and strengthen the transitions of care for identified youth at risk for suicide between and within systems. Most recently, in 2024, the work of STAR Center through the Garrett Lee Smith grant focuses on the use of CAMS to divert hospitalization of suicidal youth.
STAR Center contributions have included clinical trainings for behavioral health providers on evidenced based treatments for suicidal youth, webinars for physicians on medication management for depressed and suicidal youth, and trainings for school personnel to meet the requirements of Act 71.