Educating Other Medical Professionals on How to Prevent Suicide — After the Loss of My Husband
March 12, 2026 – 5 min read
This article discusses the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s education program “Clinical Approach to Preventing Suicide: An Introduction” (CAPS), designed for health care providers and those in training, such as physician assistant (PA) students, nurse practitioner (NP) students, or physician residents.
My connection with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention began about a year after my husband died by suicide in 2011. As with many who’ve experienced this type of loss, I was shocked. I had never thought my life would be affected by someone I loved dying by suicide.
David and I met in medical school and got married after our second year there. He went into pediatrics and I went into internal medicine. We had two children together and had been in practice about 26 years when he died. David had been struggling with alcohol, but I hadn’t foreseen that this would be the end.
I was away at a meeting in Denver when I got the call about his death. I found it difficult to even process what had happened, or to talk about it with others. I still clearly remember the mix of emotions. I was so sad and missed him so much: but at the same time, I felt a paradoxical, guilt-inducing sense of relief that I would no longer have to worry about his use of alcohol. Please don’t misunderstand: I would miss him, but I would not miss that. This was a tragedy.
Feeling this guilt over that subtle emotion, I wondered what signs I may have missed. Seeking to learn more about suicide, I found my way to my local chapter of AFSP, where I met others who shared a personal connection to this leading cause of death, and began to gain understanding about it.
I became involved in the North Dakota chapter, where I began volunteering, and ultimately joined the chapter board.
Recently, I’ve made use of my medical background in support of an impactful new education program AFSP has been developing: Clinical Approach to Preventing Suicide: An Introduction, which is designed for health care providers and those in training, such as physician assistant (PA) students, nurse practitioner (NP) students, or physician residents.
For about the past two years, I, along with another volunteer, Sarah Dukart, have been presenting this program in its pilot phase to health care professionals around the state of North Dakota. A nurse practitioner and a physician assistant developed this presentation because they realized that many health care professionals do not have a lot of training in suicide prevention, and are uncomfortable when faced with a patient who they suspect may be struggling with suicidal ideation. When you consider that the majority of those who die by suicide have contact with a medical professional within three months of taking their own life, it’s easy to recognize how important it is that health care providers know how to recognize that someone may be in distress, and know how to connect them with help.
We know that talking openly about suicide and mental illness helps to decrease the stigma surrounding it, which is much needed. This program, abbreviated as CAPS, is a 90-minute-long presentation (which can be shortened) that goes over the important aspects of suicide prevention for use by this particular medical audience. It covers risk factors, protective factors, warning signs, safety planning, and lethal means counseling. The program emphasizes the research that has been done around suicide prevention and what we have learned. In addition, it talks about how recovery is possible and how important it is to ask directly if someone is considering suicide or thinking of harming themselves.
We began this pilot phase by first reaching out to clinical sites where we were familiar with a person or persons at the site. Once arranged, we presented the program either in person (such as at a medical facility), virtually, or as a hybrid. One thing we discovered was that the audience didn’t respond as well to presentations that were solely video: an in-person element of presentation, even if done virtually, was necessary. Health care professionals have quite limited amounts of time, so we have learned that, if needed, we can shorten the presentation to about 45 minutes.
Our groups have consisted of physicians, nurses, Allied health care professionals, nursing students, medical students, residence, occupation, and physical therapist. We invite anyone who has contact with the patients in a clinical setting to attend, so we have also enabled receptionists and other staff who wanted to learn about this topic to attend these trainings.
The response has been both positive and productive, engendering a great deal of discussion and questions which have been illuminating for participants. We found that many health professionals were worried about mentioning suicide or asking if people were thinking of ending their lives. We know from research that trusting your instinct and asking someone directly about suicide is always the best thing to do and won’t “put the idea in their head” or cause them to take their life. Participants became more comfortable with this issue after the presentation, and found the examples we shared of how to ask these questions helpful.
As we continued to give these presentations, we found that word of mouth had begun spreading! We started being asked by people across the state if we could present at their sites. We have had an incredibly positive response to the information included in the program, and are now presenting at the onboarding of new health care providers at Sanford Health, which is the largest rural health care system in the United States.
I am so proud to have been involved in this, and am excited that the Clinical Approach to Preventing Suicide: An Introduction program has now been officially launched. Anyone can reach out to their local AFSP chapter to find out how they request this program for their community.
Beyond my involvement with this program, I will also share that volunteering with AFSP has meant a great deal to my healing process following my loss, helping me connect with others who have also lost a loved one to suicide. I now understand that my feelings of sorrow, relief, and guilt are not abnormal, and that speaking with others about my loss and my feelings has helped me heal.
I will always miss David. This work has helped me better understand the crisis he was in at that moment. And I know that through the power of community, as well as the ongoing research guided and supported by AFSP, more and more people affected by suicide will find their way to help and understanding, as well.
Learn more about the Clinical Approach to Preventing Suicide: An Introduction program here.
Read another AFSP Real Stories blog article about the origin of the CAPS program here.