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Forward2026 Annual Services for Teens at Risk (STAR) Suicide Prevention Conference
UPMC EMPLOYEES: IF YOU WANT YOUR DEPARTMENT TO SPONSOR YOU FOR THIS CONFERENCE, PLEASE HAVE YOUR MANAGER COMPLETE THE DEPARTMENT TRANSFER FORM FIRST - CLICK HERE
THEN COME BACK TO THIS SITE TO REGISTER
STAR Center is a suicide prevention program for teens and young children within the UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, Department of Psychiatry. From its inception in 1986, the program has been primarily funded through an appropriation from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to the University of Pittsburgh.
STAR Center combines clinical and outreach services designed to combat the problem of child and adolescent suicide. We provide outpatient assessment and treatment for depressed and anxious children and teens and offer acute treatment to depressed and suicidal teens via our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP).
Our annual conferences strive to disseminate what we have learned about best practice clinical care into practical guidelines for educational and community settings. STAR Center is devoted to providing training opportunities for students and psychiatric residents as well as contributing to the future development of research designed to study the pressing issues related to child and adolescent suicide.
Target Audience
This program is appropriate for clinical and educational personnel
Learning Objectives
- Describe how ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and intervention (EMI) operate in suicide research
- Understand the function of suicide risk prediction models and how they might be further improved
- Recognize key considerations and challenges for implementing machine learning in clinical settings, specifically with individuals at elevated risk for suicide
- Explain why it is important to shift from exclusively a medical model toward a system of universal support to promote resilience as the primary response to major community crisis events
- Outline the common adjustment reactions to anticipate among children after a crisis and the unique challenges when the crisis involves a death by suicide
- Describe why guilt is a common response to a crisis in general and suicide in particular
Additional Information
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 2026 STAR Conference Brochure.pdf | 492.58 KB |
2026 Virtual STAR-Center Conference Agenda (please refer to the conference brochure located at the bottom of the Overview tab for full details)
8:15 AM LOG ONTO ZOOM
8:30 to 11:30 AM CONFERENCE OVERVIEW
KEYNOTES
Dr. Matthew Nock, PhD
Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology, Harvard University
Professor of Epidemiology, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health
Director of the Laboratory for Clinical and Developmental Research, Harvard University
There will be a brief break between Keynotes
Dr. David Schonfeld, MD, FAAP
Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California
Director, Nat’l Center for School Crisis and Bereavement, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
11:30 AM LUNCH (On Your Own)
12:45 PM SKILL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS - GROUP 1
2:00 PM BREAK
2:15 PM SKILL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS – GROUP 2
3:30 PM ADJOURNMENT
Please refer to the conference brochure located at the bottom of the Overview tab
Psychologists
As a Jointly Accredited Organization, University of Pittsburgh is approved to offer psychology continuing education by the American Psychological Association. University of Pittsburgh maintains responsibility for this course. Psychologists completing this course receive 5.25 continuing education credits.
Counselors
Education and Consultative Services of UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5059. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital is solely responsible for all aspects of this program. This program is being offered for 5.25 continuing education hours.
Licensed/Clinical Social Workers, Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists: LSW/LCSW/LPC/LMFT
As a Jointly Accredited Organization, University of Pittsburgh is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. University of Pittsburgh maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive 5.0 continuing education credits.
Other Professionals
Other professionals are awarded .525 Continuing Education Units (CEU's). One CEU is equal to 10 contact hours. Peer Specialists: This program fulfills requirements for Certified Peer Specialist continuing education.
PA Educators (Act 48):
UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital is recognized by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to offer Continuing Education Credits under the Act 48 guidelines. UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital adheres to the Act 48 Continuing Education Guidelines. PA educators will receive 5.25 hours of Act 48 credit for completing this program.
- Upon completion of the evaluation on the CCEHS registration site, you will be able to obtain your APA and LSW/LCSW/LPC/LMFT certificate from this site. Additional certificates beyond two are $10.
- NBCC and General CEU certificates will come from Education and Consultative Services. Please allow four- to six-weeks for this process.
- Act 48 continuing education credit hours will be uploaded into the PERMS system via the University of Pittsburgh Department of Education. Please include your PERMS number in the evaluation where requested. Your credit hours will be available in the PERMS system four weeks after the program.
- Replacement cost for NCC and General CEU certificates is $30.
Available Credit
- 5.25 APA
- 5.00 ASWB
- 5.25 Attendance