From a young age, School of Social Work (SSW) Associate Professor Christina M. Sellers was drawn to the profession of social worker.
“Two of my siblings were adopted through kinship care [when children live with family members rather than being placed in foster care], so I was exposed to the child welfare system early on, and I was intrigued by social workers’ role in keeping families together,” she says.
Years later, Sellers had the opportunity to work with her mentor and former Simmons and Boston College faculty member Kimberly O’Brien. At the time, Sellers was researching intergenerational substance use and O-Brien was examining alcohol intervention for at-risk adolescents.
When Sellers learned that substance use was a risk factor for suicide, she began exploring suicide prevention.
“After I learned more about suicide and suicide prevention, I couldn’t look away,” she reflects. “I have had the privilege of working with many young people who have contemplated suicide. Sitting with them in their pain and then helping them to find joy is incredibly rewarding.”
Understanding Suicide
Simmons SSW is one of the few schools that offers a course on suicide prevention. This 14-week elective, “Understanding Suicide: Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention” (SW 464), is unique.
Through this course, students learn multiple approaches to suicide prevention, including clinical and public health perspectives, as well as screening, risk assessment, safety planning, and brief interventions. Importantly, students learn that suicide is socially embedded.
“Simmons students learn how our environments, policies, and economics impact suicide risk at the individual and community levels,” Sellers says.
Professor and Eva Whiting White Endowed Chair Joanna Almeida and Sellers’ mentor Kim O’Brien first created the course. When Sellers came to Simmons, she re-envisioned it with Almeida, adding a greater emphasis on clinical skills and best practices within suicide prevention. Both on-the-ground and online master’s students. (Oftentimes, doctoral students serve as teaching assistants for this course).
Interest in this course has grown exponentially over the years. “What was once an elective offered only once a year has grown into a course offered every semester in both platforms, enabling approximately 60–80 students a year to learn important skills,” Sellers says.
“We know that suicide is one of the leading causes of death across the lifespan,” Sellers notes. “With their specialized training, Simmons graduates are uniquely positioned to intervene with clients at risk for suicide.”
Learning through Simulation
For Sellers, research and teaching go hand and hand. Building upon her teaching, her research aims to destigmatize the topic of suicide.
“Doing work in the field and teaching, I realized that clinicians often become very nervous when talking about suicide,” she says. “During the first week of class, I ask students to simply reflect on their views on suicide. I really want them to confront their own biases and learn to sit with their discomfort before they begin to work with clients.”
The fruits of Sellers’ research take the form of training students in best practices, from learning to conduct a comprehensive suicide risk assessment to developing a safety plan. “Our virtual patient simulation is one of the ways we do this, and it is embedded in my classroom and research,” Sellers says. “Simulation in layperson’s terms is experiential learning with online role play.”
In this scenario, actors portray clients with different risk profiles, and Simmons students interact with them virtually. “This is really great training, because it teaches students complex clinical skills in a way that is safe and not putting their patients or clients at risk. This gives students valuable experience in real time.”
The simulation component is the result of a partnership with the simulation company SIMmersion, and is funded with generous support from the Jennifer Eckert ’08MSW endowment.
Sellers has also applied for federal funding through the National Institute of Mental Health to expand this work. If funded, she will be able to embed the suicide prevention simulations into the required curriculum at Simmons University, University of Michigan, and University of Maryland and then assess the implementation processes and student skill development.
Undoing Stigma
Over the last several decades, there has been a shift from a medical model toward understanding the broader, social nexus of suicide.
“I view suicide through a comprehensive public health approach,” she says. “We are no longer looking at people in isolation, but instead we situate them in a complex environment, in which social, economic, environmental, and individual aspects can increase or decrease one’s risk for suicide.”
While in recent years mental health has received more prominent attention, suicide remains a rather taboo topic. “If we reduce the stigma, we will more likely be able to connect individuals with the resources they need,” Sellers says.
One significant shift in the discourse revolves around language.
“Our language is powerful, and has the power to convey hidden or underlying negative assumptions about individuals at risk for suicide,” Sellers notes. “For example, saying someone wishes to ‘commit’ suicide or has ‘committed’ suicide is not neutral. Our language is ascribing blame to that person, as if they are committing a crime or have failed in some way. I encourage my Simmons students to reject outdated language, which can increase and perpetuate the stigma around suicide.”
Generating Hope
Reflecting on her career, Sellers finds hope and inspiration in working with Simmons students.
“It is very exciting to teach ‘Understanding Suicide’ at a university that prioritizes the clinical training of students,” she says. “These students are our next generation of social workers and have the capacity to reduce stigma and prevent suicide. They give me hope for the future.”