6b August 21, 2026: Practical applications for the WHO guidelines around the impact of media on suicidal ideation and death by suicide.

6b August 21, 2026: Practical applications for the WHO guidelines around the impact of media on suicidal ideation and death by suicide.

Date: August 21, 2026 

Time: 1-4 PM 

Modality: Zoom  

Presenter: McKenna Walsh, MFT 

This is a virtual course, and will take place over Zoom. 

A link to this virtual course will be sent one week prior to the event. 

$45.00 SLU Alumni and pre-registered SLU practicum instructors 

$65.00 All others 

Title: Practical applications for the WHO guidelines around the impact of media on suicidal ideation and death by suicide. 

*Meets Suicide Requirement (3 CEH) 

Learning Objectives:  

  • Describe the phenomenology of suicide: Gaining a deeper understanding of the experience of suicidal individuals. 

  • Discuss the theories of suicide behavior: Exploring various theoretical frameworks that explain suicidal behavior. 

  • Recognize risk and protective factors: Identifying factors that increase and decrease the likelihood of suicidal behavior. 

Course description:
Although the media can be a double-edged sword and serve both as a risk and a protective factor, most research suggests that the relationship between media reporting of suicide and the actual suicide rates is causal and real. Moreover, both the quantity and the quality of media reporting may trigger additional suicides in society. Simultaneously, research suggests that especially non-fictional presentations of celebrities’ suicides in newspapers and on television news have the biggest influence on the subsequent suicides. Additionally, a strong modelling effect of media reporting on suicide is based on nationality, age, and gender. However, research shows that because a negative reporting style can be modifiable and improved, the media can also have an educative or preventive effect and can reduce the risk of contagion. Consequently, it is important to monitor the implementation of media recommendations for the reporting of suicide, and continuous education of reporters is needed. This CE course will provide an overview of the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, the Werther Effect and then provide clinical recommendations on how to bring understanding of the impact of media or parasocial relationships into a clinical setting when assessing for risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.  

Bio:
McKenna Walsh is an MFT in the state of Missouri. She is currently completing her Ph.D in Medical Family Therapy at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.  

Price:

$65.00