Bess Hart, LCSW-BACS is a perinatal mental health specialist, and has been working in community mental health for 15 years. She has trained staff and interns annually on crisis intervention and suicide assessment. Properly handling assessment of suicidal ideation is a fundamental skill for all social workers. In this training we will look at risk factors, clinical assessment, and clinical interventions for clients presenting with suicidal ideation.  We will also discuss and differentiate suicidal ambivalence and chronic suicidal ideation. And finally, we will review crisis intervention planning and review some popular templates.