AAS Workplace Suicide Prevention 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) typically provides how many free short-term counseling sessions per issue to employees?
- 1–2 sessions
- 3–8 sessions (Correct answer)
- 12–20 sessions
- Unlimited sessions until clinical improvement
Correct answer: 3–8 sessions
Most EAPs provide 3–8 short-term counseling sessions at no cost to the employee, intended for assessment, brief intervention, and referral to longer-term care if needed.
Question 2: When a coworker dies by suicide, which action should a workplace manager AVOID when addressing the remaining team?
- Acknowledging the loss with empathy and compassion
- Sharing specific details about the method used (Correct answer)
- Providing information about available mental health resources
- Allowing employees time and space to process their grief
Correct answer: Sharing specific details about the method used
Sharing specific details about the method of suicide violates safe messaging guidelines and can increase contagion risk and imitation behavior among vulnerable individuals in the workplace.
Question 3: Which of the following workplace factors is LEAST associated with elevated employee suicide risk?
- Job loss or fear of termination
- Workplace bullying and harassment
- Rotating shift schedules disrupting sleep
- Generous paid time off and flexible scheduling policies (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Generous paid time off and flexible scheduling policies
Generous paid time off is a protective factor, reducing stress and allowing recovery time; job insecurity, bullying, and shift-work sleep disruption are all documented workplace suicide risk factors.
Question 4: In the Zero Suicide framework, a 'warm handoff' between care providers is best described as:
- A written referral letter sent by one provider to the next
- A real-time, facilitated introduction between providers with the patient present (Correct answer)
- An automated appointment reminder sent to the patient
- A phone call made by the patient to schedule their own follow-up
Correct answer: A real-time, facilitated introduction between providers with the patient present
A warm handoff involves an active, real-time introduction between providers with the patient present, reducing the risk of dropout and loss to follow-up during high-risk care transitions.
Question 5: Which federal law most directly protects employees from workplace discrimination based on mental health conditions, including a history of suicidal crisis?
- OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Act)
- ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) (Correct answer)
- FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act)
- ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act)
Correct answer: ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
The ADA protects employees with mental health disabilities — including those related to suicidal crisis history — from workplace discrimination and requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations.
Question 6: A supervisor notices several warning signs of suicidal risk in an employee. Which response BEST reflects gatekeeper training principles?
- Alert HR immediately and have the employee escorted off premises as a safety measure
- Ask the employee directly if they are thinking about suicide and listen without judgment (Correct answer)
- Casually mention available mental health resources without addressing concerns directly
- Document the warning signs and wait to see if behavior worsens before acting
Correct answer: Ask the employee directly if they are thinking about suicide and listen without judgment
Gatekeeper training emphasizes directly and compassionately asking about suicidal thoughts — research consistently shows that asking does not increase risk and opens the door for effective intervention.
Question 7: Research on workplace suicide prevention programs indicates that stigma reduction is most effectively achieved through:
- Mandatory reporting requirements for employees identified as at-risk
- Anonymous mental health screenings combined with EAP promotion posters
- Organizational leaders openly discussing mental health and modeling help-seeking (Correct answer)
- Posting crisis hotline numbers in break rooms and common areas
Correct answer: Organizational leaders openly discussing mental health and modeling help-seeking
Research consistently shows that when organizational leaders openly discuss mental health, model help-seeking behavior, and normalize treatment, stigma is most effectively reduced across the entire workplace culture.
AAS Workplace Suicide Prevention 2
An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) typically provides how many free short-term counseling sessions per issue to employees?