EKU Psychology Highlights Telehealth Strategies During Suicide Prevention Month

Suicide Prevention Month in September brings awareness to one of the leading causes of death in the United States, especially among young adults. According to Best Colleges, suicide causes about 21% of all injury-related deaths in ages 18-24. Evidence-based practice within Eastern Kentucky University’s (EKU) Clinical Psychology program sheds light on strategies to deliver life-saving care in rural communities with limited resources.

EKU Psychology Faculty Dr. Melinda Moore, Dr. Jerry Palmer, Dr. Michael McClellan and graduate students published their successful model of telepsychology in The Journal of Rural Mental Health. The model delivers suicide-focused treatment by graduate-level trainees via rapid service through an electronic format. The faculty and graduate students found that the shift to virtual suicide-related care led to advantages, including the ability to help more patients, greater accessibility and lowered healthcare costs.

“This leading approach from our psychology program shows how EKU’s resources, faculty expertise, hands-on training and research all come together to make an immediate impact for our campus, students and communities,” said EKU President David McFaddin. “At EKU, we’re advancing scientific knowledge and expanding access to critical health services across Kentucky.”

Moore said, “The focus at EKU Psychology is on the incredibly innovative clinical training, such as the cutting-edge suicide focused treatment training we are doing in the clinical psychology doctoral program and in our EKU Psychology Clinic. No other doctoral program in the country is doing what we do.”

EKU’s Clinical Psychology doctoral program (Psy.D.) prepares students to serve rural and underserved populations through evidence-based care. As part of their coursework, Psy.D. students complete specialized instruction in suicide assessment and intervention before applying those skills in the EKU Psychology Clinic.

The EKU Psychology Clinic offers outpatient, integrated behavioral healthcare operated by the Department of Psychology. It serves the campus community and the public through a range of services, including individual therapy, psychological assessments, couples and family therapy, support groups, outreach programs and telepsychological (telehealth) services. All clinical services are provided by doctoral-level students in EKU’s Psy.D. program, under close supervision by licensed psychology faculty. EKU students can receive services from the EKU Psychology Clinic free of charge, reflecting a dual mission of education and community support.

“The work that Dr. Moore does is life-saving and life-changing,” said Dr. Mercy Cannon, dean of the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences. “Recognized as a national expert in suicide prevention, Dr. Moore shares her research and experience with clinical psychology students, who then become trauma-informed mental health practitioners.”  

As part of an ongoing commitment to suicide prevention, the EKU Psychology Clinic will co-host “Stigma and Suicide: Breaking the Silence to Save Lives” on Friday, Sept. 26, at the Perkins Conference Center. The event features leading scholar and author of “Why People Die By Suicide,” Dr. Thomas Joiner, along with presentations from local professionals and experts addressing stigma, self-stigma and postvention among survivors of suicide loss. The full-day program offers continuing education credits for psychology, social work and counseling professionals, and EKU students may attend free of charge.

By A’Mya Kendrick