It’s a staggering statistic — 48,000 people in the United States die every year by suicide. As that number continues to rise, the need for dialogue, research, and action becomes more imperative. The Suicide Prevention and Exposure Laboratory (SPEL) in the College of Social Work seeks to answer this call.
SPEL is explicitly dedicated to examining suicide and its impact. SPEL focuses on research related to exposure, prevention, and the understanding of this phenomenon. Additionally, the lab is involved in broad-ranging outreach initiatives designed to better educate communities about suicide. Through the lab, students, faculty and staff have the opportunity to uniquely engage in a wide-array of experiential learning activities. Presently, SPEL researchers are involved in studies examining community networks and advisory groups related to suicide, factors contributing to suicide among military populations, and clinical social work education related to suicide, among others.