Welcome to the Penn Center for the Prevention of Suicide

Directed by Dr. Gregory K. Brown, the Penn Center for the Prevention of Suicide was founded to develop empirically supported treatments and practices for the prevention suicide in high-risk populations. Dr. Beck’s initial studies of suicide provided a framework for the classification and assessment of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Dr. Brown and colleagues extended this work by developing a brief, targeted intervention: Cognitive Therapy for Suicide Prevention. This intervention has been found to reduce repeat suicide attempts by 50% compared to enhanced usual care.

Our current research focuses on identifying both risks and protective factors surrounding suicide, evaluating the efficacy and effectiveness of psychosocial interventions such as Cognitive Therapy for Suicide Prevention and the Stanley-Brown Safety Planning Intervention, and investigating effective dissemination and implementation of evidence-based suicide prevention practices.