The Columbia Protocol for Your Setting The Columbia Lighthouse Project provides the Columbia Protocol, also known as the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), for use in a multitude of community and healthcare settings. These are places where individuals and teams have the access and opportunity to systematically identify risk and save lives. Examples include:
First response agencies, such as police and fire departments Healthcare facilities Military installations Colleges and schools Correctional facilities You do not need special permission from us to take the Columbia Protocol tools and use them in your setting, create your own unique triage next steps, or embed the Columbia Protocol in your electronic health record keeping systems (EHR). We are happy to look at any materials you develop, policies you write or screenshots of your EHR to confirm their accuracy. You can send them to us at kelly.posner@nyspi.columbia.edu .
See our C-SSRS for Research page for scales and information for researchers.
Get Resources for Your Setting It’s easy to assemble and download a toolkit of the Columbia Protocol Scales and related documents you need to identify suicidal ideation and behavior. Modifications to the basic screener and the community card have been made to customize the triage or messaging for specific settings. The core Columbia Protocol questions do not vary . Just make the selections below to see options for your setting.
Settings -select- Corrections First Responders General Use Healthcare Law Enforcement Military Schools
Languages -select- English Spanish
Already Enrolled Subjects Captures lifetime history and history since the start of the study for subjects enrolled but not yet assessed with the C-SSRS.
Use when only the lifetime assessment of ideation and behavior — not the recent history — is needed at baseline.
Assesses both lifetime and more recent history, which is typically needed for inclusion or exclusion of subjects at screening.
Brochure – Education and Communities
Brochure – First Responder
Columbia Community Card for Behavioral Health Counselors and Advocates A pocket card that can be printed for behavioral health counselors and advocates to have the C-SSRS questions and triage wherever they go.
Columbia Community Card for Coaches A screening tool to remind coaches to ask these questions to their athletes.
Columbia Community Card For Corrections A resource for use in correctional settings
Columbia Community Card for EMTs A pocket card that can be printed for EMTs to have the C-SSRS questions and triage wherever they go.
Columbia Community Card for Firefighters A pocket card that can be printed for firefighters to have the C-SSRS questions and triage wherever they go.
Columbia Community Card for Friends and Family A screening tool to remind people to ask these questions to their friends and family
Columbia Community Card for Healthcare Co-Workers A screening card reminding caregivers to look out for one another.
Columbia Community Card for Healthcare Professionals A pocket card that can be printed for doctors, nurses, etc to have the C-SSRS questions and triage wherever they go.
Columbia Community Card for Law Enforcement A pocket card that can be printed for law enforcement officers to have the C-SSRS questions and triage wherever they go.
Columbia Community Card for Parents A screening tool for parents to remember to ask their children these questions
Columbia Community Card for Pharmacists A pocket card that can be printed for pharmacists to have the C-SSRS questions and triage wherever they go.
Columbia Community Card for Spouses A screening tool to remind someone to ask these questions to their spouse
Columbia Community Card for Teachers A screening tool to remind teachers to ask these questions.
Columbia Community Card for Teens A screening tool to remind teens to ask these questions to their friends
Evalúa la historia completa y reciente de la ideación y el comportamiento suicidas.
Evalúa la ideación y el comportamiento suicidas desde la evaluación más reciente.
Full C-SSRS Lifetime/Recent Scale For Very Young Children and Cognitively Impaired (age 4-5) A full lifetime/recent scale for very young children and cognitive impairment age 4-5
Full C-SSRS Since Last Asked For Very Young Children and Cognitively Impaired (age 4-5) Full Scale Since Last Visit For Very Young Children and Cognitively Impaired age 4-5
Full Scale Lifetime/Recent Assesses full and recent history of suicidal ideation and behavior.
Full Scale Since Last Contact for Healthcare and Communities Assesses suicidal ideation and behavior since the most recent assessment.
Página de evaluación del riesgo Lista de control de los factores de riesgo y de protección para el suicidio, en conjunto con el C-SSRS
Risk and Protective Factors – Youth A checklist of risk and protective factors for youth
Risk and Protective Factors Page Checklist of protective and risk factors for suicide, used along with any version of the C-SSRS
SAFE-T with C-SSRS and Risk and Protective Factors – Youth C-SSRS plus risk and protective factors in the SAMHSA SAFE-T format for youth
SAFE-T with C-SSRS Lifetime and Recent
SAFE-T with C-SSRS Recent The SAMHSA SAFE-T risk assessment tool with C-SSRS questions embedded and triage categories.
Scoring and Data Analysis Guide
A C-SSRS Screener with scoring for recent ideation and behavior.
Screener Basic Since Last Contact C-SSRS Screener to assess suicidal ideation and behavior since most recent assessment with triage categories
Screener for Children 6-11 A recent screener with new suggested language for ages 6-11
Screener For Frequent Monitoring with Triage Five-question C-SSRS for patients who are screened frequently (e.g., every shift or daily)
Screener for Inpatient Discharge Screener to identify suicidal ideation and behavior as part of a patient’s discharge process
Screener Recent Self-Report C-SSRS Screener that patients can complete for professional review of suicidal ideation and behavior over recent months
Screener Recent with Triage for Clinicians/Advocates
Screener Recent with triage for Emergency Departments A C-SSRS screener with color-coded risk strata and next-steps suitable for use in emergency departments.
Screener Recent With Triage for Inpatient
Screener Recent With Triage For Outpatient/Ambulatory
Screener Recent with Triage for Primary Care Settings A C-SSRS Screener with color-coded risk stratification and next steps suited to a primary care setting.
Screener Since Last Asked Self-Report
Screener Since Last Asked with Triage for Emergency Departments A follow-up screener C-SSRS with possible next steps for emergency departments
Screener Since Last Asked with Triage for Inpatient A follow-up screener C-SSRS with possible next steps for inpatients
Screener Since Last Asked with Triage for Outpatient/Ambulatory Programs A follow-up screener C-SSRS with possible next steps for outpatient/ambulatory programs
Screener Since Last Asked with Triage for Primary Care A follow-up screener C-SSRS with possible next steps for primary care
Screener Since Last Asked with Triage for Schools A follow-up screener C-SSRS with possible next steps for school environments
Screener Since Last Asked with Triage Points for Corrections Screener for Since Last Visit with suggested triage steps for Corrections
Screener Since Last Asked with Triage points for Law Enforcement Screener Since Last Asked with suggested triage steps for law enforcement
Screener with Triage for Schools A C-SSRS Screener with possible next steps for school environments
Screener with Triage Points for Corrections A C-SSRS Screener with color-coded risk stratification and next steps suited to a corrections setting.
Screener with Triage Points for Law Enforcement A C-SSRS Screener with color-coded risk stratification and next steps suited to a law enforcement setting.
Use when assessing ideation and behavior over one study-defined time period and when the lifetime history of ideation is not needed.
Use after study’s initial C-SSRS assessment; captures suicidal ideation and behavior since most recent previous assessment.
Versión exploratoria – Desde el último contacto Versión más corta para evaluar la ideación y el comportamiento suicidas desde la evaluación más reciente
Versión exploratoria – Reciente Versión más corta del C-SSRS para evaluar la ideación y el comportamiento suicidas en los últimos meses
