# Aeschi Model in Integrated Care: Treatment Development Study to Improve Outcomes for Suicidal Patients

> **NIH NIH P50** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2024 · $251,832

## Abstract

The suicide rate has increased 28% over the past two decades while heart disease, diabetes, and cancer
mortality has declined. Starting in 2011, new standards have led to improved adoption and reach of suicide risk
surveillance in primary and specialty care. Treatment, however, has lagged. Collaborative Care (CoCM) in
primary care settings has demonstrated small but significant reductions in suicidal ideation when a recognized
psychological treatment model is included but not when Collaborative Care only includes medication
management, suggesting that improvements to psychological treatments in Collaborative Care could further
improve suicide outcomes. Developed in a series of conferences in Aeschi Switzerland, the “Aeschi Model”
based on the clinical narrative has become an established approach to suicide care endorsed by leaders across
the suicidology field – including the developers of major evidence-based suicide interventions. With support from
the Methods Core, this Exploratory (R34) study of the University of Washington Practice-Based Suicide
Prevention Research Center will co-design and pilot test the Aeschi Model in Collaborative Care (AM-CoCM) to
intervene at the treatment and follow-up steps on the suicide care pathway with adolescent and young adult
patients in Collaborative Care who do not require immediate crisis intervention. This study will focus on
increasing therapeutic alliance – a key proposed mechanism of the Aeschi approach and the Center. The aims of
AM-CoCM are to partner with the University of Washington Primary Care clinics to (1) Co-design Aeschi and
Collaborative Care intervention components into AM-CoCM with health care providers, adolescents and young
adults with a history of suicidality, and family members of suicidal patients through human centered design; (2)
Conduct iterative treatment development of AM-CoCM to test and refine usability, and then (3) Conduct a pilot
test of the AM-CoCM intervention components compared to treatment as usual in six primary care clinics to
determine (a) usability and acceptability of the intervention components to patients and providers and (b) the
components' potential impact on therapeutic alliance and patient and provider self-efficacy, and (c) potential
impact on suicidal outcomes. Given the strong theoretical basis for AM-CoCM, this proposal has the potential to
develop a high impact intervention for the treatment and follow-up steps of the suicide care pathway in
Collaborative Care that will reduce suicide risk and improves therapeutic alliance – potentially without any
increase in the quantity of care.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10791834
- **Project number:** 5P50MH129708-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** KATHERINE ANNE COMTOIS
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $251,832
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-02-17 → 2028-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10791834

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10791834, Aeschi Model in Integrated Care: Treatment Development Study to Improve Outcomes for Suicidal Patients (5P50MH129708-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-13 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10791834. Licensed CC0.

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