Suicide Assessment: Optometry’s Role – Emily Aslakson, OD and Philip Himebaugh, MS

Assessing patients for suicide is a critical skill that all healthcare providers should be prepared to perform. This course will cover how to assess a patient for suicide and appropriately triage the patient based on risk. This course will also discuss scenarios when an optometrist may need to assess a patient for suicidal behavior and go through case discussions of scenarios applicable to optometric practice.

Biographies

Dr. Emily Aslakson is a Professor at the Michigan College of Optometry. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Alma College in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Psychology and Theatre. She received her Doctorate in Optometry degree from Indiana University, where she graduated with honors in 2015. While at Indiana University, Dr. Aslakson was the recipient of the Andrya Lowther Scholarship Award for service and humanitarianism to the community. She completed a residency in Pediatrics and Binocular Vision at the Michigan College of Optometry in 2016 and completed her Master of Arts in Education at Ferris State University in 2022. Dr. Aslakson’s teaching and research interests include neuro-optometric rehabilitation, vision therapy, binocular vision, optometric education, and communication skills.

Philip A. Himebaugh, MS, Ed.S, LPC

Academic Advisor/Assistant Professor

Ferris State University School of Education

Education

BA, Alma College (MI), Theatre, Acting

MS, Indiana University, Counseling and Counselor Education

Ed.S, Indiana University, Mental Health Counseling, Human Development

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Michigan

Mr. Philip A. Himebaugh is an assistant professor and academic advisor in the school of education at Ferris State University. Mr. Himebaugh is also a licensed professional counselor (LPC) in the state of Michigan. Prior to joining the faculty at Ferris State University, Mr. Himebaugh worked in both public and private clinical mental health settings. He is a 2015 graduate of the Indiana University Wendell W. Wright School of Education earning both his MS and Ed.S degrees in counseling, counselor education, mental health counseling, and human development.