Zero Suicide Healthcare Training

Patients with mental health issues often turn first to their general practitioners for help. GPs and practice nurses need to have the confidence and knowledge to undertake a suicide intervention when necessary. This comprehensive 6 hour workshop includes an easy to use strategy to identify patients at risk and to intervene and appropriately manage a patient with thoughts of suicide.

‘Mental illness accounts for a large percentage of the disease burden in Australia. GPs see approximately 80% of the population every year and a significant proportion of GP consultations are for mental health or are mental health related. While not all people with mental health issues are at risk of suicide, it is a risk factor. It is important that GPs are skilled in detecting not only the mental health issues of their patients, but also in assessing the person’s risk of suicide or self-harm.’ General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration (GPMHSC). Suicide prevention and first aid: a resource for GPs. East Melbourne, Vic: RACGP, 2016.

‘It is estimated that half of all aged care residents exhibit symptoms consistent with depression, and typically those who currently reside in aged care facilities have low mental health literacy, so identifying issues can be problematic. Unfortunately, this issue is often neglected as it is assumed that depression comes with old age.

More concerning is suicide among aged care residents. Researchers say that between the year 2000 and 2013, 140 residents took their own lives.’

For aged care providers, the safety and wellbeing of residents is paramount. Equipping your staff with the necessary knowledge and skills to recognise and appropriately care for someone at risk of suicide in your facility is vital. The Australian Bureau of Statistics identifies the elderly as a high-risk group.

This four hour workshop teaches aged care nurses how to identify that an aged care resident may be at risk of suicide. It demonstrates how to intervene and the appropriate actions to take to assist them.

This 1 hour workshop builds awareness of the signs that an aged care resident may be experiencing mental ill health or thoughts of suicide. The aim of the program is to assist staff to recognise the potential signs and develop skills to record and report concerns so that residents can get the support they need.

While counsellors already have an understanding of the risk factors of suicide, its prevalence in the community makes it important that they stay informed by current thinking. This comprehensive suicide prevention workshop is based on the latest data and research. It is designed to refresh skills and further develop simple intervention techniques and strategies. Upon completion, participants will be provided with a certificate to go towards annual CPD requirements.

This workshop is suitable for counsellors, social workers, family therapists, mediators, psychologists and any other professional whose role involves counselling.

The aim of this free online training is to:

• enable people to identify when someone is presenting with suicidal thoughts/behaviour
• be able to speak out in a supportive manner
• empower them to signpost the individual to the correct services or support.

Please note: Training programs listed are accessed at the user's discretion and are not endorsed by Zero Suicide Institute of Australasia nor Life in Mind.

Connecting with People Training aims to offer a whole-organisation approach to improving responses to people at risk of suicide. Content reflects evidence-based principles, best practice: co-produced and peer-reviewed by people with lived experience, academics, practitioners and NGOs. We promote a shift from risk prediction (to allocate/exclude care) towards a compassionate, holistic, trauma-informed and collaborative approach.

We, prioritise safety and learning of delegates, emphasising self-care and safetyplaning for all. The content and facilitation/training styles, reduce unconscious barriers, tackle stigma and improve compassion whilst targeting competences (knowledge, skills, and confidence). The training is not diagnosis driven, therefore suitable for all audiences (not just specialists), so facilitates understanding and communication across sectors/care pathways.

Community and professional versions of selected modules increase applicability, credibility, and engagement to provide tailored competencies/skills for different levels of expertise/roles, whilst maintaining key principles: compassion, collaboration and governance. SAFETool Assessment and Safetyplanning supports clinicians and consumers by facilitating collaborative triage, assessment, risk mitigation, and safetyplaning.

Multiple formats available: face-to-face, remote webinar, smaller group direct-to-participant/ conference, online e-learning.

• Compassion at Work

• Emotional Resilience (adult/youth versions)

• Emotional Resilience for Professionals

• Community Suicide Awareness

• Suicide Awareness for Professionals

• Suicide Response Part1

• Suicide Response Part2

• Primary Care Suicide Awareness/Response

• Self-Harm Awareness

• Self-Harm Response

• Definition of compassion and the 6 attributes of compassion
• Increases understanding of the key components of compassion, the barriers and how to maintain a compassionate approach at work
• Basic neuroscience of compassion and the science that supports the physical and emotional benefits of a compassionate approach
• Introduction the impact of early years, genetic, occupational and environmental factors
• Self-compassion and positive outcomes including compassion to others
• Introduction to the 3 emotional systems
• Impact of organisational culture on compassion
• Each participant will develop a plan to sustain a compassionate approach at work

• Suitable for the general public, including children over the age of 13, health and social care practitioners and professionals
• Enhances delegates’ emotional literacy

• Challenges stigma around emotional distress and tackles barriers to help-seeking
• Uses ‘watercourse analogy’ to help delegates understand different levels of distress
• Shares effective self-help strategies suitable for different levels of distress
• Uses the ‘sunflower analogy’ to help delegates understand wellbeing and resilience
• Shares practical ways to develop and maintain emotional wellbeing and promotes the importance of this
• Equips delegates to have a greater emotional literacy and know how to enhance their resilience (not mental toughness)
• Equips delegates with positive ways to cope with stress or emotional distress, to develop a personal plan to build their wellbeing and know where to access further support if they ever need help in the future
• Equips the delegate with the knowledge of how to use StayingSafe.net to make their own Safety Plan

• Suitable for ‘non-professionals’ as a follow on to the Emotional Resilience Module

• Know more about the importance of regularly investing in resilience and emotional wellbeing.

• Uses ‘watercourse analogy’ to help delegates understand different levels of distress and how to bolster resilience

• Know more about the importance of self-care and self-compassion.

• Have a deeper understanding of the term resilience and emotional wellbeing.

• Deepen understanding of the stress response curve.

• Mitigating against the effects of crisis.

• Making practical and effective changes to maximise wellbeing and resilience.

• Setting realistic goals.

• Design a Personal Plan to maximise wellbeing and resilience.

• Safety planning using StayingSafe.net.

• Develops understanding and compassion
• Tackles myths, stigma and barriers
• Introduces concept that suicide is not inevitable – people can be helped, and module includes the latest research and evidence
• Suitable for ALL i.e. community members with no previous training
• Helps delegates understand how distress develops and how people can be best supported
• Develops common language between community, services and those in distress
• Gives delegates the confidence and the skills practice of talking to someone in distress
• Develops a compassionate approach for demanding and time-pressured environments
• Equips the delegate with the knowledge of how to use www.StayingSafe.net to make their own Safety Plan