Building Capacity
As much as public awareness is key, education and training of those charged with responding to potential risks is imperative to completing the cycle of awareness, empowerment and resolution. If all we did was heighten the knowledge base of families and caregivers of individuals at greater risk for suicide without broadening and deepening the capacity for a responsive system, the problem would only be half-addressed. Lay people (e.g, parents, spouses, siblings, teachers, faith-based leaders, supervisors, co-workers, etc.) and professionals alike must be taught how to respond effectively to the threat of suicide.
To view upcoming training events offered by the Statewide Office of Suicide Prevention, please click here.
Understanding and Preventing Suicide Master PowerPoint Training Template. This training covers multiple special topics in suicide prevention. The information is not intended to be presented all within one session; rather, trainers are encouraged to cut and paste slides as needed in order to best serve the educational needs of one's target audience. Additionally, these slides are rich with text. Trainers should decide what information should remain on the slide presentation and what should be conveyed verbally. PDF, 276K or PPT, 913K (to cut and paste document save the PPT first.)
Comparison Table of Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training Programs [PDF, 583 K]
Provided by the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC)
Gatekeeper training generally refers to programs that seek to develop individuals' "…knowledge, attitudes, and skills to identify (those) at risk, determine levels of risk, and make referrals when necessary" (Gould et al., 2003). The purpose of this table is to provide users with a side-by-side comparison of the various gatekeeper training programs listed in the SPRC/AFSP Best Practives Registry (BPR). The BPR identifies, reviews, and disseminates information about best practices that address specific objectives of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.
Forensic Suicidology Certification [PDF, 101 K]
The American Association of Suicidology is offering a certification program in Forensic Suicidology to establish standards to assess and thereby certify professionals claiming expertise in Suicidology for purposes of offering testimony in legal cases involving suicide.
The National Center for Suicide Prevention Training - A free online, educational resource to help public officials, service providers, and community-based coalitions develop effective suicide prevention programs and policies.
ASIST: Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training
ASIST is a two day workshop designed to teach the skills to competently and confidently intervene with a person at risk of suicide. Developed by LivingWorks Education, Inc., the workshop prepares gatekeepers to integrate principles of intervention into everyday practice. The curriculum is divided into four learning modules: attitude, knowledge, intervention and resources. Skills and principles are illustrated with case studies presented in videos and live dramatizations, role-play simulations, discussions, and in the Suicide Intervention Handbook. View a list of ASIST Trainers in Florida [PDF, 7K]
Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk: Core Competencies for Mental Health Professionals
The AMSR Training is a one-day workshop for mental health professionals and employee assistance professionals. The workshop focuses on competencies that are core to assessing and managing suicide risk and is a collaboration of the American Association or Suicidology and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. View a list of AMSR Trained in Florida [PDF, 53K].
EndingSuicide.com Training
Developed by mental health professionals and educators with funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, EndingSuicide.com is a group of online continuing education modules on suicide prevention for health professionals and school professionals. EndingSuicide.com has been shown to improve knowledge and attitudes toward suicide prevention in a wide range of professionals. Each of 19 modules can stand alone, or be used with one or more of the others to create a custom continuing education curriculum.
Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicide (CAMS)
The Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) was developed to modify clinician behaviors in how they initially identify, engage, assess, conceptualize, treatment plan, and manage suicidal outpatients. This approach integrates a range of theoretical orientations into a structure clinical format emphasizing the importance of the counselor and client working together to elucidate and understand the "functional" role of suicidal thoughts and behaviors from the client's perspective. Based on clinical research in various outpatient settings, CAMS provides mental health counselors with a novel clinical approach that is tailored to a suicidal client's idiosyncratic needs thereby insuring the effective clinical assessment, treatment, and tracking of high risk suicidal clients.
PREPaRE: School Crisis Prevention and Intervention Training Curriculum
The PREPaRE curriculum has been developed by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) as part of NASP’s decade-long leadership in providing evidence-based resources and consultation related to school crisis prevention and response. PREPaRE training is ideal for schools committed to improving and strengthening their school crisis management plans and emergency response. It provides training for school personnel in crisis preparation, prevention, intervention, response, and recovery procedures, with a special emphasis on the role of school-based mental health professionals. A list of local trainers is available online.
Question, Persuade, Refer, and Treat (QPR-T)
QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer - 3 simple steps that anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. Just as people trained in CPR help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. As a QPR Gatekeeper you will learn to: recognize the warning signs of suicide, know how to offer hope, know how to get help and save a life. View a list of QPR Trainers in Florida.
Recognizing and Responding to Suicide Risk: Essential Skills for Clinicians
RRSR is an advanced, interactive training based on established core competencies that mental health professionals need in order to effectively assess and manage suicide risk. The program includes a web-based assessment; two online, self-paced modules; a two-day face to face workshop; and post-workshop mentorship through online learning activities. The goal is for clinicians to be confident, competent, and prepared to meet the needs of distressed clients and their families. View a list of RRSR trained in Florida [67K]. List provided by the University of South Florida, Florida Mental Health Institute
Skills Training For Managing People at Risk of Suicide (STORMS)
This paper reports a study evaluating the Skills Training on Risk Management (STORM) training initiative in three mental health services in the North-West of England, UK.
SuicideCare: Aiding life alliances (Living Works, Ed)
This is a one day seminar that introduces frontline caregivers and professionals to advanced clinical practices beyond suicide first aid care. A structure clinical risk assessment underlies the matching of an appropriate helping strategy with the needs of the person at risk. This seminar focuses upon suicide-specific tools that are rarely provided in formal training. As a suicideCare-trained frontline caregiver or professional, you will be better able to: perform a comprehensive risk assessment; negotiate an appropriate helping strategy with a person at risk; appreciate how beliefs, attitudes and practices can shape an effective helping relationship.
The Practical Art of Suicide Assessment (Shea)
This outstanding book is informative, interesting, and clinically useful. Shea emphasizes that suicide is a major public health concern.
It is the ninth leading cause of death in adults and the third leading cause in the 15-25-year-old age group; from 1952 to 1992, the adolescent and young adult rate tripled. Prevention of suicide depends on the timely assessment of suicide risk. Shea says that timely assessment depends on clinicians' overcoming their own fixed ideas and basing their assessment on three pillars: analyzing the risk factors and predictors, uncovering and understanding suicidal ideation, and developing prevention strategies.
Annual Suicide Prevention Symposium
This event brings together mental health and substance abuse professionals, marriage and family therapists, licensed clinical social workers, nurses, psychologists, state agencies, and survivors to learn about the latest research and best practices in the field of suicide prevention. Workshops address multiple facets of the suicide prevention spectrum while highlighting collaborative strategies to impact individuals, communities, and the state. The Symposium illustrates just how imperative partnerships and collaboration are to achieving reduced suicide rates.