Suicide Prevention Training

Hertfordshire County Council has commissioned Samaritans to deliver Suicide Prevention Training. The course is aimed at frontline professionals and volunteers whose role may bring them into direct contact with people experiencing suicidal thoughts and ideation.

The three-hour session is delivered online, via Zoom, by an expert Samaritans facilitator and uses a variety of tools to encourage interaction and group learning.

The session will equip participants with practical skills to have a supportive, controlled and effective conversation, assess and respond to risk and signpost to relevant support services.

Suicide is a complex and emotional subject. However, the more we develop our shared understanding of the signs of suicidal thoughts and feelings – and the skills to have timely and effective conversations with people at risk – the more we can make successful interventions that save lives.

Please note: you must be working in/supporting people who reside in Hertfordshire to qualify for a funded place on this course. If you have attended a similar course funded by Hertfordshire County Council in the previous two years you may not be eligible to attend.

Objectives

This course will help you to:

- Understand the risk factors and feelings that can lead to thoughts of suicide

- Recognise signs of suicidal thoughts and ideation

- Develop skills to have conversation with someone at risk of suicide

- Engage someone in conversation sensitively and effectively

- Explore strategies to assess and respond to risk – and keep someone safe

- Refer someone to the emergency and/or support services

- Signpost to sources of additional support

Learning methods

- Group discussions and experience sharing

- Skills practice

Workbook

You will receive a workbook of the key concepts, models and practical techniques and examples in the course – plus space for you to note your own ideas and those of others – for their ongoing reference.

Pre-course information

We recommend that you:

- Use Google Chrome for the best compatibility

- Use a headset with a microphone so you can hear and be heard during the course, and to minimise any background noise

- Ensure your camera is working correctly, so you can participate fully in the course

- Join from a quiet location/room with a strong internet connection

FAQs

- How can I contact the organiser with any questions?

For urgent enquiries on the day call 0208 394 8349

If you or someone you know requires emotional support, please call Samaritans’ free helpline 116 123.

Data gathering

We are capturing monitoring data to better understand who attends our training.

We request your consent to collect and share demographic data anonymously on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council during the registration process, for use by Hertfordshire County Council. The data will be used anonymously for monitoring purposes only. Full details of how this is used is available here.

You can refuse to consent without detriment to your attendance on the above training course. You may withdraw your consent at any time by email to Externaltraining@samaritans.org