Suicide First Aid (SFA) Training

The Suicide First Aid courses are nationally recognized training programs that equips individuals with the knowledge and skills to identify signs of suicidal thoughts and intervene with confidence and compassion. Designed for anyone aged 16 and over, the courses teach how to have a supportive conversation, assess risk, and guide someone towards the help they need. By increasing awareness and reducing stigma, Suicide First Aid empowers people to play a vital role in suicide prevention within their communities, workplaces, or personal lives.

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Suicide First Aid: Understanding Suicide Intervention

Learning Outcomes

Understanding Suicide and Its Causes: Gain insights into the complex factors that can lead to thoughts of suicide and suicide behaviours, including mental health issues, emotional distress, and societal pressures.
Recognising Signs: Learn how to identify the verbal, behavioural, and situational indicators that someone may be thinking of suicide.
Effective Communication Techniques: Develop skills to engage in sensitive and supportive conversations, helping to de-escalate crises and offer hope to those in need.
Immediate Intervention Strategies: Acquire practical tools and approaches for providing immediate support, including how to refer individuals to mental health professionals and other resources.
Ethical Considerations: Understand the ethical responsibilities involved in suicide prevention, including confidentiality, consent, and the importance of self-care.

Course Content

Part 1: Understanding the Foundations of Suicide Prevention

Introduction and Programme Overview: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the programme's objectives and structure.
Working with Societal Attitudes Toward Suicide: Explore how societal views impact individuals at risk and shape prevention strategies.
How Personal Values Influence Suicide Thoughts: Discover the link between an individual’s values and the development of suicide ideation.
The Hidden Toll®: Understand the stigma surrounding suicide and the experiences of survivors who have been bereaved by suicide.
The Ripple Effect®: Delve into how suicide affects not just the individual, but the wider community, creating a ripple of impact.
Understanding Thoughts of Suicide and Suicide Behaviour: Learn about the various causes of thoughts of suicide and the differences between intention and outcome in suicide behaviour.
Intention vs. Outcome of Behaviour®: Examine the critical distinctions between a person’s intentions and the outcomes of their actions.
Possible causes of Suicide Thougths: Gain insights into the complex and varied causes that can lead to suicide thoughts.

Part 2: Strategic Approaches to Suicide Prevention.

Population-Based Approach to Suicide Prevention: Explore strategies to prevent suicide on a broader scale.
Suicide Prevention – Intervention – Postvention: Learn the key stages of suicide prevention, from early intervention to postvention support.
Partnership Working – First Aid Approach: Understand how to collaborate effectively with others to provide Suicide First Aid® to individuals struggling.
“I’m Really Glad You Told Me”®: Watch a powerful audio-visual presentation featuring real-life scenarios and colleagues who have successfully intervened in cases of suicide.

Part 3: Practical Skills for Supporting Individuals

Meeting the Needs of a Person thinking about Suicide: Learn how to address the specific needs of individuals whose suicide thoughts are driven by different pressures.
Suicide-Safety Guide – 3 Step Model:
- Step 1 – Recognising Suicide Thoughts: Understand how to identify warning signs and ask the right questions in conversations with those thinking about suicide.
- Step 2 – Listening to Understand and Exploring Options: Explore the importance of listening and how to discuss and explore different support options with a person having thoughts of suicide.

Part 4: Ensuring Safety and Self-Care in Suicide Prevention

Step 3 – Helping You Cope: Strategies for supporting both the person with thoughts of suicide and yourself through challenging situations.
Future Learning: Learn effective ways to document interventions and identify opportunities for ongoing education and development in suicide prevention.
Self-Care for Suicide First Aiders®: Understand the importance of self-care and how to manage the emotional impact of working with those affected by suicide.

Cost

Discussed on enquiry

Takeaways

Upon completion, Learners can gain the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) Level 4 Award in Suicide First Aid®. This is a written assignment and upon completion Learners will receive an official qualification certificate from RSPH.

Format

This is a concise, focused programme delivered over Zoom and lasting 1 day, making it accessible for busy professionals. The programme includes a mix of interactive presentations, real-life case studies, and role-playing exercises to ensure Learners leave with practical, actionable skills.

Suicide First Aid Lite: Understanding Suicide Intervention

Learning Outcomes

● Understanding Suicide and Its Causes: Gain insights into the complex factors that can lead to thoughts of suicide and suicide behaviours, including mental health issues, emotional distress, and societal pressures.

● Recognising Signs: Learn how to identify the verbal, behavioural, and situational indicators that someone may be thinking of suicide.

● Effective Communication Techniques: Develop skills to engage in sensitive and supportive conversations, helping to de-escalate crises and offer hope to those in need.

● Immediate Intervention Strategies: Acquire practical tools and approaches for providing immediate support, including how to refer individuals to mental health professionals and other resources.

● Ethical Considerations: Understand the ethical responsibilities involved in suicide prevention, including confidentiality, consent, and the importance of self-care.

Course Content

Part 1: Understanding the Foundations of Suicide Prevention

● Introduction and Programme Overview: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the programme's objectives and structure.

● Working with Societal Attitudes Toward Suicide: Explore how societal views impact individuals with thoughts of suicide, and shape prevention strategies.

● How Personal Values Influence Suicide Thoughts: Discover the link between an individual’s values and the development of suicide ideation.

● The Hidden Toll®: Understand the stigma surrounding suicide and the experiences of survivors who have been bereaved by suicide.

● The Ripple Effect®: Delve into how suicide affects not just the individual, but the wider community, creating a ripple of impact.

● Understanding Thoughts of Suicide and Suicide Behaviour: Learn about the various causes of thoughts of suicide and the differences between intention and outcome in suicide behaviour.

● Intention vs. Outcome of Behaviour®: Examine the critical distinctions between a person’s intentions and the outcomes of their actions.

● Exploring the Causes of Suicide Ideation: Gain insights into the complex and varied causes that can lead to suicide thoughts.

● ‘I’m Really Glad You Told Me’®: Watch a powerful short film featuring a real-life case study of someone who contemplated suicide and was persuaded to choose life.

Part 2: Practical Strategies for Suicide Intervention and Self-Care

● The Suicide Safety Guide: Learn the 3-Step Model designed to equip Suicide First Aiders® with essential skills.

● Step 1 – Recognising Suicide Feelings: Master the ability to identify when someone is thinking about suicide and ask the right, life-saving questions.

● Step 2 – Exploring and Understanding Options: Develop skills to engage in meaningful conversations that explore the person’s options and offer hope.

● Step 3 – Helping the person with thoughts of suicide cope - Using an evidence-based approach to develop a suicide safety plan.

● Self-care for Suicide First Aiders® - Understand the importance of self-care and how to manage the emotional impact of working with those affected by suicide.

Cost

Discussed on enquiry

Takeaways

Upon completion, participants will receive a digital badge from NCSPET, demonstrating their knowledge of suicide prevention as a Suicide First Aider®, along with a certificate of attendance.

Format

Suicide First Aid: Children And Young People

Learning Outcomes

Understanding Suicide: Gain insights into the complex factors that can lead to suicide thoughts and behaviours in young people experiencing acute stress, including school pressures, mental health challenges, and societal factors.
Recognising the Signs in young people: Learn how to identify the verbal, behavioural, and situational indicators that someone may be at thinking about suicide.
Effective Communication Techniques for Distressed young poeple: Develop skills to engage in sensitive and supportive conversations tailored to those struggling, helping to de-escalate crises and offer hope.
Immediate Intervention Strategies for Thougths of Suicide: Acquire practical tools and approaches for providing immediate support to young people vulnerable to suicide, including how to refer them to mental health professionals and counselling services.
Ethical Considerations in Suicide Prevention: Understand the ethical and safeguarding responsibilities involved in suicide prevention within the context of supporting young people, including confidentiality, consent, and the importance of self-care.

Course Content

Part 1: Understanding the Impact of Suicide Thoughts and Behaviour

Introduction & Programme Outline: Overview of the programmes and its objectives, focusing on the relationship between suicide thoughts and suicide behaviour.
Working with Attitudes & Values: Explore how personal and societal attitudes toward mental health can influence suicide thoughts.
Stigma, Survivors of Suicides, and the Hidden Toll®: Understand the hidden emotional burden carried by those left behind after a suicide.
Suicide – The Ripple Effect®: Review statistics on how different factors contribute to suicide behaviour and its broader impact on communities.
Understanding Adolescent Brain Development: Learn about a young person's brain and its ability to take risks.
Understanding Suicide Thoughts and Behaviours: Learn about the different factors that can lead to thoughts of suicide.
Intention vs. Outcome of Behaviour®: Examine the differences between a young person's intentions and the actual outcomes of their actions.
Possible Causes of Suicide Thoughts: Identify the potential triggers of suicide thoughts in young people.

Part 2: Strategic Approaches to Suicide Prevention.

Population-Based Approach to Suicide Prevention: Explore strategies to prevent suicide on a broader scale.
Suicide Prevention – Intervention – Postvention: Learn the key stages of suicide prevention, from early intervention to postvention support.
Partnership Working – First Aid Approach: Understand how to collaborate effectively with others to provide Suicide First Aid® to young people.
“I’m Really Glad You Told Me”®: Watch a powerful audio-visual presentation featuring real-life scenarios and teachers in a school who have successfully intervened in cases of suicide.

Part 3: Practical Skills for Supporting Young People

Meeting the Needs of a Person Contemplating Suicide: Learn how to address the specific needs of young people who has suicide thoughts.
Suicide-Safety Guide – 3 Step Model:
- Step 1 – Recognising Suicide Thoughts: Understand how to identify warning signs and ask the right questions in conversations.
- Step 2 – Listening to Understand and Exploring Options: Explore the importance of listening and how to discuss and explore different support options with a young person having thoughts of suicide.

Part 4: Ensuring Safety and Self-Care in Suicide Prevention

Step 3 – Helping You Cope: Strategies for supporting both the young person with thoughts of suicide and yourself through challenging situations.
Future Learning: Learn effective ways to document interventions and identify opportunities for ongoing education and development in suicide prevention.
Self-Care for Suicide First Aiders®: Understand the importance of self-care and how to manage the emotional impact of working with those affected by suicide.

Cost

Discussed on enquiry

Takeaways

Upon completion of the Suicide First Aid® for Children and Young People (1 day programme), Learners have the option to take the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) Level 4 award in Suicide First Aid®. This is a written assignment and upon completion Learners will receive an official qualification certificate from RSPH.

Format

This is a concise, focused programme delivered online, making it accessible for busy professionals. The programme is delivered over a 1 day and includes a mix of interactive presentations, real-life case studies, and role-playing exercises specifically related to young people, ensuring Learners leave with practical, actionable skills.

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