4MH Suicide Awareness for Professionals Training

Aims and target audience

Target audience:

All persons aged 18 and above

ALL members of health and social care team, first responders, IAPT, third sector experts, expert patients in a designated peer support or care navigator role (qualified and unqualified) with no previous training and any health/social care/first responder student on a formal work placement

Aims:

To equip professionals with the competences and confidence to compassionately respond to a person in distress and contribute to suicide prevention within their role. To equip participants to be able to make their own Safety Plan using StayingSafe.net

Learning outcomes

• Understand the myths and stigma associated with suicide and barriers to help-seeking and ways to overcome them
• Know more about suicide prevention
• Understand the scale of the problem, using latest statistics and research
• Understand the impact on professionals and those in health and social care roles
• Understand the more about suicide prevention research and the role of:
  • Ambivalence and interruption
  • Compassion and hope
• Understand the significance of frequently used locations and the effects of barriers (physical or otherwise)
• Understand the principles of the ‘Golden 3 minutes’
• Learn about the 6 attributes of compassion
• Experience the Watercourse Analogy
• Learn about the process of safety planning
• Build a personal Safety Plan
• Discover and understand the use of StayingSafe.net

Delivery methods and styles

We, prioritise safety and learning of delegates, emphasising self-care and safety planning for all. The content and facilitation/training styles, reduce unconscious barriers, tackle stigma and improve compassion whilst targeting competences (knowledge, skills, and confidence).

• Comprehensive robust safety protocol for trainer and participant safety
• Training material: co-produced by people with lived-experience, few slides, mainly images
• Workbook provided for use during training for solo/group work and post-training booklet to consolidate new learning
• Training experience: immersive, supportive and values-based
• Training style: uses story-telling, analogy and facilitated discussions
• Not diagnosis-driven, so accessible and inclusive and suitable for all audiences (not just specialists). so facilitates understanding and communication across sectors/care pathways
• Webinar training involves trainers with additional skills training to ensure effective, smooth and safe delivery
• Strict participant numbers to enhance learning and psychological safety

Webinar Direct to Participant – 20 delegates max

Webinar Training Conference – 100 delegates max, with 2 trainers and a full time ‘safety person’

Knowledge and skills required of the trainers

Appropriate work/professional qualifications and/or lived-experience for peer credibility, subject area knowledge and confidence for onward delivery to the target audience.

Flexibility within work schedules, and/or employer/ line manager support to commit time to onward deliver the training

Involvement of people with lived experience

Training co-produced with experts by experience, including additional peer review by  members of 4 Mental Health lived experience Expert Reference Group.

4 Mental Health’s Lived Experience Expert Reference Group (ERG): “4 Mental Health recognises the essential nature and unique value that lived experience contributions and involvement bring to their work. As members of the 4 Mental Health ERG we feel that everything 4 Mental Health produces is coproduced with us and that our opinions are truly valued and respected. By recognising lived experience in this way, we feel assured that the content of their training is fit for purpose and the best it can possibly be.”

Assessment, CPD credits, certification

Attendance certificate provided confirming course attended and time spent which can be used towards annual CPD requirements, according to local CPD governance arrangements.

4 Mental Health have successfully achieved accreditation with the first national suicide prevention accreditation program, with standards defined by Suicide Prevention Australia (SPA), Australia’s leading suicide prevention body, focussed on lived experience, safety and governance and our commitment to continuing quality improvement. Our training has also won several national awards.