In order to prevent suicide, it is imperative that lay-persons up through professionals gain the knowledge and practice to become competent in identifying individuals at risk of suicide and connecting them to help, just as with First Aid. Equally important is that the help, clinicians of all types and health and behavioral health care systems, become competent in providing the treatment and services needed to reduce individuals’ risk and guide them toward hope, including family and caregiver engagement. For more on this please see the resources below, and Zero Suicide-Training the Workforce .
The following evidence-based, best practice training is available in Connecticut for low or no cost thanks to state and federal grants. Training participants will receive a certificate of completion, and CEUs or CMEs where indicated below:
- Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (Certificate and 12 hours-CT Certification Board, Inc.)
- Ask Listen Refer (For college campuses.)
- Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk: Core Competencies for Mental Health Professionals ( 6.5 CEUs-NASW)
- Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)
- Connect Postvention (suicide response) (3 or 6 CEUs-NASW for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Training, and Certificate for Social Service Training)
- Harvard Medical School Course Catalog (live & online)
- Mental Health First Aid (Certificate and 12 hours-CT Certification Board, Inc.)
- Question, Persuade, Refer Gatekeeper Program (Certificate)
- Recognizing and Responding to Suicide Risk-Primary Care (1.5 CME-AMA)
- safeTALK
- Survivor Voices (Certificate- Summer 2013 Release)
- The Connecticut Women’s Consortium (live & online)
Please help us evaluate QPR Gatekeeper Training activities in CT. When providing a training, we ask that you distribute the statewide evaluation and return it to:
Connecticut’s Center for Prevention
Wellness and Recovery
334 Farmington Avenue
Plainville, CT 06062
The evaluation can be downloaded and printed here.
When submitting evaluations, please enclose the cover sheet.
- VACT Training List – The VA Connecticut HealthCare Suicide Prevention Program offers these trainings at no cost. Please view the linked document for training and contact information.
Free, evidence-based, web-based training resources:
- Columbia- Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS)
- Counseling Access to Lethal Means
- Preventing Suicide in Emergency Department Patients: This online course teaches professionals who work in emergency departments how to conduct screening, assessment, and brief interventions with patients at risk of suicide.
- Safety Planning Intervention for Suicide Prevention: This free, online training from the New York State Office of Mental Health and Columbia University describes the Safety Planning Intervention and how it can help individuals, explains when to work with individuals to create a safety plan, and describes the steps in creating a safety plan
- Structured Follow-up and Monitoring for Suicidal Individuals: This free, online training from the New York State Office of Mental Health and Columbia University describes what structured follow-up and monitoring is and how it can help suicidal individuals
- Suicide Prevention Resource Center Training
- TIP 50: Addressing Suicidal Behavior in Substance Abuse Treatment
Safety Planning:
- Safety Planning Template
- Barbara Stanley on Safety Planning-Video
- Stanley and Brown Article on Safety Planning Intervention: A Brief Intervention to Mitigate Suicide Risk
- Safety Plan Treatment Manual to Reduce Suicide Risk: Veteran Version
- Safety Plan Intervention to Reduce Suicide Risk Among Military Personnel and Veterans
For more information please refer to the resources listed above, or contact us.
1 WORD Campaign at Trainings: Please don’t forget to promote the CT Suicide Prevention Campaign at your trainings. You can request materials, and access images and PSA videos at www.preventsuicidect.org/materials.
