Recognizing National Suicide Prevention Week

Promote hope and healing by bringing suicide to light

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Dear Community of Practice Members,

This week has been dedicated to suicide prevention, starting on September 10th, National Suicide Awareness Day. Let us join together to support those who are survivors and those coping with suicidal thoughts. Whether you are a front-line staff, supportive administrator, caring faculty member, a close friend, a family member, or a conscientious stranger, we hope the following resources will help guide you in approaching someone at risk or finding the help you need.

Overview

Webinar: Suicide and the Working Environment
Helpful Resources
Suicide Prevention Training
CSP Editorials
Mysterious Barricades

Need help? Click to find a local crisis centre

Webinar: Suicide and the Working Environment

In recognition of World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10th, Dr. Kathleen Stephany, a nurse instructor from Douglas College, presented Suicide and the Working Environment. Suicide is a sad and even scary topic that we don't often gravitate towards. But all of us need to learn how to increase our comfort level in talking about suicide if we want to help prevent it. This webinar provided individuals and organizations with practical information and insights on how to help someone who is suicidal.

Watch the webinar recording >>>

Information on Suicide & Crisis Intervention

Dr. Kathleen Stephany, nurse educator and motivation speaker, provided this list of contact details for crisis centers located around the world. The information sheet was distributed as a resource during her webinar presentation.

View the information sheet >>>

List of Suicide Prevention Resources

In recognition of World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10th, 2014, Jennifer White kindly prepared a list of her favourite resources. The list includes her notes and links to articles, websites, guidelines and projects that are useful and relevant to those working (or learning) in the post-secondary context.

View the resource list >>>

Helpful Resources

Preventing Suicide

Suicide. It’s a difficult topic to bring up. This CMHA resource defines suicide, identifies warning signs, provides ways to reduce risk and dispenses practical advice if you are the person experiencing thoughts of self harm.

Read the CMHA resource >>>

Hope, Help and Healing: A Planning Toolkit for First Nations and Aboriginal Communities to Prevent and Respond to Suicide

The First Nations Health Authority Planning Toolkit outlines promising practices for prevention, intervention and response to suicide within Indigenous communities. The four-step approach includes the First Nations perspective on wellness, information about suicide risk factors, guidance for strengthening personal resilience and strategies for promoting community engagement.

Learn about the toolkit >>>

Coping with Suicidal Thoughts

If you're thinking of suicide, you are not alone. Many people have thoughts of suicide for a number of reasons. The question then becomes how you might begin to feel better. This resource provides encouraging advice, a worksheet for drafting a safety plan, information to help understand the origin of your harmful thoughts and practical strategies for reducing those thoughts in the future.

Read the resource >>>

Suicide Prevention Training

Helping people at risk of suicide

Community Gatekeeper training is designed to help make BC communities safer - and help save lives - by preparing key members of every community with skills to help people who are at risk of suicide.

Community Gatekeeper training follows curriculum shown to be effective at increasing knowledge, skills and willingness to intervene, as well as helping reduce the risk of suicide. Two levels of training are available:

safeTALK – a basic half-day workshop for anyone to help recognize a person who might be at risk and help connect them to life-saving community supports and resources
ASIST – a two-day practice-focused workshop in suicide intervention and personal safety planning

Learn more about the training >>>

Centre for Suicide Prevention (CSP): Editorials

Mental Wellness and Suicide Prevention

This editorial examines various protective factors that prevent thoughts of self harm or suicide and enable a person to live a healthy, fulfilling life.

Social Connectedness and Suicide

This editorial looks at social connectedness within and across all age groups to suggest that strong supports and meaningful relationships are needed to weather the stresses of life.

Sexual and Gender Minorities and Suicide

This editorial uncovers the link between death by suicide and LBGTQ+ youth, suggesting campuses establish safe-spaces, gay-straight alliances and equal rights policies as protective factors.

Canada's Indigenous Communities and Suicide

This editorial investigates the increased rates of suicide within Indigenous communities, suggesting the dislocation of colonialism is the cause and cultural revival is the cure.

Thank you for attending or watching the live stream of the Mysterious Barricades concert. The event was undoubtedly a success with an outpouring of uplifting music transmitted across the country from sunrise-to-sunset. The voices heard resonated a unified message of awareness and resilience. We sincerely hope this tradition will continue and that you will join us again in support of suicide prevention in 2017.