General Resources - Suicide Prevention

Get Help Now

Crisis Text Line https://www.crisistextline.org/text-us/
LGBT National Help Center http://www.glnh.org/
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
Now Matters Now https://nowmattersnow.org/skills
The Trevor Project LGBTQ Help https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

Suicide Prevention Training

QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer)
A 1-2 hour gatekeeper training for general audiences. The goals of this training are to enhance general awareness about suicide through public education, teach community members the warning signs of suicidal thinking and behavior, and teach three basic intervention skills that can help avert the tragedy of suicide. QPR does not include suicide risk assessment.

SafeTALK (Suicide Alertness for Everyone)
A four hour training program that teaches participants to recognize and engage persons who might be having thoughts of suicide and to connect them with community resources trained in suicide intervention. SafeTALK stresses safety while challenging taboos that inhibit open talk about suicide. The ‘safe’ of safe-TALK stands for ‘suicide alertness for everyone’. The ‘TALK’ letters stand for the practice actions that one does to help those with thoughts of suicide: Tell, Ask, Listen, and Keep Safe.

ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training)
A two-day intensive, interactive and practice-dominated course designed to help caregivers recognize and review risk, and intervene to prevent the immediate risk of suicide. The learning process is based on adult learning principles and involves highly participatory workgroups. Graduated skills development is achieved through mini-lectures, facilitated discussions, group simulations, and role plays. ASIST is the most widely used, acclaimed and researched suicide intervention training workshop in the world.

Recognizing and Responding to Suicide Risk: Essential Skills for Mental Health Clinicians
A two-day interactive training based on established core competencies that mental health professionals need in order to effectively assess and manage suicide risk. The goal is for clinicians to confident, competent, and prepared to meet the needs of distressed clients and their families.

Recognizing and Responding to Suicide Risk: Essential Skills for Primary Care Providers
A 90 minute training program that provides Physicians, Nurses/Nurse Practitioners, and Physician Assistants with the knowledge they need in order to integrate suicide risk assessments into routine office visits, to formulate relative risk, and to work collaboratively with patients to create treatment plans.

Online Training

QPR Institute
Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide
The National Center for Suicide Prevention offers online training including “research to practice” webinars:

Other Resources

Active Minds – Tips for Post Covid Life https://www.activeminds.org/about-mental-health/life-at-your-pace/
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention https://afsp.org/
American Association of Suicidology https://suicidology.org/
Appalachian Substance Abuse Coalition https://stopsubstanceabuse.com/
BeWellVA https://bewellva.com/
The Campus Suicide Prevention Center of Virginia http://www.campussuicidepreventionva.org/
The Columbia Lighthouse Project https://cssrs.columbia.edu/
Community Tool Box University of Kansas https://ctb.ku.edu/en
County Health Rankings & Roadmaps https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/
Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services https://www.dbhds.virginia.gov/
Department of Criminal and Justice Services https://www.dcjs.virginia.gov/
FeedVA https://feedva.org/
Livingworks https://www.livingworks.net/suicide-to-hope
Local Outreach to Suicide Survivor (LOSS) Team https://losscs.org/launch-a-loss-team/
Lock and Talk https://lockandtalk.org/
Mental Health America https://www.mhanational.org/
Messaging to the Public About Suicide https://suicidepreventionmessaging.org/
Mid-Atlantic Regional Public Health Training Center https://lms.marphtc.pitt.edu/
National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention https://theactionalliance.org/
National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Data Briefs https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs.htm
National Strategy for Suicide Prevention https://theactionalliance.org/our-strategy/national-strategy-suicide-prevention
Office of Children’s Services http://www.csa.virginia.gov/
Operation Lifesaver Rail Safety Education https://oli.org/
Plain Language Materials & Resources (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/developmaterials/plainlanguage.html
Postpartum Support International https://www.postpartum.net/
Reporting on Suicide https://reportingonsuicide.org/
Safe States https://www.safestates.org/
SAFE-T Pocket Card https://store.samhsa.gov/product/SAFE-T-Pocket-Card-Suicide-Assessment-Five-Step-Evaluation-and-Triage-for-Clinicians/sma09-4432
Safety Planning Intervention https://suicidesafetyplan.com/Home_Page.html
SAMHSA First Responders and Disaster Responders Resource Portal https://www.samhsa.gov/dtac/disaster-responders
Seize the Awkward https://seizetheawkward.org/
SPRC’s Comprehensive Approach to Suicide Prevention https://www.sprc.org/effective-prevention/comprehensive-approach
Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide https://sptsusa.org/
StandBy Support After Suicide https://standbysupport.com.au/
Suicide Prevention Resource Center https://www.sprc.org/
TAPS Caring for the Families of America’s Fallen Heroes https://www.taps.org/
UCLA Williams Institute LGBT Data & Demographics https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/visualization/lgbt-stats/?topic=LGBT&area=51#density
Virginia Department of Education Suicide Prevention Resources https://www.doe.virginia.gov/support/prevention/suicide/index.shtml
Virginia Department of Veterans Services https://www.dvs.virginia.gov/
Virginia Health Opportunity Index (HOI) https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/health-equity/virginia-health-opportunity-index-hoi/
Virginia Health Opportunity Index https://apps.vdh.virginia.gov/omhhe/hoi/
Virginia Juvenile Justice Dashboard http://www.jjgps.org/virginia
Virginia Mental Health Access Program https://www.vmap.org/
Virginia Social Indicator Dashboard https://vasisdashboard.omni.org/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=Home
Workplace Suicide Prevention https://workplacesuicideprevention.com/
Zero Suicide Institute https://zerosuicide.edc.org/

VDH

These publications are available to individuals and organizations within the Commonwealth. To request an order of the following publications complete the materials request form.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Materials (to order materials)

Lethal Means

Resources related to restricting suicidal persons’ easy access to dangerous substances from the Means Matter Campaign: