At Siendo, we understand that suicide is one of the most preventable deaths in the U.K. and – as a result – everyone has a role to play in helping us to save lives and create healthy and strong individuals, families and communities.

Our Suicide First Aid training courses, developed by The National Centre for Suicide Prevention Training, have been designed to help us do exactly that.

Why choose our Suicide First Aid (SFA) courses?

The National Centre for Suicide Prevention Training UK CIC suicide prevention training framework is a key strand of Choose Life: A National Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent Suicide in Scotland, and Talk to me: The National Suicide and Self Harm Reduction Action Plan for Wales.

Both the half-day SFA Lite course and the one-day SFA: Understanding Suicide Interventions course are evidence based, accredited and Assured training programmes, that aim to improve the methods used by all multi-sector practitioners, including health, social care and emergency services professionals to support and respond to people at risk of suicide. Alongside this, these courses are also externally moderated by City & Guilds.

These courses do more than just build awareness, because they equip front-line workers and other individuals with the skills and confidence to intervene.  This is not just aimed at health workers or professionals, but all those who have a role in helping others, and are in a position to act as ‘gatekeepers’ to recognise those who need help to stay safe.  The focus is on immediate safety, not fixing problems or trying to deliver therapeutic interventions.  The skills we teach can be mastered by anyone.

Training people in ordinary first aid and perhaps even administering CPR is a recognised everyday need – we take it for granted.  However, statistically we are more likely to encounter someone with thoughts of suicide than someone having a heart attack!

Scroll down to see our courses at a glance, or book a no-obligation, 30-minute consultation call with Rebecca to find out more about supporting your staff with Suicide First Aid training.

Suicide First Aid Courses we offer

In a rush and not sure which course is right for you and your business?

Compare our two courses at a glance using our handy course comparison document:

Suicide First Aid Lite – 3.5 hours

This course is designed for anyone who seeks greater understanding and confidence to intervene with people at risk of suicide. We provide learners with the knowledge and tools to effectively step in and help someone to stay safe from their thoughts and stay alive. Therefore, during this session, we will explore the theory and practice of suicide intervention skills that can be applied in any professional or personal setting.

This session is delivered over 3.5 hours and we use only the most experienced suicide prevention trainers to deliver this unique learning experience.

Course content:

SFA Lite is comprised of 2 parts, each around 105-minutes duration. We teach the skills needed to identify someone who may be thinking about suicide so we can effectively safety plan with that person and then pass them onto an experienced mental health professional.

Part 1 – 105 minutes

• Introduction to the session; programme, ourselves and suicide prevention
• Stigma and survivors of bereavement by suicide and the ‘Hidden Toll’
• Suicide thoughts and suicide behaviour
• Intention of behaviour vs. outcome of behaviour
• Possible causes of suicide thoughts
• Suicide – the ripple effect

Part 2 – 105 minutes

• Video: ‘I’m really glad you told me’
• Suicide safety guidance
• Recognising and asking about suicide
• Partnership working: connecting the person with key resources

Suicide First Aid Lite training offers learning outcomes that are knowledge-based and factual. This training can be used as a stand-alone programme or as the first part of an ongoing learning journey.

The information in the Suicide First Aid Lite course is easy to grasp for people of all skill levels and those with no prior knowledge of the subject. It is designed to meet the needs of the groups, whether delivered virtually or face-to-face, and could be used as a forerunner to the one-day Suicide First Aid Programme.

The further one-day programme ‘Suicide First Aid: Understanding Suicide Interventions’ is a City & Guilds qualification programme and the next step for those wanting a more in-depth practice-based approach to the learning. See below for more information.

Methods of delivery:

• This course is taught over 3.5 hours by an experienced and fully-accredited trainer.
• The session will be a combination of tutor-led presentations, group work and audio-visual presentations.
• This course has some interactive elements and is an emotionally engaging learning experience.

Pre-training requirements:

No previous experience or training is necessary. Participants will be asked to self-reflect and empathise with a person having thoughts of suicide but there is no expectation on participants to share any personal experiences.

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Suicide First Aid: Understanding Suicide Intervention – 7 hours

This course is designed for anyone who seeks greater understanding and confidence to intervene with people at risk of suicide. We provide learners with the knowledge and tools to effectively step in and help someone to stay safe from their thoughts and stay alive. Therefore, during this session, we will explore the theory and practice of suicide intervention skills that can be applied in any professional or personal setting.

This session is delivered over 7 hours and we use only the most experienced suicide prevention trainers to deliver this unique learning experience.  Depending on the needs of the client, the 7 hours can be delivered in one-day or split across multiple sessions.

Important: When requesting a bulk-booking, please note the one-day SFA: USI course can only run with a minimum of 5 delegates.

Course content:

SFA: USI is comprised of 4 parts, each around 90-minutes duration, with breaks in between. We teach the skills needed to identify someone who may be thinking about suicide so we can effectively safety plan with that person and competently intervene to deliver a suicide-safety first aid approach.

Part 1 – 90 minutes

• Introduction to the session; programme, ourselves and suicide prevention
• Stigma and survivors of bereavement by suicide and the ‘Hidden Toll’
• Suicide thoughts and suicide behaviour
• Intention of behaviour vs. outcome of behaviour
• Possible causes of suicide thoughts

Part 2 – 90 minutes

• Suicide – the ripple effect
• Population-based approach to suicide prevention
• Partnership working
• Working with attitudes and values
• Video: ‘I’m really glad you told me’

Part 3 – 90 minutes

• Meeting the needs of a person who is thinking about suicide
• The ‘Suicide-Safety Guide’
• Step 1 – Recognising suicide and asking about suicide
• Step 2 – Understanding options

Part 4 – 90 minutes

• Step 3 – Safeguarding suicide
• Suicide-safety and self-care
• The risk assessment approach
• Suicide and suicide gestures
• Future learning – City & Guilds Qualification option

Our ‘Suicide First Aid: Understanding Suicide Intervention’ training offers learning outcomes that are knowledge-based and factual. The information in the Suicide First Aid course is easy to grasp for people of all skill levels and those with no prior knowledge of the subject.

Methods of delivery:

• This course is taught over 7 hours by an experienced and fully-accredited trainer.
• The session will be a combination of tutor-led presentations, group work and audio-visual presentations.
• This course has some interactive elements and is an emotionally engaging learning experience.

Accreditation:

Following the completion of this course, participants can choose to register for the City and Guilds accredited qualification for an additional fee of £85 per person, paid directly to C&G. This involves the submission of a written assignment. More information to follow during the course.

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Overwhelmed by your options?

Check out our course quick comparison document, or book a free, 30 minute call with Rebecca to find out how you can support your employee’s wellbeing today.