Types of Training Offered

Focus areas:

Basic/foundational suicide prevention training, appropriate for audiences as an initial primer to the topic. Topics include landscape of the issue of suicide, risk/protective factors, warning signs, best practices for connecting with someone who may be suicidal, safe messaging, and community resources.

Format:

Typically 60-90 minutes long, and implemented in person. During the pandemic, virtual allowable with appropriate safeguards in place.

Audience:

Open to both public and professional audiences.

Recommended especially as a starting point for (adult) groups that have not recently had formal suicide prevention training.

Main Contact(s):

Jeanelle Sugimoto-Matsuda,

UHM Office of Public

Health Studies,

jsugimot@hawaii.edu

DOE schools requesting SP 101 for annual training requirement, contact your district point-of-contact (POC). If you are unsure who your POC is, contact Jeanelle Sugimoto-Matsuda (jsugimot@hawaii.edu). 

(parent organization = National Alliance on Mental Illness, New Hampshire)

Focus areas:

Connect takes a public health approach to suicide prevention, looking at the individual, social network, organization, and larger community. Connect’s three modules (for adults) cover:

1) foundational information similar to SP 101 (above);

2) connecting with someone who may be suicidal; and

3) review of protocols specific to the agency’s discipline/setting (e.g., schools, healthcare, social services, etc.).

Format:

Typically 3-4 hours long, and implemented in person. During the pandemic, virtual allowable with appropriate safeguards in place.

Audience:

Open to both public and professional audiences. Certain trainers are certified in the youth version of Connect.

Recommended for agencies that have particular interest in shoring up organizational protocols.

Main Contact(s):

Jeanelle Sugimoto-Matsuda,

UHM Office of Public

Health Studies,

jsugimot@hawaii.edu 

Deborah Goebert,

UHM Department of

Psychiatry,

goebertd@dop.hawaii.edu 

http://www.theconnectprogram.org/ 

Focus areas:

Mental Health America of Hawaii’s YSBP training offers strategies to recognize and intervene in youth suicide and bullying. In the workshops, participants learn to:

1) define bullying and understand the roles we play in bullying;

2) identify symptoms of depression and recognize signs of suicide; and

3) listen, ask, support, and empower the youth to get help.

Format:

Typically 2-3 hours long, and implemented in person. Virtual options available (contact MHAH).

Audience:

Open to both public and professional audiences.

Recommended for youth audiences, though adaptable for adults.

Main Contact(s):

Mental Health America of Hawai‛i

prevention@mentalhealthhawaii.org

https://mentalhealthhawaii.org/youth-suicide-bullying-prevention/ 

(parent organization = Living Works)

Focus areas:

Early identification and referral steps/skills. Follows the “TALK” acronym: Tells (identify “tells” or warning signs for suicide), Ask (opening a discussion with someone who may be suicidal, asking the question), Listen (active listening), and Keep safe (referring the person to a safety resource). Includes brief practice/role play.

Format:

Typically 3-4 hours long, and implemented in person. safeTALK is NOT allowed to be conducted virtually.

Audience:

Open to both public and professional audiences.

Recommended for participants that specifically are seeking detailed guidance and practice with initiating a conversation with someone who may be suicidal.

Main Contact(s):

Jeanelle Sugimoto-Matsuda,

UHM Office of Public

Health Studies,

jsugimot@hawaii.edu 

https://livingworks.net/training/livingworks-safetalk/ 

(parent organization = Living Works)

Focus areas:

Picks up on the intervention process where safeTALK leaves off (which is why it is recommended to do safeTALK first). Just like CPR is a life-saving intervention for someone suffering a medical emergency, ASIST is “suicide first aid” for someone

who is having thoughts of suicide. ASIST-trained individuals are able to assess an

individual’s level of risk, discuss risk and protective factors, and develop a safety

plan.

Format:

Typically two-day training, implemented in person. ASIST is NOT allowed to be

conducted virtually.

Audience:

Open to both public and professional audiences.

Recommended that participants complete a foundations training first (e.g.,

safeTALK) and/or has some professional experience.

Main Contact(s):

Jeanelle Sugimoto-Matsuda,

UHM Office of Public

Health Studies,

jsugimot@hawaii.edu 

https://livingworks.net/training/livingworks-asist/ 

Focus areas:

Provides further details on safe messaging guidelines (do’s and don’ts), as well as examples of safe and unsafe campaigns.

Format:

Typically 60-90 minutes long, and implemented in person. During the pandemic, virtual allowable with appropriate safeguards in place.

Audience:

Open to both public and professional audiences.

Recommended especially for groups/organizations developing and implementing suicide prevention campaigns and activities.

Main Contact(s):

For local info and scheduling:

Jeanelle Sugimoto-Matsuda

(jsugimot@hawaii.edu) 

Focus areas:

Mental Health First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid are full-day education programs which introduce participants to risk factors and warnings signs of mental health issues, build understanding of the importance of early intervention, and teach individuals how to help someone who may be in crisis or experiencing a mental health challenge. 

Format:

Typically 6-8 hours long, and implemented in person. Hybrid options available, if trainer is certified in hybrid/virtual version. 

Audience:

Open to both public and professional audiences.

Main Contact(s):

Jeanelle Sugimoto-Matsuda,

UHM Office of Public

Health Studies,

jsugimot@hawaii.edu 

https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/take-a-course/ 

Focus areas:

“Talk Saves Lives” and “More Than Sad” are two trainings that the Hawai‛i Chapter of AFSP has been actively implementing, and that AFSP has authorized for virtual delivery with adults. “Talk Saves Lives” is a foundational training that provides basics on suicide prevention concepts. “More Than Sad” helps participants to recognize signs of depression in themselves and others, challenges the stigma surrounding depression, and demystifies the treatment process. 

Format:

Typically 1-2 hours long, and implemented in person. During the pandemic, virtual allowable with appropriate safeguards in place.

Audience:

Open to both public and professional audiences.

Main Contact(s):

For local info and scheduling:

hawaii@afsp.org 

Curriculum website:

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

https://afsp.org/get-training 

Focus areas:

Sources of Strength is a best practice youth suicide prevention program designed to harness the power of peer social networks to change unhealthy norms and culture, ultimately preventing suicide, bullying, and substance abuse.

Format:

Typically 2-3 hours long, and implemented in person. Hybrid options available, if trainer is certified in hybrid/virtual version. 

Audience:

Open to both public and professional audiences.

Main Contact(s):

For local info and scheduling:

Deborah Goebert

(goebertd@dop.hawaii.edu) 

Curriculum website:

https://sourcesofstrength.org/ 

Focus areas:

Lethal Means Training is a type of suicide prevention training focused on reducing access to lethal means, such as firearms and medication, among individuals at risk for suicide. The training teaches gatekeepers how to identify and reduce access to lethal means, and provides guidance on how to talk to patients and families about firearm and medication safety. The program aims to prevent suicide by making it more difficult for individuals to access lethal means during a time of crisis. Lethal Means Training is an evidence-based program that has been shown to be effective in reducing suicide rates.

Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) is a Lethal Means Training course available via Zero Suicide.

Format:

Typically 2-3 hours long, and implemented in person or online.

Audience:

Open to both public and professional audiences.

Recommended for healthcare professionals and firearms instructors.

Main Contact(s):

For local info and scheduling:

Wendy T. Schwartz

Department of Veterans Affairs

Wendy.Schwartz@va.gov 

Zero Suicide CALM Course Website: https://zerosuicide.edc.org/resources/trainings-courses/CALM-course