Conversations About Suicide
Equips adults with the knowledge, skills and confidence to recognise, understand and respond to a friend, family member, co-worker or other person, experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviours.
INTERVENE EARLY
Recognise the signs that indicate someone may be experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviours.
OFFER SUPPORT
Learn the skills to have an open, supportive conversation about suicide.
RESPOND IN A CRISIS
Respond to a person experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviours.
REDUCE STIGMA
Reduce stigma and increase support for individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviours.
The Conversations about Suicide course teaches participants how to provide initial support to someone who may be experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviours, until professional help is received or the crisis resolves.
Course participants learn how to recognise and respond to suicidal thoughts and behaviours, provide support and encourage pathways to professional help.
Using a practical, evidence-based action plan, participants learn how to approach someone they are concerned about and initiate a conversation about those concerns. Participants also learn how to offer initial support and information and how to encourage the person to seek professional help or other supports.
This course is recognised by Suicide Prevention Australia as a safe, high-quality, and effective suicide prevention program. Learn more.
Watch this short video to learn more about our course.
Course information
Delivery format
Face-to-Face
Duration
4 hours
Take the next step
For individuals or small groups
For larger groups
Why MHFA?
Evidence-based: All Mental Health First Aid courses are based on guidelines that are informed by people with lived experience, their caregivers, and mental health professionals.
Rigorously evaluated: Evaluations consistently show that Mental Health First Aid training improves participants’ knowledge of mental illnesses and their treatments, and confidence in providing mental health first aid to individuals.
Skills-based: Teaches the practical skills, knowledge, and confidence to make a difference.
Internationally recognised: Over 6 million people trained in Mental Health First Aid across 25 countries.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course participants will be able to:
- Recognise the signs that indicate someone may be experiencing suicidal thoughts
- Understand the warning signs and risk factors of suicide
- Know how to support someone who is experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviours
- Use an evidence-based action plan to initiate a mental health first aid conversation
- Understand the professional resources and supports available for people experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviours
- Know the barriers to help seeking and how to overcome these
- Apply self-care practices as a Mental Health First Aider.
Suitability
Suitable for individuals, workplaces of all sizes, and volunteer and community-based groups.
Any adult (aged 18+) can attend.
Course Content
Participants in this course will learn how to apply mental health first aid to a person experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviours.
Duration & Format
This half-day course is delivered face-to-face by an MHFA trained and Licensed Instructor.
Accreditation
There is no accreditation for this course.
Course Fees
Mental Health First Aid Australia does not employ the Instructors that it trains and licenses. Therefore, each Licensed MHFA Instructor has the autonomy and flexibility to set their own course fees. Course fees do vary for many reasons which can include course type, individual Instructor qualifications and credentials, course venue, course location (metropolitan vs regional locations), course catering and any course participant subsidies that may be available as a result of a community grant.
The course helped me gain the knowledge to give me the skills and confidence to ask someone about suicide and to help them put a plan in action.
I am very glad I attended this course. I found it very informative and appreciate being given the course handbook. I have had to refer to the handbook today to assist someone and I felt much more confident giving them assistance and guidance. The knowledge I gained at the course has helped enormously.
I found the course incredibly enlightening. With many “myths” broken down, I now feel I would have the confidence to talk to someone that I could see was troubled, and further, to be able to help them get the support they may need.
