How to reduce suicide risk
This compassionate suicide prevention training gives you essential information and strategies to help you work with anyone who is potentially suicidal, has admitted they are, or has survived a previous attempt…
Course Factfile
Suicide Intervention Training
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Accredited CPD Certificate: 6 hours
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Length: 1 day (9.15am–4.00pm)
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Tutor: Malcolm Hanson
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Limited numbers
Special offer
- Price: £145 £135 per person
Includes course notes and access to a recording of the event
Original price was: £145.00.£135.00Current price is: £135.00.
Book your place
Select a date
You never know when you may need these skills…
Brilliant! I’ve been on previous suicide intervention courses over the years, but this is by far the best – great pace, very knowledgeable trainer...who brings real experience into the learning...
Sue Haswell, Therapist and Coach
Live Online Webinar – Join Malcolm Hanson for his essential suicide intervention training, delivered via Zoom. Book your place and we’ll send you the Zoom link the day before the event.
BONUS Recording – the training is recorded, in case anyone experiences technical difficulties, so you also get a recording for a limited time afterwards to maximise your learning.
– Can’t make these dates? Register your interest below to hear about future ones.
Why take this suicide prevention course
Suicide can be a difficult subject to broach and a daunting one to deal with – anyone working with distressed or depressed people wants to keep them safe, to give them the hope they need that circumstances can change for the better, and to provide the skills for coping until that comes about. When people can’t envisage an end to their difficulties, particularly in highly challenging times, a slump into depression can all too quickly spiral down into suicide ideation, suicidal thoughts, plans and suicide attempts. The negative trance state of depression itself can beguile people into thinking that there is no other way out of their hopelessness.
Thankfully, there is much we can do to help – as this indepth suicide intervention course shows.
Tutor Malcolm Hanson has a wealth of experience at helping seriously distressed people get through difficulties which he draws upon as he takes you clearly through the steps to take when faced with anyone who feels suicidal. (He worked for 9 years as a psychotherapist in NHS primary care in an area of extreme deprivation, and for many more years since has seen patients referred by GPs, social workers, psychiatrists, police and probation officers for complex issues.) He has successfully helped clients experiencing multiple trauma (including veterans), chronic pain and terminal illness, clients struggling with uncertain asylum status or facing deportation, and also victims of human trafficking – a tragic range of circumstances in which even the most resilient may sometimes sink into despair.
His compassion and understanding shine through this course as he shares with you what he has learnt, along with the latest psychiatric research and risk assessment strategies, to give you the knowledge and assurance you need to work confidently and respectfully with clients struggling to find reasons to stay alive. You will learn how to build in expectation of positive change from the start, have plenty of time to benefit from group discussions and will work through case scenarios with other attendees to help embed your learning.
Suicide affects countless people, not only those directly involved, and is now the most common cause of death in men aged 17 to 34. The highest suicide rate is in men aged 45–49; in women, it is highest in those aged between 50–54.1 Join us for this practical online suicide prevention training to learn how you can help reverse this state of affairs…
So much helpful and insightful information delivered in a way that was easy to listen to and take on board...
Steven Tesseyman, Counsellor
What will you learn
- Deeper insight into the reasons people consider suicide and how to use this knowledge to help them
- Crucial elements needed to build rapport with suicidal people
- Warning signs to look out for
- Understanding how a suicidal impulse can be time-limited
- How to normalise circumstances safely
- A model for running therapeutic sessions that best manages suicide risk
- Ways to use your own demeanour to instil confidence in the person who is feeling suicidal
- Effective information gathering to challenge unhelpful beliefs
- What to look for in their answers to your questions
- How to broach the subject of suicidal thoughts
- A structure for difficult conversations
- The ability to reframe unhelpful beliefs
- Methods of risk assessment that do not risk losing rapport
- Advances in psychiatric research on suicide risk management and the implications of this for psychotherapy and counselling
- How to use language of influence
- Effective means to address beliefs about being a burden
- How to set realistic and empowering goals
- How to make best use of the client’s own resources
- The importance of addressing emotional needs
- How to create a safety plan
- Strategies for client safe self-management between sessions
- The power of guided imagery for working with suicidal clients and suicide ideation
- Powerful insights and hope from real case histories
- How to take care of yourself – and more…
Malcolm is a wonderful communicator: so clear, measured and thoughtful ... it was a pleasure and privilege to learn from him
Matthew Hopkins, Therapist
Course Programme
The ‘How To Reduce Suicide Risk’ live online course starts at 9.15am and runs until 4.00pm.
Who is this suicide intervention course for?
- Psychotherapists and counsellors
- All mental health and welfare professionals – including GPs, social workers, the emergency services, pastoral care and outreach workers – and anyone else working with people with suicidal ideation
- Anyone concerned for personal or HR reasons – the training contains a lot of key, helpful information which is presented in a clear, easy to understand way, even though it is primarily geared towards carrying out therapy effectively with suicidal clients
- Anyone working with young people, such as teachers and youth workers, will benefit from this live online suicide intervention course
- Anyone who may come into contact with people who are very distressed, whether through their paid or volunteer work, will also learn essential live-saving information.
Please Note
This course is not a substitute for therapy.
The one certainty in life is that circumstances ALWAYS change...
This online suicide awareness and prevention course has been independently accredited by the internationally recognised CPD Standards Office for 6 hours of CPD training.
On completion of this training you’ll receive CPD certificates from the College and the CPD Standards Office.
Register your interest – next date
If you can’t make this course, please complete the form below and we’ll email you when another date becomes available.
The information provided detailed information of the day’s material. The speaker, who was very good, worked with everyone present and engaged in discussion following each section of the course. Break out rooms gave people a chance to respond and reflect on how to manage case studies. The connection to the Human Givens model was explained and followed through clearly. Lots of recommended material added in ‘chat’ from both participants and the coordinator. This was. really well run day’s training and definitely worth the fee.
Very informative, delivered in a gentle (given the subject) yet impactful way.
Malcolm provided an excellent day of training. I feel that I now have a much better understanding of this topic and several models to refer to. The opportunity to share and learn from breakout activities was an enjoyable way to learn and apply the knowledge.
I found this course immensely beneficial and informative. It was incredibly well delivered in a calm and reassuring manner and will be most useful for my work. I look forward to going over the course material again . Many thanks
Malcom was very compassionate, thoughtful and considered
This is a very good and useful course on a demanding topic. It is very useful to take time to reflect on how the issue can be treated in a way that is useful for the client, and the reference to both HG principles and research from other approaches provides support for both therapist and client.
Dr Hanson’s use of language and experience in the Human Givens approach was exemplary, even in “normal” conversation with course attendees I could appreciate his tremendous skills and see how these would be a huge comfort to patients in distress.
I continually educate myself around mental health and suicide through reading and courses in order to provide best practice to my school community . I thought Malcolm’s course was excellent, both the content and delivery. The notes, tools and explanations that went with them were both enlightening and helpful. Suicide remains for many a difficult topic to discuss, however the ease with which Malcolm spoke was reassuring and informative. I look forward to taking extra notes around the topic when I watch the recording . Malcolm apologised for what felt like the rush of the afternoon, maybe we didn’t need the afternoon break as it felt as though we had not long come back from lunch but I am aware that it was a heavy topic and people may have needed a break. Thank you again for another fantastic course with such informative content.
As an educational psychologist who at times refers on for therapy and/or other services, it increased my skill set. Happily I do not see many people with this level of need but very helpful to know steps to take and language to use.
The structure of the day was well thought through and there were numerous links to resources. There was time for questions to be asked with considered answers by the excellent speaker. Sharing knowledge with those in other professions was also useful.
I see value in the HG approach.
I found this course very insightful with plentiful practical information. It has opened a new window for me to explore with a fresh vision into this field. The format and layout of the course made good sense to me, as it allowed the content to integrate smoothly into RIGGAR and the Human Givens, psychological needs + resources. The course notes, handouts, and extra research material was great!
Excellent day well run. Malcolm has a great presenting style – the information was comprehensive but presented in a way that was easy to digest. I would highly recommend this training
I really enjoyed today’s course. It was a great mix of theory and practical application which I can start to use immediately. I appreciated the breadth of professional backgrounds represented in the course delegates and it was really helpful to hear lots of different perspectives
Very good material. Relevant to my role as a professional social worker, a little condensed in places but extremely well presented. i am encouraged to continue with more online courses.
So much helpful and insightful information delivered in a way that was easy to listen to and take on board. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who works with people on a face-to-face basis, be it as a carer, therapist or medical person.
Really informative with so many additional sources cited, references and suggestions of other articles, authors and websites for further reading. Practical examples were useful as well as the general content throughout the day, which I will definitely be able to apply to clinical practice. Also found the accompanying notes very useful.
A course which successfully delivers ideas for practical immediate interventions, underpinning/introducing them with the framework of the Human Givens principles.
It was a really interesting day with lots of useful information that I can take forward into any future interactions I encounter with people who are having suicidal thoughts.
The course was thorough and thought-provoking. It helped me to reflect on my counselling practice and to consider in depth the way I collect information from my clients. It deepened my understanding of the relationship between complex trauma and risk of suicide. My practice was consolidated by my understanding of the strength-based approach. I feel that this course is essential for all those who work with clients who are at risk of suicide.
I was delighted with the content of this course. I have lost 2 friends to suicide, another had an unsuccessful attempt and a fourth fortunately reached out for help in time. So, today’s information really helped me understand the concepts of emotional hijacking, trance states and gave me great insights as to where people might be prior to acting on their ideation. Found it very encouraging to learn how the trance state can be successfully broken if one is observant and has the courage to intervene. A lot of helpful information which I will need to revisit again in order to help absorb it.
Extremely well put together, evidence-based course. It was very helpful to hang all of the knowledge and strategies on RIGAAR and address how to deliver therapy safely and thoroughly in this situation. I appreciated learning quite a lot and still feeling there is more thinking to be done on my part in the field of ‘thought’ and ‘trance’ and relating to the current cases. It was also helpful to consider ways of assessing and measuring other than the usual binary ones. Thank you for a very interesting and applicable course.
An essential course for all practicing and aspiring counselling psychotherapists. The HG approach comes from a place of compassion and evidence-based science that recognises humans exist biologically, socially and psychologically. Essential links are built to the HG organising ideas and this course encourages exploration and discussion of practices and Malcolm, the instructor, is a fantastic moderator. The case studies were relevant and enlightening, and once again I left the training both knowing more than when I started and able to reflect on how my own application and practice might be enhanced.
Found the course useful. Not only did it encourage me to revisit what I understood, but it provided new information that will broaden my understanding of suicide and the exploration of risk.
I found this course very informative. I enjoyed the discussions in the breakout rooms and thought this was a good way to explore the course material.
Excellent course to develop overall understanding and response to suicidality. Application to RIGAAR model was so helpful as a tool to apply and consolidate a reassuring framework. Applying to case studies and working with other participants was also v. helpful, as was considering several models such as Cole-King and Joiner. Overall, excellent event. Thank you.
I’ve been on previous suicide intervention courses over the years, and this is by far the best. It was delivered at a great pace, with a very knowledgeable trainer. Definitely not something that’s just ‘read off the slides/out of the manual’ – but a human intervention, bringing real experience into the learning. Brilliant!
A thoroughly practical day of training regarding suicide and strategies to help people live. Pragmatic tools as to how a therapist can make a difference and help a person past that impulse to end their life and build or rebuild a satisfying life.
Very interesting, informative and well put together course. Thank you so much Malcolm and team. Apologies my internet kept dipping out near the end.
This is an excellent course and one that every therapist should do as part of their on-going training and development.
This was an excellent course, clear, well-structured with a wonderful balance between information giving, group exploration, reflection and practical application.
So much valuable information shared. It was both informative and interesting but overall has really increased my confidence in dealing with the challenging conversations. Thank you!
Very good
Found it very helpful.
The presenter had researched the subject widely and presented thoughtfully. The day flew. It was interesting and I would love to go in person next time and go for the whole day.
Malcolm is a wonderful communicator: so clear, measured, thoughtful and humorous. A pleasure and privilege to learn from and with him.
Informative, essential, interactive and well-presented.
The course was well delivered and the content was really useful. It built well on the HG principles I’m already using. It’s a shame it wasn’t in a classroom setting as I think there would be more discussion. However, the Zoom worked well, I had no IT issues and the course material was very easy to access.
An essential training course for anyone working with those at risk. Delivered with compassion and wisdom borne of hands-on experience in many different clinical settings. An excellent and informative day.
It was a little slow to get going. I felt there should have been an exercise in small groups before the first break in order to get us talking to each other and to get engaged in the subject. We were all a little reticent initially. Although I have often dealt with suicide and suicidal ideation as a therapist and supervisor, there was much information that was new to me, and therefore really useful. Alys Cole-King’s work for instance is well worth following up, as is the work of Joiner. Thank you for yet another workshop. Well organised, good resources – and all from the comfort of my own chair!
Very thorough and interesting, useful information. Very good facilitator
Helpful ideas – especially the chart. Great getting ideas from other therapists also was interesting.
I am not a therapist. I manage a 24 hour supported living house for individuals who have both poor mental health and forensic histories. I found the morning session more relevant to my job role and have gained important information that I can use in the service.
Well-delivered course – interesting insights and practical, helpful ideas.
The course was well paced, informative and enjoyable. The breakout rooms were useful. However, I would have liked Malcolm to have gone through some case studies rather than us doing them in the breakout room as this, and the following discussion, felt rushed.
The course has definitely helped me feel more confident in dealing with clients at risk from suicide.
Due to the fact that I live in Australia, the impact of the course was somewhat different for me. However, I felt very present with Malcolm even though I was attending after the event! Most of the material is familiar to me due to my suicide crisis training for Lifeline Australia. It was a welcome review and interesting to view the same approach through the lens of Human Givens. The particular framework offers valuable prompts to source out unmet needs and loci of distress.
The structure of the day was really good, there was a lot of opportunities to ask questions, the break out rooms were a great way to discuss case studies. I am always interested to hear how the RIGAAR model can be used and how effective it can be used in the management of suicide risk. Dr Alys Coles-King work is very interesting. An excellent and helpful course understanding how best we can approach this sensitive subject.
Brilliant! Wish that method this would be used at Samaritans suicide prevention charity. The risk assessment is invaluable- In my opinion suicide awareness/ how to manage and or refer on should be a core topic for newbie therapists in training. Or perhaps it is now included ..
Thank you. I have learnt a wealth of information to support suicide ideation in my private practice
This is such an important topic and I found the approach very practical. I did it as part of my CPD training for HG. The surprising bit for me was that it helped me to think more broadly about how to share information with colleagues who aren’t HG trained. Malcolm has an amazing knack to include all approaches.
This is an excellent workshop very informative with great material. Malcolm is very experienced and highly professional in delivering this workshop.
I already do suicide training through work but wanted to ensure I wasn’t missing anything for private practice. I felt the course covered the subject well and I gained some new tools, and I do now feel more confident in working with suicidality as a lone practitioner. Malcolm presents with a clear, calm and confident style. Some attendees commented that the content was quite ‘full on’ – I thought it was all appropriate and sensitively delivered – suicide training needs to be honest and to ensure we would know what to do when faced with someone we are worried about.
This was a useful, practical and informative course which covered emotional needs relating to suicide, discussion of the concept of risk, and practical strategies to support people considering ending their lives by suicide.
This course was very detailed and full of metaphors to illustrate points relating to a difficult subject. I absolutely felt “in the flow” and the course made me reflect on many aspects I had not thought of. Thank you.
I found the course really useful and feel much more confident when working with suicidal ideation.
I also liked the whole group discussions and the fluidity of how it flowed. It didn’t feel rigid, yet the content was covered thoroughly.
The content was informative and explained in a way that made sense. Often we can get lost in jargon, but Malcolm ensured he clarified anything that may have been confusing or misunderstood.
Overall I have learnt lots of new ways to work.
This was an excellent workshop! The case studies were interesting and thought-provoking’
I always come away from HG training feeling inspired and excited to improve my practice. I am very nearly now a fully trained HG therapist but I continue to do courses regularly to refresh and reinvigorate my career as a GP Specialist in Mental Health. This was particularly timely during the surge in mental health crises through the pandemic and working with suicidal patients who do not “fit” or engage with traditional mental health services. It was practical, useful and stimulating particularly in terms of bringing in different sources of information/research (eg Cole -King, the Kevin Hines story). I also enjoyed the balance between group exercises/discussion and interactive presentation.
Despite the subject matter of the course I found it surprisingly uplifting and just offered so much advice in terms of understanding and helping someone who is suffering from Suicidal ideation.
This course provides an excellent mix of material on managing risk and therapeutic tools to help people in distress. Very enjoyable course using zoom platform, good use of breakout rooms to discuss in further detail course content and case studies. Excellent materials provided in workbook and case studies. Zoom joining and use of breakout rooms was very well managed.
The organisation of the course was good and the presenter Malcolm was good at getting through his material without being rushed and allowing anecdotes and some participation. The main motive of the course seemed to be to give therapists (especially HG trained therapists) the ‘permission’ and reassurance that they have the skills to handle suicidal thoughts being expressed by their clients. Whereas the course was advertised to be able to give anyone interventionist skills. The main intervention in HG treatment is the ‘Rehearsal’ which obviously was not taught on this course. I would have liked some videos or transcripts of actual helpful and unhelpful phrases when conducting a conversation with someone who is feeling suicidal. The course remained too prescriptive with only a very few suggested phrases. Afterall the difference you can make is in how you conduct the consultation.
Very valuable insights into suicide risk management delivered by an excellent and empathic speaker. I found the way that Malcolm set it through the RIGAAR model, helpful and easy to apply. Looking at the work of Dr Alys Cole-King was useful for further reading and study. Certainly will apply the methods to my work.
It was well planned and informative with lots of helpful references. It was also very affirming of the role therapists can play in suicidal ideation, with a clear explanation of how RIGAAR can be adapted to such a scenario. It took the fear away from approaching the subject of suicide with the client and gave clear steps of how to look at the risk, unpack it and respond to it.
Best H G zoom training I have done Thank you
Today was intense in a positive way. I have learnt so much on a personal and professional level. The diversity of knowledge and personal experience powered the session. It was facilitated professionally and with compassionate diligence. I ended my day feeling more knowledgeable, empowered and confident. Suicide is a difficult conversation. This course made the topic more accessible so allowing more understanding and empathy that will save lives.
The course was well designed with good notes supplied. Malcolm is an experienced and compassionate man, who knows his subject well and delivers the material in an accessible way.
Fantastic in both breadth and depth. Practical and empowering.
Well structured, well planned and delivered well.
Invaluable tools, real life savers.
I thought the course was well thought out and structured well. Very informative with lots of useful information. The tutor was very easy to listen to.
Really insightful and pulled out a lot of my other learning as I (pattern matched) refreshed my skills and learnt new things. I got a lot more from this than I thought I was going to.
This was a useful course in thinking about ways to mitigate risk of suicide, with ideas of how to approach talking about suicide and information about research into the area.
To begin with thought I was on the wrong course as do not have much experience, but was made to feel welcome and able to join in. Very difficult subject handled practically and compassionately. Thank you Arlene and Malcolm
Yet another excellent Human Givens Course. The material was rich and covered important aspects in detail. You’re left with a useful structure and range of ideas/techniques for tackling a very difficult subject with greater competence and confidence.Malcolm’s presentation of the material was spot on – he had the right note of calm, care and intelligence throughout. He managed a good balance of combining getting through a lot of material while allowing people to share their useful knowledge and experiences. Really well done.
An excellent course, very clear presentation and delivered with compassion and a wealth of experience. Interesting to learn how risk assessments are not static and why private therapists are in a very useful position to treat people who are suicidal.
A highly informative day. The tutor held the space for both lecture and group discussion resulting in multi-way sharing of knowledge and experience. Prior to the training I felt apprehensive about working with clients reporting suicidal plans or ideation, now I know that I have the tools to help make a difference and restore hope.
Malcolm delivered the course in such a clear way and the content felt well supported by a broad range of research. The day was well paced, giving plenty of time for useful and informative discussion and input from the other participants. I feel as if I have lots to reflect on in relation to my own work and overall, really excellent, thank you 🙂
Excellent in every way!
Very informative. Content easy to follow and explained thoroughly by the tutor.
I was inspired by Malcolm’s approach.
Good overview of risks and strategies to use when working with clients who present with suicidal thoughts.
This was a vey good insightful practical course which flowed well. The presentation slides nicely reflected the course material notes and given the nature of the topic there was also input from very experienced course delegates. The tutor was calm, clear and on point. There was opportunity to hear from everyone who attended and I found the course valuable and has given me more confidence to deal with this topic in the future with my clients.
An excellent, thorough, and most importantly, helpful day understanding how we can approach this difficult subject with our clients and how best we can help prevent suicide.
Really enjoyed this day, very informative, great listening to others, great interaction.
A very clear look at how the HG approach can be used to help clients experiencing suicidal thoughts. The examples based on real clients were very useful to think about and discuss.
The course was informative and reassuring, as this is a difficult area to deal with. I thought that Malcolm was extremely personable and considerate. His approach was extremely consensual, which I admire, but I would have liked to have heard more about his views and valuable experience.
I learnt so much today and can immediately integrate this new learning into my current counselling work with clients. I liked how the approach to helping people with suicide risk aligns with the HG RIGAAR model.
The content of the course was very good and highly informative. The information and ideas presented were appropriate to the subject. The break out sessions could have been a little longer, perhaps by 5 or 10 minutes. I think it is always difficult trying to appeal to those wanting CPD from an HG background and those who are not. A good balancing act well delivered. I would have liked some more handouts like the flowchart that I could use or would help me devise my own.
This was a really helpful agenda, covering just about all aspects of the “suicide situation” that I felt I might come across. It was particularly reassuring, that we found ways of protecting ourselves as therapists, which would release us to deal more effectively with clients expressing suicidal notions.
The course came up to my expectations of reviewing the aspects of suicide management. I particularly liked Malcolms hosting and interventions, extremely clear and concise.
Interesting and comprehensive. I took the course to gain knowledge and feel more confident and I am ready now to work with more challenging cases. Thank you Malcom.
This is an excellent course. The contents of the day are invaluable and it is delivered really well. Malcolm is a gifted practitioner and made this day 100% effective. I’m not a therapist but felt very included and could follow and understand every stage. The course notes came in advance which enabled me to read through and get my head around the HG approach before hand. Very informative and thought provoking. Highly recommended.
This was a wonderfully practical and empowering day. I feel far better equipped to help anyone with suicidal thoughts and also feel I know how to do this as ‘safely’ as possible.
An excellent course, very clear presentation and delivered with compassion and a wealth of experience.
Excellent and practical guidance which has left me feeling more confident.
Contents very relevant and worthwhile. Well presented.
Yet another excellent Human Givens Course. The material was rich and covered important aspects in detail. You’re left with a useful structure and range of ideas/techniques for tackling a very difficult subject with greater competence and confidence. Malcolm’s presentation of the material was spot on – he had the right note of calm, care and intelligence throughout. He managed a good balance of combining getting through a lot of material while allowing people to share their useful knowledge and experiences. Really well done.
Excellent insight from the Human Givens perspective in how to help suicidal people. Real tools and realistic best practice, not tarnished by the culture of risk assessment.
The course was very informative and inclusive and I enjoyed the opportunity to practise in real situations.
Very well paced, with excellent level of detail; interesting and very well communicated.