Confident & Competent Suicide Prevention Training Series
To reduce the high rates of suicide in this country a workforce and confident and competent in assessing risk and providing ongoing support to suicidal people is essential.
Take the opportunity to attend this training which is being recommended by counsellors all over the country as "must attend" workshops.
Recent coroners’ findings highlighted the need for workers in the health, social services and counselling / psychotherapy sectors to regularly update their knowledge and competency in suicide risk assessment and intervention. This training should be a core part of practitioner's ongoing professional development.
Advanced practitioners such as counsellors, psychotherapists and clinicians should not only be knowledgeable about suicide risk assessment but also highly competent in undertaking an assessment and assessing the level of risk. They must also be up to date in their competency and capability to engage with the suicidal people.
The training attended should match the worker's scope of practice. Those working in the non-mental health sectors should also be competent in making an informed referral to crisis or secondary mental health services.
These advanced level workshops addresses the concerns raised by the coroners and is pitched at the scope of practice for clinicians, counsellors and psychotherapists. Consisting of two one-day workshops, the Confident and Competent training series provides a comprehensive suicide intervention training programme. Rather than a siloed approach to assessment and support strategies, this training programmes highlights the interconnection of the two and presents the two as part of the continuum of suicide intervention and care.
The two workshops are:1. Risky Business: The art of assessing suicide risk and imminent danger2. Custodians of Hope: Supporting the suicidal person
The training series is designed as a two workshop package but you can opt just to attend one. However because the content and process is designed with a continuum of learning across the two workshops, attendance at only one will likely mean a disjointed learning experience for you. Experience from previous workshops that after attending the first workshop Risky Business: The art of assessing suicide risk and and imminent danger, most participants went on to enrol in the second workshop, Custodians of Hope: Supporting the suicidal person. Participants' evaluation strongly supported the attendance of both workshops stating it provided a well rounded training package.
REGISTER FOR BOTH WORKSHOPS AND SAVERegister for the Confident & Competent Suicide Prevention Training Series and receive a30% discount off the full registration fee for each workshop - a saving of $220
Confident & Competent Workshop Dates 2025
(Click on date for online registration)
Location | Date | Location | Date |
Tāmaki Makaurau - Auckland | Ōtautahi - Christchurch | ||
Tīrau - Cromwell | Ōtepoti - Dunedin | ||
Māwhera - Greymouth | Kirikiriroa - Hamilton | ||
Whakatū - Nelson | Ngāmotu - New Plymouth | ||
Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe - Rotorua | Whanganui | ||
Whanganui-a-Tara - Wellington | Online |
RISKY BUSINESS: The art of assessing suicide risk and imminent danger
Undertaking a suicide risk assessment is not without its complexities. One size does not fit all. This advanced level workshop provides the opportunity for participants to depth their knowledge and competency in the “art” of assessing suicide risk and imminent danger through empathetic dialogue rather than a more traditional assessment interview process.
This advanced level workshop builds on foundational or gatekeeper suicide prevention training and provides the opportunity for participants to depth their critical analysis of suicide risk factors and reflect on their practice in assessing risk. The workshop investigates in detail the suicidal moment and interrupting the suicide thought with emphasis on moving from reacting to responding to the thought.
The rationale and research that informs risk assessment items will be explored. This assists participants to more confidently and competently adapt the content and process of the assessment to best meet the context and the needs of the client, particularly in crisis situations. It also facilitates greater depth of enquiry and does not constrain the practitioner to questions on the assessment sheet. It examines the elements essential for a good assessment: rapport; dialogue; confidence and competence
Workshop participants are introduced to the concept of The Conversation of Enquiry which is a series of mini conversations that is client-focused and where the conversation of distress is the primary focus of the enquiry rather than presence of risk factors. This conversation approach has been shown to be an effective process in enhancing engagement and eliciting the information required to make an informed assessment of suicide acuity. The conversation ends with a summative assessment task that focuses on nuance and subtlety; degree of reflective insight; wairua; despair to hope continuum; alienation to engagement continuum; reactive to responsive.
Evaluation of this training indicated that the content of this course is both relevant and applicable to the work of mental health and primary health clinicians; mental health support workers; counsellors and psychotherapists in private practice; school counsellors; frontline health, social service, community and youth workers. Those without previous suicide prevention training would also benefit from attending this workshop.
Topics covered:
This advanced level workshop builds on foundational or gatekeeper suicide prevention training and provides the opportunity for participants to depth their critical analysis of suicide risk factors and reflect on their practice in assessing risk. The workshop investigates in detail the suicidal moment and interrupting the suicide thought with emphasis on moving from reacting to responding to the thought.
The rationale and research that informs risk assessment items will be explored. This assists participants to more confidently and competently adapt the content and process of the assessment to best meet the context and the needs of the client, particularly in crisis situations. It also facilitates greater depth of enquiry and does not constrain the practitioner to questions on the assessment sheet. It examines the elements essential for a good assessment: rapport; dialogue; confidence and competence
Workshop participants are introduced to the concept of The Conversation of Enquiry which is a series of mini conversations that is client-focused and where the conversation of distress is the primary focus of the enquiry rather than presence of risk factors. This conversation approach has been shown to be an effective process in enhancing engagement and eliciting the information required to make an informed assessment of suicide acuity. The conversation ends with a summative assessment task that focuses on nuance and subtlety; degree of reflective insight; wairua; despair to hope continuum; alienation to engagement continuum; reactive to responsive.
Evaluation of this training indicated that the content of this course is both relevant and applicable to the work of mental health and primary health clinicians; mental health support workers; counsellors and psychotherapists in private practice; school counsellors; frontline health, social service, community and youth workers. Those without previous suicide prevention training would also benefit from attending this workshop.
Topics covered:
- Overview of the phenomenon of suicide and the 'suicidal moment'
- What is meant by suicide risk - Predisposing, precipitating and perpetuating risk factors
- The context of risk - understanding the suicide narrative and contextualising the suicidal thought or act
- A holistic approach to assessment - taking into account physical, emotional, cultural, socio-economic and spiritual factors or influencers
- From Checklist to Conversation of Enquiry - integrating assessment into practice
- The Summative Risk
What others have said about the workshop
“I have learnt more about risk assessment in this workshop than I have learnt from all the suicide prevention workshops I have attended combined”
Psychotherapist
“Gave me new insights into something I do everyday”
Mental Health Clinician
“Appreciated how you constantly drew upon the participants’ experience. Will leave thinking / reflecting on my current practice”
School Counsellor
"I feel much better equipped to provide support and supervision to my team members"
Mental Health NGO Team Leader
"A must attend for counsellors. A rich experience filled with practical examples and learning moments”
Counsellor
"I feel more reassured that our staff have both the knowledge and the competence to undertake a high quality assessment that is person-centred and appropriate for the numerous cultural communities that we work with."
Manager
Risky Business Workshop Dates 2025
(Click on date for online registration)
First name | Last name | Email address | Contact phone |
Tāmaki Makaurau - Auckland | Ōtautahi - Christchurch | ||
Tīrau - Cromwell | Ōtepoti - Dunedin | ||
Māwhera - Greymouth | Kirikiriroa - Hamilton | ||
Whakatū - Nelson | Ngāmotu - New Plymouth | ||
Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe - Rotorua | Whanganui | ||
Whanganui-a-Tara - Wellington | Online |
CUSTODIANS OF HOPE: Supporting the suicidal person
The primary aim of supporting the suicidal person is to engender hope and inviting the person to live
Identifying suicide risk is only one aspect of working with the suicidal person. The increasing demand on mental health services means that front line workers are often having to provide ongoing support for those assessed as not being in imminent danger of suicide.
Yet there is very little training available for those providing supportive or therapeutic care to suicidal people. This workshop will cover three key concepts in engaging and supporting the suicidal person:
Safe Practice for Safe Care
Compassionate Change Making
Being a Custodian of Hope
Rather than being a model as such, these concepts can be integrated into and builds on clinical, counselling and/or mental health support/ recovery principles and processes.
Workshop participants will explore a range of engagement, support and safe containment outcomes for supporting the suicidal person post the risk assessment process. These outcomes can be applied to any counselling, psychotherapeutic or support model.
The outcomes are grouped into:Manaakitanga | Anchoring | Kōrero | Anchoring | Illumination, Interrupting the suicidal thought | Invitation to Live |Custodian of Hope | Restoring of Wairua | Strategies for coping.
Topics include:
- Compassionate change making - moving beyond remedial solutions
- Including whānau and significant others as part of the support team
- Key principles in engaging and supporting the suicial person
- Custodians of Hope model
- Coping vs Safety plans
“Supportive approaches addresses those factors that distorts, depletes, or suppresses the suicidal person’s mauri / lifeforce, and reawakens the enablers that nurtures and sustains it and restoring of the person’s wairua.”
What others have said about the workshop
"The easy to understand concepts and the model of support reduced my anxiety about working with a suicidal person. I leave far more confident and trusting of my skills to be an effective support."
AOD Counsellor
“Your cultural sensitivity and drawing on Māori understandings of wellbeing made the workshop relevant to my practice.”
Counellor
“The many examples you shared from your work enhanced my learning and made the application of the model relevant to my work”
ACC Counsellor
"Really valuable training. Appreciate how you did not just focus on a mental illness model"
Mental Health Nurse
“Insightful, informative and passionate presentation along with your humour engaged me for the whole day.”
Psychologist
"I wish there was a workshop like this when I first started my practice. Your deep thinking and compassion made this such a rich day. Your vast experience is evident in the case studies and stories you shared. Thank you for your passion and your insights. Loved your narrative approach"
Psychotherapist
Custodian of Hope Workshop Dates 2025
(Click on date for online registration)
First name | Last name | Email address | Contact phone |
Tāmaki Makaurau - Auckland | Ōtautahi - Christchurch | ||
Tīrau - Cromwell | Ōtepoti - Dunedin | ||
Māwhera - Greymouth | Kirikiriroa - Hamilton | ||
Whakatū - Nelson | Ngāmotu - New Plymouth | ||
Te Rotorua-nui-a-Kahumatamomoe - Rotorua | Whanganui | ||
Whanganui-a-Tara - Wellington | Online |
For Suicide Prevention & Mental Wellbeing Training. Mentoring or Poilcy Advice
Call or Get in Touch! Always Happy to Help!
For Suicide Prevention & Mental Wellbeing Training. Mentoring or Poilcy Advice
Call or Get in Touch! Always Happy to Help!