National Youth Ministry Suicide Prevention Initiative

The loss of a single life to suicide is a tragedy, and the tragedy is multiplied many times over when the friends and family members of the deceased are counted. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in 2005, 32,637 people died by suicide in the United States alone. That amounted to 89.4 people per day and accounted for 11 percent of the Nation’s deaths that year (www.cdc.gov/ncipc/dvp/Suicide). The World Health Organization reports that in 2000, throughout the world, approximately 1,000,000 people died by suicide, a global mortality rate of 16 percent, or one death every 40 seconds. This makes the number of deaths by suicide worldwide higher than the total number of deaths from war and homicide combined. In addition, it is estimated that there are ten to twenty times as many suicide attempts as suicide deaths (www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide). It is estimated that for every suicide, there are at least six survivors, a number many consider to be a very conservative estimate. If it is accurate, approximately five million Americans became survivors of suicide in the last 25 years (www.suicidology.org).

Upon completion of this training your ministry will receive a certificate as a Certified Suicide Prevention trained ministry/church.

Objectives:

  1. Increase number of faith communities adopting policies promoting suicide prevention.
  2. Increase number of of clergy/church staff/volunteers who have received training in identification of and response to suicide risk and behaviors and to differentiate between mental health crisis and faith crisis.
  3. Develop support network for those who provide key services to suicide survivors (e.g., EMT, firefighters, law enforcement, clergy, funeral directors, etc.) who have received training that addresses their own exposure to suicide trauma and the unique needs of other suicide survivors.

Comprehensive Training Includes:

  • Identifying Suicide Risk Factors/Protective Factors
  • Understanding Mental Health
  • Suicide Prevention
  • Special Considerations (e.g., LGBTQIA+ youth)
  • Suicide Screening Tools
  • Addressing Legal Concerns
  • Community Support Network
  • Aftercare
  • Vicarious Trauma
  • Restoring Hope

Watch this free video resource on teen suicide, recorded in partnership with Youth Specialties.

This is a Fringe Life Support Training Resource. Contact us today to schedule your certified training.