Small Talk (Formerly Tattered Teddies) – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

This half-day workshop will examine warning signs in a child and intervention strategies. 

Small Talk is an interactive half-day workshop which examines warning signs in a child and explores intervention strategies through stories and case studies.

This workshop may be offered virtually or in-person.

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Appreciate how a child’s developmental stage affects their concept of death and suicide;

• Identify protective factors, risk factors and warning signs in children; and

• Confidently transfer care of a child to a caregiver.

Audience

Ages 18+
This workshop provides information and offers practical approaches for those working with children who are working with children who are age 12 or younger and who may be considering suicide.

Participants can include but not limited to: parents and caregivers; family and friends; natural helpers and advisors; educators and ministers; health practitioners; justice, law enforcers, emergency workers, and community volunteers.

Information provided is appropriate for beginner and intermediate social work practice.

To register: CSP Workshop

Walk With Me – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

Walk With Me is a 1-day process-based workshop exploring the suicide grief cycle in Indigenous communities. 

This workshop is intended for Indigenous caregivers working in Indigenous communities.

The Walk With Me workshop draws heavily on Indigenous culture and tradition as it seeks to take participants through the cycle of suicide grief. Indigenous communities are frequently struck with a series of suicide deaths in a short period of time, each of these deaths adding to the already present burden of grief and loss. Bringing community members together for a day of hope and healing builds understanding and strength. This workshop takes the participants on a journey from the past, to the present and looks to the future; it creates a context for people to examine where they are in the grief cycle and how they can move forward to hope.

This workshop may be offered virtually or in-person.

To register: CSP Workshop

SafeTALK – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

This 3.5 hour workshop alerts someone to warning signs indicating risk of suicide. 

This 3.5 hour workshop equips people to be more alert to someone thinking of suicide and better able to connect them with further help. The workshop emphasizes the importance of recognizing the signs, communicating with the person considering suicide and getting help or resources for the person considering suicide.

This suicide alertness training program can help you:

• identify persons with thoughts of suicide

• connect persons with thoughts of suicide to suicide first aid resources

Audience

Ages 16+
Participants can include but not limited to: parents and caregivers; family and friends; youth aged 16 or older; natural helpers and advisors; educators and ministers; health practitioners; justice, law enforcers, emergency workers, and community volunteers.

Certificate and Accreditation

All participants will receive a certificate at the end of the course.

safeTALK is recognized by the Suicide Prevention Resource Centre (SPRC) in the United States. Please check with your professional association to see if the course qualifies you to receive professional development credits or continuing education credits.

To register: CSP Workshop

River of Life – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

River of Life is an interactive half-day workshop created for individuals working with Indigenous young people 12 and up. 

This interactive workshop discusses strategies to strengthen the protective factors of young people considering suicide and focuses on providing participants with knowledge to competently respond. This workshop may be offered virtually or in-person.

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Recognize how the role of community and culture supports Indigenous life promotion

• Recognize protective factors, risk factors and warning signs in young people

• Build confidence to competently respond to young people in crisis

• Use principles of safety planning to help a young person develop their own plan for safety

To register: CSP Workshop

Looking Forward – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

This half-day workshop is for people working with youth ages 12 to 24. 

Looking Forward encompasses the developmental, cognitive, and emotional differences found within this age group in presenting strategies to strengthen the protective factors of youth considering suicide. Relevant intervention strategies are explored through videos and case studies. This workshop may be offered virtually or in-person.

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Identify unique characteristics of youth and their relevance to suicide;

• Compare suicidal and self-harm behaviour in youth;

• Identify protective factors, risk factors, and warning signs in youth; and

• Confidently transfer care of a youth to a caregiver.

To register: CSP Workshop

Little Cub – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

Little Cub is a half-day, discussion-based workshop examining suicide in Indigenous children and communities. 

The Little Cub Workshop draws heavily on storytelling and oral tradition. It begins by recognizing the unique precipitating factors of suicide in Indigenous communities and moves through to identifying risk and protective factors in children 12 years of age and younger. The workshop finishes by empowering participants with knowledge and tools to transfer the care of a child considering suicide to a community-based resource person.

Workshop Topics include:

• Story of Indigenous Experiences

• Conversations and Understanding

• Protective and Risk Factors

• Responding with Hope

• Understanding More

Audience

Ages 18+
This workshop provides information and offers practical approaches for those working with Indigenous children who may be considering suicide. The precipitating factors of suicide are different in Indigenous communities than in the general population.

Information provided is appropriate for beginner and intermediate social work practice.

To register: CSP Workshop

ASIST TuneUp – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

This 3.5 hour workshop is only for people with a valid ASIST certificate. This will allow you to renew your ASIST certification for a further two years. 

This 3.5 hour workshop is only for people with a valid ASIST certificate.  In Alberta, your ASIST certificate is valid for three years. If you take a half-day ASIST Tune Up workshop within 30 days of the expiration of your certificate, it will be renewed for another two years. After the TuneUp certificate has expired, participants are required to take the two-day ASIST workshop to obtain another certificate.

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) TuneUp is a half-day refresher course developed by LivingWorks Education for participants who have completed ASIST. The workshop offers participants an opportunity to review the Pathway for Assisting Life Model, discuss successes and challenges in using the model, and clarify concepts covered within the model.

The TuneUp provides participants an opportunity to:

• Review or complete learning from the ASIST

• Test, examine or review how ASIST is applied in the real world or to share what they have learned from applications in the real world

• Recapture some of the experience of a caring community and collegial feelings from their ASIST experience

Audience

Ages 18+
The ASIST TuneUp workshop is designed for professionals, caregivers, and individuals who may work or be in contact with those who are at a higher risk for suicide and who have taken the two day ASIST workshop within the last three years. Proof of prior ASIST attendance is required to attend the ASIST TuneUp.

Certificate and Accreditation

Certification: All participants who complete the ASIST TuneUp will be able to extend their ASIST certificate for another two years. The ASIST certificate must be valid (three years and within 30 days of expiry) to qualify for the extension.

Accreditation: The ASIST TuneUp is qualified for the Association of Social Work Board (ASWB) Category A credits. If you do not belong to the ASWB, please check with your professional association to see if you qualify for professional credits.

To register: CSP Workshop

This training is available at no-cost for participants thanks to funding from the City of Edmonton.

ASIST – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

Attending this two-day course will train you to intervene with an individual who is suicidal.  

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is a two-day interactive workshop in suicide first aid. ASIST teaches participants to recognize when someone may have thoughts of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety. Although ASIST is widely used by healthcare providers, participants don’t need any formal training to attend the workshop—anyone 18 or older can learn and use the ASIST model.

This workshop contains content that may be upsetting for some people, especially those who have lost a loved one to suicide.

Over the course of their two-day workshop, ASIST participants learn to:

• recognize that caregivers and people are affected by personal and societal attitudes about suicide;

• provide life-assisting guidance to a person thinking about suicide in a flexible manner;

• identify what needs to be in a person thinking about suicide’s plan for safety;

• demonstrate the skills required to provide suicide first aid to a person thinking about suicide;

• appreciate the value of improving community resources including the way that they work together; and,

• recognize that suicide prevention is broader than suicide intervention and, includes life promotion and self care for people thinking about suicide and for caregivers.

To register: CSP Workshop

This training is available at no-cost for participants thanks to funding from the City of Edmonton.

How to Talk About Suicide – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

A synchronous, live, 1.5-2 hour webinar about how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about. 

How to talk about suicide: A conversation guide is a virtual, 1.5-2 hour synchronous small group training. This webinar explores common myths and facts around suicide, who is impacted and why, as well as steps to begin a conversation about suicide. Learning Objectives

This webinar supports participants in:

• Exploring common myths and facts about suicide

• Building awareness of how and why people are impacted

• Understanding dynamics of protective and risk factors

• Learning a 4-step model for starting a conversation about suicide through case studies and discussion

• Identifying community resources for further help

To register: CSP Workshop

Skills for Safer Living – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

Skills for Safer Living (SfSL) is a four-week group program for youth ages 12-24 who have suicide ideation and their caregivers. 

Skills for Safer Living (SfSL) is a four-week psycho-educational group for youth aged 12-24 who have past or current experiences of suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts. A concurrent group is available for the youth’s caregiver(s) to equip them with the knowledge and skills to support youth in navigating their suicidal thoughts.

SfSL aims to help participants build basic language, skills, and concepts to better understand thoughts about suicide while learning strategies to mitigate them and stay as safe as possible.

The program intends to provide safe and supportive spaces for youth and their caregivers to learn from each others’ similar experiences of a situation that can be isolating and scary, but not hopeless. This project is being funded by the Government of Alberta and FCSS Calgary.

Note: Skills for Safer Living sessions are currently paused and will resume in January 2025.

If you are interested in joining a group, fill in the Expression of Interest form.

Audience

Youth:

• Anyone aged 12-24 with current or past experiences of suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts

• Interested in understanding thoughts and feelings that lead to thinking about suicide and how to make safer choices

Caregivers: Anyone aged 18+ who supports youth with experiences of suicide

Groups run in 4-week cycles.

• Participants meet weekly for a 90-minute session.

• Participants are split into two groups: one group for youth and one group for their caregiver(s).

• Youth and their caregiver(s) do not both need to participate in the program, but it is highly recommended.

• Depending on registrants, youth groups will be grouped based on age and experience of suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts.

Training Page: CSP Workshop

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) – CMHA Edmonton

Attending this two-day course will train you to intervene with an individual who is suicidal.

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is an intensive, interactive, and practice-dominated course designed to help caregivers recognize and review risk and intervene to prevent the immediate risk of suicide. It is by far the most widely used, acclaimed and researched suicide intervention training workshop in the world. 

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize that caregivers and persons at risk are affected by personal and societal

  attitudes about suicide

• Discuss suicide with a person at risk in a direct manner

• Identify risk alerts and develop a safe plan related to them

• Demonstrate the skills required to intervene with a person at risk of suicide

• List the types of resources available to a person at risk of suicide, including themselves

• Make a commitment to improving community resources and networking

Recognize that suicide prevention is broader than suicide intervention and, includes life promotion and self-care for persons at risk and for caregivers

Audience: Ages 18+. Participants can include but are not limited to: parents and caregivers; natural helpers and advisors; educators and ministers; health practitioners; justice, law enforcers, emergency workers, and community volunteers.

For more information: CMHA-Edmonton ASIST

To register: ASIST Upcoming Sessions

This training is available at no-cost for participants thanks to funding from the City of Edmonton.

UPCOMING TRAINING DATES:

Suicide Prevention, Risk Assessment & Management (SPRAM) – Alberta Health Services

Learn how to assess and manage individuals at risk of suicide, from a healthcare provider perspective.

Suicide Prevention, Risk Assessment & Management (SPRAM) is an e-learning series that responds to the foundational learning needs of health care providers, particularly those working in Addiction and Mental Health (AMH). The content supports developing foundational competence in suicide prevention, risk assessment, and managing individuals at-risk for suicide. The learner can use this content in a manner that is relevant to their practice domain, and it is intended to complement rather than replace any existing suicide prevention training. SPRAM does not provide formal certification.

SPRAM consists of nine (9) e-Learning modules. The content has been developed using evidence-informed best practices and is organized sequentially to create a seamless, flowing learning experience; the modules must be taken in order.

SPRAM is considered an Accredited Self-Assessment Program (Section 3) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and approved by the University of Calgary Office of Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Professional Development. It is duly accredited by the Canadian Addiction Counsellors Certification Federation.

To register: AHS - SPRAM

Our Children Are Sacred - Ben Calf Robe

A youth focused suicide prevention course and resource for adults interacting with individuals at risk for suicide.

This 2-day interactive course is designed to increase awareness around preventative and protective factors that put people at risk for suicide and provide participants with the skills to respond to a person considering suicide.

For more information: Ben Calf Robe – Our Children Are Sacred

To register: Our Children Are Sacred

This training is available at no-cost for participants thanks to funding from the City of Edmonton.

UPCOMING TRAINING DATES:

Wise Practices for Life Promotion – Thunderbird Partnership Foundation

Free for First Nations community wellness workers, this is a 3-day virtual training that focuses on suicide prevention and life promotion practices through an Indigenous lens.

This course supports First Nations communities interested in building their capacity to connect youth with life and living via implementing life promotion ideas from the wisepractices.ca website. The topics that will be covered include how life promotion contributes to suicide prevention, the strength-based approach to life promotion, land based life promotion practices, the role of First Nations knowledge in community-based life promotion efforts, and the relationship between colonial violence and suicidal behaviours, and how Indigenous Knowledge resists this. The training respects the unique characteristics and priorities of each community and recognizes that First Nations communities have their own teachings and practices related to community wellness.

To register: ThunderbirdPF – Training Calendar

LivingWorks Start – LivingWorks

An introductory course that will provide anyone over the age of 13 with basic skills on how to recognize and support someone who is thinking about suicide.

In just one hour online, LivingWorks Start teaches trainees to recognize when someone is thinking about suicide and connect them to help and support.

LivingWorks Start teaches valuable skills to everyone 13 and older and requires no formal training or prior experience in suicide prevention.

When you sign up for LivingWorks Start training, you’ll learn a powerful four-step model to keep someone safe from suicide, and you’ll have a chance to practice it with impactful simulations. Safety resources and support are available throughout the program.

For more information: LivingWorks

To register: LivingWorks Start

This training is available at no-cost for participants thanks to funding from the City of Edmonton.

Counselling on Access to Lethal Means – Zero Suicide

Learn how to reduce access to methods that people use to die by suicide.

Reducing access to lethal means, such as firearms and medication, can determine whether a person at risk for suicide lives or dies.

This course is about how to reduce access to the methods people use to kill themselves. It covers who needs lethal means counseling and how to work with people at risk for suicide—and their families—to reduce access.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain that reducing access to lethal means is an evidence-based strategy for suicide prevention.

• Explain how reducing access to lethal means can prevent suicide.

• Identify clients for whom lethal means counseling is appropriate.

• Describe strategies for raising the topic of lethal means, and feel more comfortable and competent applying these strategies with clients.

• Advise clients on specific off-site and in-home secure storage options for firearms and strategies to limit access to dangerous medications.

• Work with your clients and their families to develop a specific plan to reduce access to lethal means and follow up on the plan over time.

Audience: While this course is primarily designed for mental health professionals, others who work with people at risk for suicide, such as health care providers and social service professionals, may also benefit.

To register: Zero Suicide