How to incorporate suicide prevention training into employee wellness programs

Chinmayee Aphale -

The official theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day has been ‘Mental Health At Workplace’ making it clear and crucial for the world to highlight the important correlation between workplace and mental health. Mental Health does not exist in isolation. 

If you are struggling with a mental health challenge, it is likely to affect both your personal and professional life. 

It is high time that companies recognized this and included sensitization and training programs that could psycho-educate the entire workforce with important information. 

Suicide prevention training programs are best conducted through a Mental Health Professional who is trained and experienced in recognizing signs and symptoms and handling such situations with utmost care and sensitivity. If your company provides access to Employee Assistance Programs, they have likely partnered with a Mental Health Organization. A Mental Health Organization is the best place to start getting informed and trained. These organizations first focus on conducting awareness sessions. 

Every organization follows a different structure for conducting these programs but they do have a lot in common too.

  • Mental health awareness sessions: It is always advisable to start with the basics. To understand the signs and symptoms of anyone dealing with a serious mental health challenge, it is important to develop sensitivity and skills. Active Listening is one of the most important tools that you will learn in any of the training programs. Active listening is different than simply listening. It involves providing uninterrupted attention and listening space to the person in front of you, using your body language to showcase attention and engagement, and validating the person with feedback or open-ended questions. More often than not, when a person is struggling, they are simply looking for a non-judgemental space where they can express themselves freely. It is not required to give feedback or suggestions especially if the person is not looking for them from you. A Psychologist teaches you different ways of being there for the other person and how you can use your presence to actually make them feel supported. Conducting an awareness session will give you a sneak peek into peoples’ awareness levels, and the kind of insight they have, and understand where they come from. This can be followed up with a small Need analysis and Risk assessments. These are generally self-assessments conducted as a survey that can reveal a lot about peoples’ general wellbeing. 
  • After conducting the assessments, it will help you choose a program that employees can benefit most from. One of the most helpful training programs is Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper’s Training Program. These specifically curated training programs aim at building a network of gatekeepers who have adequate knowledge and skills to support a person dealing with suicidal thoughts. These programs often involve hands-on training through roleplays, helpful communication skills, and important safety interventions. The program facilitator teaches you various skills that further add to your knowledge of early identification and management of risks.
  • Promoting work-life balance: The organization needs to focus on building a culture of safety- a culture where employees feel safe to voice their honest opinions and maintain a healthy balance between their professional and personal lives. Promoting work-life balance could involve offering hybrid work options, flexible deadlines, mental health day offs, and access to tools that can help employees look after their physical and mental health. These initiatives, if implemented genuinely, can support employee wellbeing and reduce their stressors. 
  • Building peer support and safe spaces: Not everyone feels comfortable opening up or showcasing vulnerability to their managers. It is therefore necessary to build safety networks amongst peers and encourage heartfelt conversations from time to time. Vulnerable conversations do not take place overnight. They start with small daily efforts. 

Here is how you can build a support network among your peers: 

1. Checking up on people every day, not just when someone is having a bad day.

2. Acknowledging the smallest of the efforts.

3. Expressing gratitude.

4. Being Inclusive.

5. Random acts of kindness.

6. Mutual respect when there is a difference of opinions.

7. Ability to connect on a human level

  • Train people in positions of power: Ensure that HR personnel, Managers, and other key employees receive comprehensive training in suicide prevention. These individuals should be equipped to recognize warning signs, respond appropriately, and refer employees to resources as needed. We at Manah Wellness offer a program called 

Wellbeing Champions Training which focuses on equipping volunteers chosen by you with the essential skills they need to make that difference.

FAQ

Is Suicide Prevention Training for everyone?

Yes, because everyone needs to be equipped with the right set of skills to identify the signs, provide support and care, and help the person in need. These programs are not limited to the workplace but can help in creating more awareness and sensitization. Having said that, these programs can also be voluntary. When we talk about mental health, we are talking about a lot of sensitive and vulnerable factors so if individuals feel overwhelmed with the information, they can also step down or take a break from the training program. It is important to look after individual wellbeing and therefore one cannot be forced to attend the program.