Training & Resources

Resources for trans children & youth

The 2020 Champlain Region Gender Diverse Health Resource Guide lists physical health, mental health, and community-based services for trans and gender diverse people in Ottawa and throughout the Champlain region.

The Trans Mental Health, Wellness and Suicide Prevention Toolkit synthesizes information on trans mental health and suicide in Canada, and provides tools and resources that trans people, friends and families of trans people, and service providers who support them can put to use.

Training

Suicide prevention training and resources can build our community’s capacity to identify people who are struggling, and support them to get help so that they can feel better.

Training community members and peers is an important component of any suicide prevention initiative.
Community members who have regular social contact and connections with members of the public could include faith/cultural leaders, elders, teachers, school administrators, counsellors, youth workers, police officers, coaches, probation officers, foster parents, volunteers and others. Given their frequent contact with the public, these community members can act as the eyes and ears on the ground, and work with organizations to identify people who are experiencing risk for suicide, and encourage and navigate them to seek help. Gatekeeper training supports people to recognize risk factors, identify people at risk, and connect people to services.

knowing how to detect the signs and to respond appropriately

This is not an exhaustive list of trainings, but they are the trainings that are currently offered in Ottawa.

LivingWorks prepares community members to intervene and prevent suicide with programs such as: Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), safeTALK and suicideTALK.

CMHA Ottawa offers the suite of Living Works trainings in both official languages. Phone: 613-737-7791

Mental Health First Aid was developed in Australia and adapted for use in Canada. This training program explores:

signs and symptoms of common mental health problems and crisis situations
information about effective interventions and treatments, and
ways to access professional help.

Find a Mental Health First Aid training near you through the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

The Suicide Prevention Resource Centre lists several additional trainings in various formats that build capacity in the community for people who are connected to various groups such as children, Indigenous communities, and youth.

Organizations that are looking to learn more about how to support people with chronic suicidal thoughts can listen to this webinar by Dr. Yvonne Bergmans.

One essential part of preventing suicide is to have a community that is well informed, that cares, and that has the confidence to respond when they are concerned. People who want to better understand how to talk to others about suicide can watch this video.

Suicide Prevention Resources for Youth and Families

It can be very worrying when someone says or does things that give you the impression they are considering suicide. You may not be sure how to help, or if they are serious, or if asking about it may make the person feel worse. If you are experiencing any concern, it is important to take action.

See this resource that highlights the warning signs and how to respond to them: Know What To Do guide.

Some of the crisis services highlighted in the guide include:

Mental Health Crisis Line:

16 years and older and anyone assisting
613-722-6914 (EN/FR)

Hope for Wellness Helpline

English, French, Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut
1-855-242-3310
hopeforwellness.ca (online chat)

Youth Services Bureau Crisis Line & Chat (YSB):

12-18 years old and their caregivers
613-260-2360 (EN/FR)

Helping organizations respond after a suicide loss

An important element of any efforts to prevent suicide is to respond effectively in the event of a suicide death. We call this response postvention, and it is the first step in continued prevention. Suicide postvention involves predetermined strategies to effectively and sensitively respond to deaths after they occur. It is an intervention that attends to the needs of those requiring assistance after someone dies by suicide. See these resources for organizations leading a postvention response.