Frequently Asked Questions

Below, you’ll find answers to a variety of questions about how the Best Practices Registry works, how programs and interventions are selected for inclusion, and more. Can’t find the answer to your question? Contact us!

Need help now for you or someone else?

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

Need help now for you or someone else?

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

What is the Best Practices Registry (BPR)?

The BPR is a library of suicide prevention programs and interventions that incorporate best practices, national frameworks, and community-informed approaches. It is intended to be a resource for anyone seeking to prevent suicide, in any setting, with any group. Think of the BPR as a toolbox that contains many different tools, organized so you can easily find exactly what you need: the right program or intervention for your unique needs.

What is the difference between a “best practice” and an “evidence-based practice”?

In the context of suicide prevention, the term “evidence-based practice” refers specifically to programs or interventions that have been repeatedly and rigorously evaluated for their efficacy with the group(s) for which the program or intervention is intended. Evidence-based practices have been proven effective across multiple settings through studies that may include randomized control trials, quasi-experimental research, or other methods.

In contrast, we use the term “best practices” to refer to programs and interventions that have evidence of their effectiveness in achieving their aims, but which may or may not have evidence that meets the same standard of rigorous analysis that is required of evidence-based practices.

The SPRC BPR chose to be a “best practices registry” because most organizations do not have the resources to conduct the rigorous academic studies a program or intervention would require to be considered an evidence-based practice. Including only evidence-based practices would mean that many potentially effective programs and interventions could not be included.

Who should use this site?

How do I choose a program or intervention?

How are programs or interventions reviewed for acceptance to the BPR?

Programs and interventions listed on the BPR go through a multi-expert review process to ensure that they align with current suicide prevention best practices and national frameworks and guidelines. Every program or intervention is reviewed by at least one individual with suicide-centered lived experience. Each program or intervention is required to provide at least three different examples of evidence of effectiveness that clearly connect to the BPR’s guiding suicide prevention frameworks. Programs or interventions are also required to include protocols to address imminent risk and safe messaging.

Where do the BPR listings come from?

The BPR application is open to all suicide prevention programs or interventions; anyone authorized by the developer can submit an application on behalf of a program or intervention. Many applications come from universities, departments of health, state or regional departments for mental health, non-profit organizations, and corporations that produce training materials and curricula. The BPR includes upstream prevention programs and interventions, so we hope to receive applications from programs and interventions that directly address factors that impact suicide risk.

What do you mean by “upstream prevention” programs and interventions?

I can’t find what I need. What should I do?

How do I apply to have a program or intervention listed on the BPR?

Click here to learn more about applying to have a program or intervention listed on the BPR.

The BPR Team offers free and unlimited application help and technical assistance to anyone working on a BPR application for a program or intervention. Email us at sprcbpr@ou.edu today to set up a one-on-one appointment or you can also drop in to our BPR Office Hours to ask us anything about the BPR!

Who should I contact if I have technical issues?

Why doesn’t SPRC conduct content reviews?

The BPR does not conduct full content reviews of programs and interventions because that level of review is outside of our scope and focus. Instead, we concentrate our efforts on thoroughly reviewing the materials and evidence supplied by programs and interventions to ensure they have in place safe messaging around suicide, appropriate protocols for addressing imminent risk, and documented evidence of effectiveness with outcomes that support their goals and objectives. We require everyone completing a BPR application to attest that their program or intervention has been implemented as described with at least one intended group in at least one of the intended settings within the last five years. We also require an attestation that the program or intervention adheres to currently accepted safe messaging guidelines in all materials, including those not supplied as part of the application. This helps us achieve our goal of making suicide prevention programs and interventions with proven effectiveness and safety measures more accessible to everyone involved in suicide prevention efforts.

Best Practices Registry

Best Practices Registry

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Need help now for you or someone else?

Need help now for you or someone else?

Looking for Additional Information?

Submitter Portal

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BPR Reviewer Portal