Developed and copyrighted by NAMI New Hampshire (National Alliance on Mental Illness), the Connect Suicide Prevention program is a comprehensive public health program based on a social-ecological model to build a safety net in communities around suicide prevention and postvention. This application focuses on Connect Suicide Prevention for adults in community settings across sectors. A separate application will be submitted for the Connect Suicide Postvention program, Connect Youth Leader programs, SurvivorVoices and programs for specific settings.

Connect Suicide Prevention/Intervention Training increases the capacity of professionals and communities to prevent suicide across the lifespan. Connect uses a public health approach and incorporates evidence based practices and key elements of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy. Connect applies a unique holistic model and offers a community planning component, two core components that help it stand apart from other training programs.

Connect’s curriculum includes how to identify suicide warning signs and intervene with a person at risk. Building on that foundation, Connect focuses on the community as a whole and how to work across systems to build a safety net for people at risk. The training can be optimized by including a second day focused on facilitating the development of a strategic suicide prevention plan. The plan is developed in the context of the community’s resources and culture to ensure implementation of evidence based practices. There is also an option to implement a Connect Suicide Prevention training of trainers to build capacity and breadth of knowledge about evidence based practices, leading to sustainability of suicide prevention efforts in communities.

More than “just training,” Connect fosters relationship building and the exchange of resources among participants. Prior to the training, Connect staff work with the host agency to identify local cultural norms or other issues unique to the community.

Connect has developed protocols for educators, community members, faith leaders, health care and hospital emergency departments, law enforcement, mental health and substance use disorder providers, military, primary care providers, and social service agencies.

Connect training includes activities, interactive case scenarios, facilitated discussion, PowerPoint, protocols for different disciplines, and written materials.