CONNECT

A suicide can have a devastating impact on a community or organization. The shock and grief can ripple throughout the community affecting friends, co-workers, schools, and faith communities. Connect postvention training helps service providers respond in a coordinated and comprehensive way in the aftermath of a suicide or any sudden death. Connect is a six-hour workshop that has developed postvention protocols for educators, emergency medical services, faith leaders, funeral directors, law enforcement, mental health/substance abuse providers, medical examiners, coroners, military, and social service providers. Once trained, participants become part of a community-wide response team if a death by suicide occurs.

Learning Objectives

• learn best practices on how to coordinate a comprehensive and safe response to a suicide
• recognize strategies for reducing the risk of contagion
• review of the complexity of suicide-related grief, especially for different age groups
• provide recommendations for funerals and memorial activities
• introduces suggestions of how to talk to survivors of suicide loss to promote their healing
• understand best practices for safe messaging about suicide and responding to the media
• identify community resources to promote healing

Audience 

Anyone interested in supporting families, communities and schools in the event of a suicide. Special emphasis targets educators, emergency medical services, faith leaders, funeral directors, law enforcement, mental health/substance abuse providers, medical examiners, coroners, military, and social service providers.

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To learn more or to become a member of Allegany County's Postvention Response Team, please contact Helen Evans at 585-593-5223, ext. 1011 or at evansh@ardentnetwork.org.