Our Communities of Practice are designed to support organizational teams during their Zero Suicide implementation with access to experts, facilitated group learning activities, and time for team discussion and planning.

The Zero Suicide framework is a complex approach to challenging system-level problems. Sharing pain points and breakthroughs in real time with a peer community and experts can ease the burden of working in isolation.

About the Consultation

A Community of Practice (CoP) is a live, online series of nine, 90-minute sessions, typically offered following a Zero Suicide Academy or Workshop. It is designed to facilitate group learning to assist sites in implementation. The guiding principle is to bring participants together to share learning and advance and innovate practices that will make their work more successful.

The social environment we foster enables participants to:

• Gain access to new knowledge shared by our expert staff
• Share resources among peers
• Support systems-level change and best practices implementation
• Onboard new teammates 
• Sustain excitement and momentum around their Zero Suicide initiative

EDC's Zero Suicide staff are at the forefront of online learning, bringing the best instructional design and content to the experience. Your CoP is crafted with interactive sessions that encourage peer-to-peer learning and expert guidance. These events build community through on-going engagement, enabling and supporting collaboration for shared learning, problem-solving, and skill development.

FAQs

Is a Zero Suicide Community of Practice right for me?

If you're interested in helping organizations implement Zero Suicide with ongoing support from experts who can accelerate their progress, then a CoP might be right for you.

Who participates in a CoP?

The CoP series can accommodate all team members from your Zero Suicide Academy, Workshop, or up to 100 participants. It is expected that CoP participants will attend all sessions.  We also encourage new members of implementation teams to join or ad hoc members to participate, as appropriate.

What does a typical CoP series look like? 

A typical CoP series includes nine 90-minute, monthly sessions beginning approximately three months after a Zero Suicide Academy or Workshop, when applicable. We will work with you to schedule a consistent day and time.

The series covers:

1. Lead – Just Culture and Organizational Readiness
2. Improve – Data Collection 
3. Train – Zero Suicide Workforce Survey
4. Identify – Choosing Screening and Assessment Tools
5. Treat – Evidence-based Treatments and Interventions
6. Transition – Engaging Community Partners
7. Engage – Creating a Suicide Care Pathway
8. Sustainability and Fidelity
9. Celebration and Connection

Other topics are integrated across multiple sessions, such as engaging the voice of lived experience, communication of Zero Suicide efforts, and worker wellness.

As a sponsor, what is my role in a CoP?

EDC's Zero Suicide team engages with sponsors to support participating organizations with their implementation efforts. It is helpful when sponsors share information about local/regional training opportunities and other resources, and when sponsors can provide insights about the community that may impact Zero Suicide implementation.