We provide a tailored consultation package for organizations in the early stages of implementing the Zero Suicide framework, offering assistance in exploring the full spectrum of its seven elements or focusing on specific areas to enhance suicide care.

Getting Started with Zero Suicide

Our Getting Started with Zero Suicide consultation package gives your organization access to in-depth coaching to start implementing the Zero Suicide framework. For some systems, consultancy will focus on how to begin incorporating the seven elements of Zero Suicide into their practices and policies. For others, consultancy might be targeted help to create the suicide care clinical pathway for those at risk of suicide. In-person or online, we provide customized support tailored to meet your specific needs.

Process

As we begin our work with your team, we will first gain an understanding of what your system currently has in place and what your goals are for safer suicide care. We offer consultancy packages that can include regularly scheduled 60-minute sessions as well as more intensive full-day sessions, in-person or online. The number of sessions within a consultation package is determined by need.

The length and frequency of the consultation depend on your goals and timelines; we suggest you choose what best fits your team's needs. If you are a large system with multiple teams, we can offer to host a Community of Practice for up to 16 teams. Teams from one system may represent different departments, locations, or service lines. 

Once we collaboratively determine what your needs are, we will recommend a consultancy package to help you achieve your goals.

Topics

We will help your team determine a focus for your consultation package, selected from a variety of topics. Below are a few examples of topics and related areas, though we may identify others in our planning work with your team.

Leadership and Planning

• Building leadership support at all levels for Zero Suicide 
• Getting ready for your first Organizational Self Study 
• Development of your implementation action plan 
• Preparing your organization to support a Just Culture 

Communication and Engagement

• Forming your Zero Suicide implementation team 
• Engaging people with lived experience of suicide in your organization  
• Normalizing safer suicide care language 

Safer Suicide Care

• Developing a screening and assessment protocol for all patients 
• Designing care transitions, including caring contacts and follow-up 
• Developing safer suicide care pathways that include treating suicidality 

Improvement

• Determining data metrics and establishing analysis practices 
• Understanding how to use the continuous quality improvement cycle 

Training and Technical Assistance 

• Engaging all staff in the system in suicide prevention as appropriate to their role
• Strategic planning for improving suicide care 
• Using interventions such as collaborative safety planning and counseling on lethal means

Sustainability 

• Developing your journey story to share with stakeholders and funders
• Creating an evaluation plan of your systems Zero Suicide implementation 

Contact Us

Contact us to set up an initial call with our experts in Zero Suicide, so we can learn about your current efforts and goals.  As we learn about your system, we will guide you in determining topics and the number of sessions for your consultation package.  

You may book an initial meeting with Barb Gay on Calendly, or reach out to our team at Solutions@edc.org.