"The presenters were incredibly engaging, and the breakout room spaces were really helpful in giving my team time to work through how implementation in our specific and unique environment could look."
A few times a year, EDC brings our Zero Suicide Academy® online to teams from individual health and behavioral healthcare organizations nationwide.
Zero Suicide Academy® is EDC’s signature training for health and behavioral health organizations seeking to dramatically reduce suicides among those in their care.
About the Academy
Led by EDC’s expert Zero Suicide staff and faculty, the Zero Suicide Academy provides up to 16 teams from health and behavioral health organizations with an invaluable opportunity to kick off or reinvigorate their Zero Suicide implementation, learn about the Zero Suicide framework and seven elements, begin strategic implementation planning, and prepare for commonly faced challenges. Teams will have the opportunity to network with similar organizations, establishing relationships with each other and our team for ongoing assistance.
Using the Zero Suicide framework, participants learn how to incorporate best and promising practices into their organizations and processes to improve care and safety for individuals at risk of suicide. The Zero Suicide Academy includes both interactive presentations and small group sessions. There is time for our staff and faculty to collaborate with teams to develop organization-specific action plans.
What are the seven elements of Zero Suicide?
Attending the Academy
The National Zero Suicide Academy is online and hosted directly by Zero Suicide at EDC.
Individual health and behavioral healthcare organizations may send a team of 3-6 staff members to the National Academy. Teams join online as individuals or in a group for three sessions. The National Academy is delivered in three parts: a two-hour learning session, a two-day learning session, followed by a final two-hour session.
Look to our events page to find upcoming National Zero Suicide Academy opportunities.
Upcoming Events
Academy FAQs
- Why attend a National Zero Suicide Academy?
-
Attending a National Zero Suicide Academy may meet your needs if there are no sponsored Academy available to you or one is inconveniently scheduled.
If you’ve attended an Academy in the past and have new team members (or just need a refresher), attending a National Academy may be the choice for you.
- How long is a National Zero Suicide Academy?
-
The series includes three parts:
- Part 1: Introduction to Zero Suicide (2 hours)
- Part 2: Implementing Zero Suicide (2 days)
- Part 3: Sustaining Zero Suicide (2 hours)
Part 1 occurs about one week before Part 2 to teach the Zero Suicide framework and is online. Part 2 is a 2-day event focused on the implementation of Zero Suicide that can happen in-person or online. About a month after the Academy, participants will reconvene for Part 3 online (2 hours) to discuss how to sustain their efforts.
- How do you prioritize engagement online?
-
When we brought Zero Suicide Academy to an online environment, we got our team together to discuss what techniques translated well online and what didn’t and paired our knowledge with a thorough review of best practices in online engagement. Over time, we have changed platforms, incorporated emerging technologies and applications, and studied feedback from participants. And we'll continue to do so.
Our current iteration uses a variety of engagement tools, including breakout rooms, live chat, video share, multimedia clips, digital whiteboards—along with brain breaks and self-care activities. The intentional design of the online Zero Suicide Academy encourages teams to learn from each other and access our experts as thought partners. Have more questions? Ready to attend a National Zero Suicide Academy? Reach out to us anytime!