Carers Workshop: How to support someone with suicidal thoughts
A one-day workshop for carers supporting people at risk of suicide is being organised by the region’s mental health provider, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundations Trust (NSFT).
The workshop will provide carers with coping skills and tools to help manage risk while also raising awareness of safety planning. It’s being held on Saturday 26 February, 10am-4pm over Zoom.
The ‘Stepping Back Safely’ project, which the workshop is part of, aims to keep people safe by managing the risk of suicide or serious self-harm. At the same time, it will give carers the tools they need to support the person they care for while also looking after themselves and building their own resilience.
Liz Howlett, suicide prevention lead at NSFT commented: “The aim of the Stepping Back Safely project is to save lives by making sure that service users, their families and carers are involved more closely in safety planning and managing risk. At the same time, we are aware that caring for someone who is at risk of suicide can be exhausting. We want to make sure there is support in place to help carers to look after themselves too.”
Catherine Phillips, carers lead at NSFT added “Carers are there 24/7 and are the experts. They know the person the best and can have a really valuable input in helping to develop an effective safety plan which works for everyone.”
The workshop has been developed with a group of 11 people with lived and learned experience of supporting a loved one with long term suicide risks, and self-harming behaviours. Several people in the working group, have very sadly lost loved one to suicide.
The first half of the day will focus on the service users and their risk and recovery including:
- Understanding what happens to the person you support when their risk is increasing, when they are self-harming or feeling suicidal.
- How to respond to risky states of mind in the person you support.
- Helping the person you support when they are in this state of mind.
- Helping yourself when feeling overwhelmed.
The second half of the day focuses on the carer and their needs, which very often take a back seat when risk is increasing, including:
- Considering how to ‘step back safely’ to reduce long-term risk and empower the person you support.
- Modifying supporting styles to aid recovery.
- Nurturing yourself and reducing burnout.
- Thinking about next steps – recovery college, getting involved in the person you support’s safety plan and how important it is for the carer to be included.
To book a space on the workshop on Saturday 26 February, 10am-4pm please email steppingbacksafely@nsft.nhs.uk