Programming For Adults
The Crisis Centre specializes in fostering resilience and capacity in individuals, organizations and communities. Our trauma-informed training and courses build compassionate, connected, suicide-safer communities through:
- destigmatizing suicide and mental health
- strengthening intervention and de-escalation skills
- facilitating growth and recovery after a suicide experience
- providing skills and strategies that foster wellness and help prevent stress, burnout, vicarious trauma, and compassion fatigue
Our team of professional staff provides programs suitable for all roles and levels of education and experience. We work with 200+ organizations annually, including health care, emergency responders, mental health agencies, community and faith-based, k to 12 and higher education, government and business. Book a session or make an inquiry here.
Supporting Others
For Everyone
What’s it about?
Self-paced, online 60 to 90 minute training that teaches a powerful four-step model to keep someone safe from suicide. Provides hands-on opportunities to practice the skills with impactful simulations. Each LivingWorks Start user receives the same core information and skills training, with additional custom content depending on their background, location, and needs.
The Crisis Centre also offers a post-sessions workshop for those to debrief Living Works Start for teams working within an agency or across agencies.
What difference will it make?
LivingWorks Start is evidence-based. Third-party evaluations of LivingWorks Start confirmed that the training:
- Improves trainee skills and knowledge
- Improves trainee readiness and confidence
- Safe and effective for trainees as young as 13 years old
- Meets SAMHSA's Tier III evidence-based training criteria
- Based on best practices in online curriculum development
Who Should Attend?
Living Works Start teaches valuable skills to everyone 13 and older and requires no formal training or prior experience in suicide prevention.
Register here for Start
Inquire here about booking a follow up session for an agency or combining the training with Skillfully Responding to Distress.
What’s it about?
This half-day session explores how to skillfully respond to and de-escalate emotional distress. Content includes understanding the stress response, active listening, applying a crisis intervention model, facilitating the development of a short-term coping plan for a person in crisis, boundary setting, and self-care. It is recommended to combine this course with LivingWorks Start, a 60-90 min suicide response online training.
What difference will it make?
Participants report increased skills and confidence in de-escalating people in distress, as well as, setting boundaries, managing our emotions and self-care. The session incorporates case study situations relevant to the agency’s needs and situation.
“Full of practical suggestions and relevant tools. All of it was paced well, relevant info and not too overwhelming.” - Housing Worker
Who should take it?
Skillfully Responding to Distress is most suitable for participants with little to no formal training in counselling or for those seeking a refresher. Common attendees include professionals working in situations where they need to respond to challenging situations, including social service workers, medical assistants, insurance client representatives, youth workers, call centre staff, and administration.
Skillfully Responding can be booked for your community or organization. Ideally suited to a group of up to 20 participants, Skillfully Responding can be tailored for larger group sizes upon request.
Who are the facilitators and trainers?
Skillfully Responding to People in Distress is facilitated by skilled professionals who are able to tailor to the needs of your agency or community.
2022/23 Dates
- March 31st, 9am - 1pm PST
- April 19th, 9am - 1pm PST
Register for Skillfully Responding delivered by the Crisis Centre (online).
Book Skillfully Responding for your organization (online or in-person, with safety procedures in place).
Recommended to combine this training with LivingWorks Start, a 60-90 min self-paced suicide response training - register here.
What’s it about?
The Crisis Centre offers a full-day course to assist individuals and agencies in learning practical skills for managing distress while supporting themselves. The course consists of Skillfully Responding to Distress and safeTALK.
Participants will learn de-escalation skills; when and how to ask about suicide and how to help keep someone safe, boundary setting, self-care, and self-preservation. This course can be offered online or in person.
What difference will it make?
Participants will gain evidence-based and trauma-informed skills to respond to emotional distress and suicide response.
Who should take it?
Common attendees include professionals working in situations where they need to respond to challenging situations, including social service workers, medical assistants, insurance client representatives, youth workers, call centre staff, and administration.
Who are the facilitators and trainers?
Our one-day Crisis Response training package is facilitated by skilled professionals with backgrounds in suicide response, counseling, psychology, and adult education. Our trainers are able to work in diverse organizations and with varying levels of participants. These facilitators are also experienced safeTALK trainers, certified by LivingWorks, who care deeply about creating life-promoting.
Offer Crisis Response Training for your organization.
What’s it about?
This is an introductory awareness session aimed at reducing stigma, increasing awareness, and motivating personal and collective action for suicide prevention.
What difference will it make?
The session opens up dialogue about suicide, a stigmatized and challenging topic for many. It helps participants understand the nature of suicide in communities, the needs of people who have thoughts of suicide, and resources available within the agency or community. Agencies or groups that book this session report that it activates and inspires personal, organizational and societal actions .
Who should attend?
Offered in a 60 - 90 minute session, in person or online. Makes an excellent brown-bag lunch presentation for any organization, business or school. It is particularly helpful for communities and organizations where there may be stigma and apprehension regarding suicide. The Crisis Centre offers this session for community groups, businesses, government and non-profit organizations, as well as, youth in grades 10, 11 and 12.
Who are the facilitators?
The Crisis Centre’s facilitators are skilled and certified LivingWorks trainers who care deeply about creating life-promoting communities.
Book this session for your agency or community.
What’s it about?
People thinking about suicide don’t want to die, they are looking for a way to manage the emotional pain. safeTALK is half-day workshop that teaches “connector skills”, including recognizing signs, engaging a person with thoughts of suicide, and connecting them to an intervention resource for safety and further support. safeTALK is an internationally recognized LivingWorks program that features powerful presentations, audiovisuals, and skills practice.
What difference will it make?
safeTALK participants report increased comfort with the topic of suicide and increased preparedness to ask about suicide and help the person with thoughts get connected to resources to help build safety. 99.9% of safeTALK participants highly recommend this training.
safeTALK trained staff improve an agency’s capacity to respond to suicide effectively. By attending safeTALK, participants will attain a certificate of completion from an internationally recognized evidence-based program. safeTALK is evidence-based with over 15 peer-reviewed reports and government studies, which found it:
- Improves skills and readiness
- Effective for participants as young as 15 years old
- Helps break down suicide stigma in the community
- Better skill retention compared to other connector programs
“Very prepared and professional. Makes a difficult topic comfortable and focuses on how we can help. Respectful and mindful of people's connection/experience with the topic.” - Immigrant Settlement worker
“safeTALK introduced me to a better framework to help recognize cases of suicide. Gave me the confidence to frame my conversations/interaction.” - Youth Worker
Who should attend?
LivingWorks safeTALK is suitable for anyone 15 years of age and older. It is ideal for all types of service providers and community members, including first responders, teachers, youth workers, housing support, faith communities, parents/families, and community members interested in learning how to respond to suicide.
safeTALK can be delivered for groups of up to 30 participants. Sessions are held regularly at the Crisis Centre and off-site sessions can be booked for your community or organization. To support organization and community capacity for suicide prevention, we offer safeTALK Train the Trainers - See above for more info.
Who are the facilitators and trainers?
Our safeTALK trainers are certified trainers and are passionate, skilled, and able to tailor to the needs of your agency or community. A Community Resource is available at all trainings to provide safety and comfort for all participants.
Upcoming Dates
- April 13th, 9am - 12:30pm PST
Book safeTALK for your organization or community.
Venue: The Crisis Centre of BC - 763 E Broadway, Vancouver
For Professionals, Service Providers and those interested in advanced training
What’s it about?
LivingWorks ASIST is the world’s leading suicide intervention training and an empowering program that promotes a whole community response to suicide prevention. Participants learn how to prevent suicide by recognizing signs, providing a skilled intervention, and developing a safety plan to keep someone alive. This two-day face-to-face workshop features powerful audiovisuals, discussions, and simulations.
What difference will it make?
ASIST participants have increased confidence and skills to respond to suicide with an ability to respond appropriately to the needs of the person with thoughts, focussing on safety, rather than risk. 99.9% of attendees highly recommend this training.
By attending ASIST, participants will attain a certificate of completion from an internationally recognized evidence-based program. Thirty peer-reviewed studies and government reports state that ASIST:
- Improves skills and readiness
- Increases hope and reduces suicidality
- Increases counselling and listening skills
- Saves lives and costs, yielding a return on investment of up to 50:1
“ASIST was an incredibly valuable experience and I have no doubt it will be integrated into my practice and enhance my ability to support individuals at risk. I found the facilitators well prepared and authentic.” - Clinician, Vancouver Coastal Health
“After taking the ASIST course I had a suicide caller so I pulled out my ASIST wallet leaflet) and used it for the call. It was amazing. What a difference that approach made in the call, compared with how I would have managed the call prior to the course.” - Nurse Educator, Health Link BC
Who is it for?
Common participants include counsellors, health care workers, first responders, faith leaders, youth workers, and immigrant and refugee settlement workers. While common for health workers and service providers to participate, one doesn’t need formal mental health training to attend ASIST.
We are currently offering ASIST in-person training when we are able do so safety. Please see below for available dates and how to register. Agencies and communities can also inquire about booking off-site training.
Who are the facilitators and trainers?
Two certified, professional trainers will ensure your comfort and safety through this intensive and empowering training course. The Crisis Centre staff team includes an ASIST Coach who trains and mentors new ASIST trainers across BC and the rest of Canada.
Upcoming Dates
- March 27th & 28th, 9am - 5pm PST
- April 24th & 25th, 9am - 5pm PST
- May 11th & 12th, 9am - 5pm PST
- May 29th & 30th, 9am - 5pm PST
- June 12th & 13th, 9am - 5pm PST
- June 29th & 30th, 9am - 5pm PST
Venue: The Crisis Centre of BC - 763 E Broadway, Vancouver
Book ASIST for your agency or community/inquire about organization group rates.
What’s it about?
ASIST Tune-Up (Refresher) is a half-day session that includes a review of ASIST along with an opportunity to share experiences applying ASIST and recapturing the feeling of a caring community experience.
What difference will it make?
Learning to respond to suicide involves continuous learning, and the ASIST Refresher helps solidify and incorporate new learning from ASIST, resulting in increased skills for caregivers.
“A helpful as a refresher to the skills learned previously. Sometimes we may get complacent and think we are doing things 'right'. Refreshers are always helpful.” Police Officer
Who should attend?
Anyone who has completed ASIST, ideally two years after initially taking ASIST. Note that the Refresher is for those who have completed ASIST 11, which has been offered since Fall 2013 at the Crisis Centre.
Who are the facilitators and trainers?
The ASIST Refresher is facilitated by an established ASIST trainer and coach.
Upcoming dates
- April 27th, 9am - 1pm
Register here. (you will need to sign up directly with LivingWorks but the training will be hosted by The Crisis Centre of BC)
Book ASIST Refresher for your organization or community.
What’s it about?
suicide to Hope is a one-day face-to-face workshop for professional helpers. It features powerful audiovisuals, discussions, and simulations. In suicide to Hope, you'll learn new counselling and support tools designed to help people who have ongoing thoughts of suicide and/or suicide behaviour. Modelled on recovery and growth techniques in post-traumatic stress counselling, the tools learned in this workshop can integrate into any treatment approach.
What difference will it make?
LivingWorks suicide to Hope is based on extensive evidence of effectiveness for recovery and growth approaches. Initial studies of this novel program show promising impacts:
- Initial studies suggest improvements in trainee skills and readiness
- Initial studies suggest improvement in client outcomes
- Evidence-informed with over 90 articles and studies consulted
- Based on proven recovery and growth approaches
- Developed using adult education best practices
“This training gave me the confidence to learn & use THEIR suicide story to give the client an opportunity to believe in life again.” - Counsellor
Who are the facilitators and trainers?
Crisis Centre’s suicide to Hope facilitators are experienced mental health professionals with strong facilitation skills and an in-depth knowledge of suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention.
Upcoming dates
Book suicide to Hope for your organization.
What’s it about?
safeTALK Training for Trainers (T4T) is a powerful, two-day learning experience that lays the groundwork for candidates to deliver safeTALK within their organizations or community.
What difference will it make?
Having the capacity to deliver safeTALK within an organization is an important component of building suicide-safer organizations and communities. Becoming a trainer will allow your organization to deliversafeTALK to staff and other stakeholders on an ongoing basis. An evidence-based program with over 15 peer-reviewed reports and government studies, which found safeTALK:
- Improves skills and readiness
- Effective for participants as young as 15 years old
- Helps break down suicide stigma in the community
- Has better skill retention compared to other connector programs
I really enjoyed the T4T. In particular, the opportunity to discuss and practice in a safe and structured environment. The facilitator was knowledgeable, clear, well organized - offering a comfortable and open training environment.” - T4T Candidate
Who should attend?
safeTALK trainers come from a wide variety of backgrounds and life experiences. Qualities that favour success as a safeTALK trainer include presentation and facilitation skills, patience, a willingness to talk about suicide, and an "always learning" mindset. All safeTALK candidates need to have completed ASIST within the last 24 months. Before registering, please review Essential Information for safeTALK Trainer Candidates.
Upcoming dates
- April 13th + 14th, 9am - 5pm PST
Please email us at info@crisiscentre.bc.ca to inquire about a registration form.
What’s it about?
The Crisis Centre offers tailored training for organizations on suicide intervention, including identifying suicide risk, building safety and working collaboratively within agency and with community and mental health supports.
What difference will it make?
This session will provide your agency a tailored response training that will increase skills, knowledge, capacity to work together to prevent suicide.
Who should attend?
Tailored to each setting, this training is ideal for those who have some knowledge and experience in suicide intervention. We offer Suicide Awareness for Everyone or Living Works Start or safeTALK for those new to suicide response.
Upcoming dates
Please contact us if you are interested in discussing a tailored suicide response training for your agency.
Supporting Yourself
To take any of our wellness modules, please sign up here.
In these 6 resiliency and wellness training modules, participants will learn evidence-based mindfulness tools for building resilience, managing stress, preventing burnout, and supporting well-being.
Each 50 to 60-minute module is designed to be a stand-alone training so that you can join the modules that resonate with you.
Available Courses
- Module 1. Making Sense of Feeling Out of Control: How and Why You Are Healthier than You Think
- Module 2. Overcoming and Preventing Compassion Fatigue: The Compassion Paradox
- Module 3. Increasing Self Compassion: Caring for the One Who Cares for Others
- Module 4. Unhooking from Negative Thought Patterns: Taming and Befriending Your Thoughts
- Module 5. Eight Scientifically Proven Ways to Enhance Your Overall Health and Wellbeing
- Module 6. Navigating Emotions: How to Remain Centered when Emotions Feel Overwhelming
What’s it about?
Each module explores a theme related to emotional well-being, including building a foundation of what mindfulness is, exploring related science, and introducing practices to observe thoughts and emotions, manage reactivity, the negativity bias, and harness the science of happiness.
Participants can learn at their own pace through live webinars or recordings and a copy of the presentations will be made available for two weeks after each module.
Simple, guided practices are provided each week and participants are encouraged to investigate and integrate them into daily life during and following the course.
What difference will it make?
Mindfulness is linked to benefits such as improved focus, decision-making, conflict resolution, creativity, and physical and mental health. Using mindfulness practices is linked to long term improvements with anxiety, stress-related disorders, and depression.
“Since taking this course I have been starting and ending each work day with a practice we learned, and this has lowered my stress considerably.” Alcohol and Drug Counsellor
Who is it for?
This course is well suited for participants with little or no experience with mindfulness, as well as those wishing to deepen an existing practice. It is ideal for individuals who are interested in learning new life skills to support mental health and well-being through a flexible, accessible online learning format.
Group rates are available for organizations wishing to provide a flexible online course to their staff teams.
Who are the facilitators and trainers?
Crisis Centre facilitators are skilled at facilitating and have a personal experience with mindfulness. With varied backgrounds in counseling, psychology, and adult education, all have attended courses on leading mindfulness, including Mindful Schools Educator Essentials and training in trauma-sensitive mindfulness.
To take any of our wellness modules, please sign up here.
What’s it about?
Suitable for those working in a range of organizations, this introductory webinar or up to a 3-hour long workshop provides staff with evidence-based mindfulness tools for managing stress, preventing burnout, and supporting well-being.
Practical and accessible, this workshop includes brain science supporting mindfulness, a variety of mindfulness-based practices, videos and time for reflection and discussion.
Ideally 3 hours in length, the session can be adapted to a shorter time period upon request and can be tailored to meet the needs of your organization or group.
What difference will it make?
Mindfulness is linked to benefits such as improved focus, decision-making, conflict resolution, creativity, and physical and mental health. Participants report gaining valuable and accessible tools, useful in both workplace and personal life. When offered within organizations, participants report that the workshop activates a culture of collaboration and attention to wellness among teams.
“Our staff are confronted with very stressful situations. These skills to support them are invaluable.” - Langley Library Manager
Who is it for?
The session is suited for organizations looking to increase staff focus, retention, burnout-prevention, collaboration, and overall well-being. It is ideal for groups or participants with little or no understanding of mindfulness, as well as, those wishing to deepen an existing practice.
Sessions can be booked for your community or organization. Ideally, for a group of up to 30, Tools for Managing Stress and Burnout can be delivered for larger group sizes upon request.
Who are the facilitators and trainers?
Crisis Centre facilitators are skilled at facilitating and have a personal experience with mindfulness. With varied backgrounds in counselling, psychology and adult education, all attend courses on leading mindfulness, including Mindful Schools Educator Essentials and training in trauma-sensitive mindfulness.
Book today!
Tailored online programs are available to support organizations and teams. Learn more about bringing Tools for Managing Stress & Burnout to your organization or group.
What’s it about?
Learn more about suicide loss services for individuals and communities, including our 8-week suicide grief support group, delivered in partnership with the BC Bereavement Helpline.
What difference will it make?
Attendees of the 8-week support group report a reduction in isolation, increased coping skills, and the creation of long-term networks of support.
“What a gift to be able to be held in a loving space, wounds showing and all. I wouldn't be where I am today without this group.” - Group Participant
Who should attend?
Anyone who has experienced suicide loss and feels that being part of a group would be supportive to their healing.
Who are the facilitators?
Our suicide grief support group is led by two skilled, experienced and caring facilitators, with extensive experience working with grief and loss. At least one of the facilitators will have a personal experience with suicide loss.
Newsletter
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