Free virtual suicide awareness training for all on World Suicide Prevention Day

The Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA) is marking World Suicide Prevention Day (10 September) by offering everyone the chance to attend free suicide awareness virtual training sessions.

To ensure the training is accessible to as many people as possible, the ‘train-a-thon’ features three flexible 90-minute sessions held at different times throughout the day—morning, afternoon, and evening. It will include important suicide awareness training, insights from those with lived experience, a live Q&A with an expert panel, links to further support and services and a certificate of attendance.

The training is based on the ZSA’s free online suicide awareness training, which has been taken over 2.8million times, and Dr Claire Iveson, Director of the ZSA, said: “In the UK, more than 6,000 people die by suicide every year.

“We believe one life lost is one too many. We all have a role we can play in supporting suicide awareness and prevention whether that’s through direct conversations or recognising and challenging stigma.

“If you're new to suicide prevention or seeking a meaningful refresher, these training sessions aim to raise awareness of suicide, offer practical tools, lived experience insights, and guidance on suicide warning signs and offering support to someone who may be struggling.”

The expert panel during the train-a-thon includes Alison Furlong, founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Alfie’s Squad, an organisation committed to helping children bereaved by suicide, Neil Boardman, Suicide Prevention Programme Manager at the Cheshire and Merseyside Public Health Collaborative and Dr Claire Iveson, Clinical Psychologist at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust and Director of the ZSA.

Since forming in 2017, the ZSA has developed nine different types of free online training. These include veteran suicide awareness training, suicide awareness training for taxi and private hire drivers, social isolation and loneliness training and suicide awareness training in Welsh.