Science of Suicide Prevention/Mental Health Resilience - LEO/1st Responders

This two-day course is designed as a proactive approach to suicide prevention. The skills and resources taught may help save the life of an officer. The course provides cognitive and behavioral tools necessary to sustain an officer’s mental health, build emotional resilience, and reduce the risk of suicide before a crisis point.

Training provides participants with an understanding of the psychology of fear, stress, anxiety, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors that result from critical incidents or traumatic events. Training teaches ways to decrease anxiety, lower the effects of stress, and provide effective behavioral interventions that can mitigate the potential psychological impact that those events can have on first responders.

Built around the concept of an officer’s psychological self-development, training emphasizes key psychological concepts and explains the links between them. Scenarios are designed to reflect behavioral changes and break down officers’ cognitive and emotional processes and are realistic, personal, engaging, thought provoking, and challenging. The officers examine complex situations involving day-to-day encounters with their fellow officers, command staff, and family members.

BASED ON REAL LIFE SCENARIOS

The curriculum is based on four components organized into four modules:

• Module #1: Suicide-based knowledge.
• Module #2: Increase in suicide prevention awareness and attitude.
• Module #3: Mental health self-assessment and self-intervention.
• Module #4: Peer assessment and intervention of at-risk officers.

Cost: $100 fee, refundable upon completion

On-Site Coordinator:

• Lt. Ed Cason, Smyrna Police Department Training Division, Office Phone: (678) 631-5121
  

Instructors

• Margret Younis , MSFPsy.
• Sgt. John Avery, MS (Ret)
• Guest Speakers

Training Approved by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (P.O.S.T) Course Number: NCC01G

Host or Publisher Cobb Collaborative