Eleison recently completed a suicide prevention training for service providers in Manila, Philippines with support from the Consuelo Zobel Alger Foundation. Consuelo’s mission is to promote the well-being of at-risk children, women, and families in the Philippines and Hawai’i and prevent and treat their abuse, neglect, and exploitation. We conducted this 3-day crisis intervention and suicide prevention training in support of Consuelo’s partners who are providing direct services to abused, exploited, and trafficked children.
Suicide prevention is a crucial issue, as survivors are at high risk for suicidal ideation and behavior. Research has found that over 50% of human trafficking survivors report having suicidal thoughts and over 40% have ever tried to kill themselves. At the same time, many service providers have not received sufficient training and do not feel confident in their abilities to conduct suicide intervention. In 2024, Eleison completed a needs assessment that explored the challenges Consuelo’s partners faced in addressing mental health issues. In this assessment, staff identified suicide prevention as one of the most challenging mental health concerns to address and suicide prevention training as a critical need among frontline staff.
Eleison’s training program helps providers build skills in responding to crises, including suicidal ideation and behavior, providing concrete tools for assessing suicide risk, conducting suicide intervention using the Suicide Safety Planning Intervention (SPI), monitoring ongoing suicide risk, and conducting follow-ups to reduce acute risk for suicide. This training can be readily applied — training participants do not need prior experience in suicide prevention. When service providers are provided with these tools, their skills, knowledge, and confidence increase, and the emotional burdens and stress associated with their work are lessened.
Capacity building programs are crucial to ensuring high-quality care for survivors. Trainings can be provided globally via a combination of in-person and online modalities and can be tailored to fit the organization’s needs and priorities. If your organization is interested in receiving crisis intervention and suicide prevention training, please email info@eleisonfoundation.org or message us here.
