World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD)
Changing the narrative on suicide: #StartTheConversation
Blog by Bianca Romanyk | CEO, Storm Skills Training CIC
On the 10th of September each year, we come together to remember those who have been lost, those carrying the pain of loss and those struggling with the pain of living; we reaffirm our commitment to keep learning, keep improving and continue our mission to work towards a future where fewer lives are lost.
More than 720,000 people die by suicide every year worldwide. Behind every number is a person, a loved one, a life lost, and beyond that, the impact on families, friends, colleagues, others providing care and intervention – entire communities.
This year's theme for WSPD, Changing the Narrative on Suicide: #StartTheConversation, reminds us that beginning a conversation about suicide is a compassionate step toward safety and helps to save lives.
To support this year's theme, we hope you'll find our resource, Tips for Talking About Suicide and Self-Harm with Care, Clarity and Compassion, useful to use and share with your networks this World Suicide Prevention Day.
At Storm Skills Training, we're proud to be part of this national and global effort to prevent suicide, not just today but every day. Our training supports people across sectors to have safe, compassionate and evidence-informed conversations about suicide and self-harm, and to know what to do when the answer to the question, "Are you thinking about suicide?" is "yes".
Importantly, we go beyond the important step of starting the conversation. We help people develop the confidence, knowledge and skills needed to work with distress towards safety. We help people and organisations to work collaboratively towards safety, guided by research, guidance and lived experience voices.
This year, we invite you to get involved, do one thing to contribute to this important, combined effort — raise awareness, build your confidence or expand your knowledge.
Together with our community, we have produced a library of resources. On our new Resources page, you will find webinars, podcasts, guides, downloadable resources, and flyers with information about our training programmes and how they align with current guidance and best practice.
We're also excited to share our Self-Harm Myths and Misconceptions Webinar, delivered in collaboration with the Derby site of the Multicentre Study of Self-Harm in England, has now been accredited by the Continuing Professional Development Service (CPD UK), providing participants with one hour of recognised CPD, including a certificate. Our thanks go to CPD UK for their support in helping us secure accreditation in time for World Suicide Prevention Day.
This World Suicide Prevention Day also comes at a time when the suicide prevention sector is facing significant challenges, including the heartbreaking closure of PAPYRUS and its HOPELINE247 service. We recognise the dedication behind PAPYRUS's life-saving work and the countless people it supported. It is a powerful reminder that suicide prevention requires sustained commitment, investment and compassionate action to ensure that people can access help when they need it most.
Wherever you are in the world, we invite you to join us in changing the narrative on suicide by starting conversations, listening deeply and working together towards safety, so that fewer lives are lost to self-harm and suicide.
Take action
Ways to get involved
Raise awareness with the World Suicide Prevention Day campaign.
Access resources from the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP).
Their campaign pack includes social media graphics, awareness materials and information to help spread this year's message across your networks and communities.
View IASP's WSPD Campaign Pack
Visit iasp.info/wspdTalking about suicide and self-harm with care, clarity and compassion.
The words we use matter. We've developed a resource to support conversations about suicide and self-harm using respectful, compassionate and stigma-reducing language. We encourage you to share it with colleagues, friends and professional networks.
Build your team's skills and confidence to prevent suicide and self-harm.
Learn more about our high-quality, evidence-based, self-harm and suicide prevention training on our website.
Access learning resources
Explore webinars, podcasts, blogs, guides and downloadable resources designed to support learning, reflection and good practice in suicide and self-harm prevention.
Share your impact and help us reach more people
We value hearing how our training and resources support your work. Whether through completing feedback forms, sharing your experience with colleagues or posting on social media, your feedback helps us demonstrate impact and strengthen suicide and self-harm prevention efforts. If you share online, please tag us and use #StormSkillsTraining.
Find support
In the UK: Samaritans
Free, confidential emotional support to anyone experiencing distress or struggling to cope.
jo@samaritans.org · Phone: 116 123 (24/7) · samaritans.org
International: IASP
If you are outside the UK, the IASP's global directory can help you find crisis and emotional support services in your country.
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call emergency services or your local emergency number right away.
A final reflection
World Suicide Prevention Day is a moment to pause, reflect and take action. It is a day to remember those we have lost, support those who are struggling, and strengthen our collective commitment to preventing future deaths.
By starting conversations, listening without judgement and responding with compassion, we can all play a role in creating safer, more supportive communities.
Let's talk. Let's listen. Let's start conversations.
If you would like to learn more about our training, please visit our website or email our team at enquiries@stormskillstraining.com. We'd love to hear from you.
