Self-harm and Suicide Prevention Training
At Storm Skills Training, we’re passionate about having more effective conversations that help reduce distress, and fewer lives lost to self-harm and suicide.
Who are Storm Skills Training?
We are a not-for-profit social enterprise that exists to benefit the suicide prevention community by delivering high-quality skills training. Our ongoing success to has a positive impact on the wider suicide prevention community.
Combined with more than 20 years of academic research and experience in training delivery, our active understanding of self-harm and suicide prevention gives you a highly effective training package that is relevant to a range of organisations, systems, professions, and sectors.
Our training is based on academic research, evidence, and best practice, with a focus on real-life experiences.
Our unique focus on skills, research, and quality
Our unique focus is on skills, and we have research to support its effectiveness.
We take what we know from research, best practice, and lived experience to create our training. We then work with teams and individuals to enhance skills to use this effectively in a conversation with someone in distress – including engagement, assessment, formulation, and safety planning.
Our evidence-based training methodologies give frontline team members the opportunity to practice, reflect, and give and receive feedback on skills in a safe and supportive learning environment. We use the highest standard level of skills development, which includes filmed skills practice for the more advanced courses.
Our training is dynamic and challenging because conversations about self-harm and suicide prevention can be dynamic and challenging.
Storm Skills Training is proven to be effective
Research lies at the heart of Storm Skills Training and studies have shown that our training package is effective in:
- Developing and enhancing skills
- Improving attitudes
- Increasing confidence in helping someone who is in distress
Research supports the effectiveness of our training across a range of audiences including: mental health, health and social care, volunteer workers, schools and higher education, and prisons.
We deliver high quality training that makes a difference and has an impact.
Storm Skills Training – Version 5 (V5)
Version 5 (V5) of Storm Skills Training in Self-harm and Suicide Prevention, (released July 2023) continues to be evidence-based, highly relevant, and effective.
V5 builds on the strengths of our previous versions and retains what’s key to our training – the structure, opportunity to practice, reflect and feedback, and of course the enhancement of skills to increase confidence.
We have worked closely with our community to ensure we include and consider many different perspectives when developing the package including (but not limited to) facilitators, key contacts, consultants, those with lived experience, frontline teams, and academic experts.
The focus on the person, collaboration, assessment, and safety planning are still there, and they are joined by new skill sets (previously called modules) on:
- Assessment using a psychosocial perspective
- Suicide and self-harm – exploring the similarities and differences for assessment
- Enhanced conversations about sharing information and supporting the support network
- Collaborative formulation, including the opportunity to practice with the person
We have also enhanced the learning experience with updated training materials (including slides, workbooks, and demonstration films) with a fresh look and feel which is both engaging and more accessible.
If you’d like to learn more about V5, please send us an email, we’d love to hear from you.
Our work with organisations and teams
We are passionate about working with you to create a compassionate and skilled workforce to help prevent self-harm and suicide – no matter the size of the organisation.
With over 20 years of working with organisations big and small we are a collaborative training provider and supportive partner, with the added benefit of being not-for-profit.
We want to understand your workforce needs and how we can support you to meet these needs.
Sustainability and best use of self-harm and suicide prevention funds is at our heart. We want to make sure you chose the option right for your team.
Our offer includes:
Train the Facilitator (cascade) model – we call this TTF for short
We work with you and your team to ensure the success of the program to your workforce. Our team will be with you each step of the way, from providing guidance around facilitator recruitment, to providing high quality facilitator training and ongoing support.
Facilitators will receive training in the advanced level course of the training package to become familiar with the knowledge content and the skills training methods.
They will also learn how to deliver the various courses and facilitate learning.
This option involves:
- Strategic support: we work alongside you to help steer and support you in the right direction towards a successful roll out across the workforce
- Training: we provide your team of facilitators with high quality training to ensure they are competent and feel confident to enhance the skills of your workforce.
- Access to materials: your facilitators receive comprehensive guidance for delivering training and access to all learning materials that are needed.
- Ongoing support: we know that the successful roll-out of Storm Skills Training across your organisation will be dependent on your facilitators feeling confident in what they are delivering, that they feel supported, and remain up to date.
- A License: a legal framework that sets out what we can expect from each other.
If your workforce exceeds 50, this may be the option best suited – this is dependent on workforce pressures and capacity to release team members to deliver training and the availability of administrative support to ensure the successful roll-out.
Direct to participant (small group) model – we call this D2P for short
Where you have a smaller workforce or there are significant challenges with workforce pressures to release staff to deliver training, asking us to deliver direct to the frontline might be the option for you and your team.
One of our highly skilled consultants will take team members through the course. Group sizes are up to eight people (minimum of four).
Combination of delivery methods
Some of our licensees do a bit of both. Talk to us about the best option for you and your team.
Open courses: for individuals
For frontline staff who don’t work for an organisation with Storm Skills Training in place and wish to develop skills in helping someone in distress. Learn more on our Open Courses page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What skills are covered in the courses?
We want to work with you towards person-centred self-harm and suicide prevention and enhanced patient safety.
Course aim: To enhance skills and confidence in self-harm and suicide prevention using a compassionate and collaborative approach.
Course objectives for our three day advanced course are:
To demonstrate, identify and evaluate communication skills in:
- Using a compassionate and collaborative approach with a person in distress
- Establishing and building rapport with a person in distress
- Assessment of suicide and self-harm using a psychosocial perspective
- Engaging and supporting the distressed person’s support network
- Collaborative formulation including an exploration of strengths and vulnerabilities
- Working collaboratively to create a safety plan
- Compassionately and collaboratively reviewing the assessment, formulation, and safety plan when there are challenges to recovery
- Ensuring the support network is engaged and supported when there are challenges to recovery
- Teaching a problem-solving technique
What is the Storm Skills Training learning model?
As you may guess from our name, our focus is very much on skills – the practical side of self-harm and suicide prevention. What to say and how to say it (and even a little bit of what not to say). The applied nature of our course is what team members enjoy most about our courses.
This practical approach to training is what the evidence demonstrates is effective in increasing skills confidence and knowledge, it is the foundation of the Storm Skills Training learning model.
The model includes opportunities for your team to:
- Participate in a group discussion
- Learn about research, best practice, and lived experience
- Watch and feedback on a demonstration of the skills in a video
- Participate in skills practice (some of these are filmed) – including small group self-reflection and feedback
- Whole group film playback – including self-reflection and group feedback
The training is dynamic, interactive, and challenging. All of our consultants are highly experienced in both working on the frontline and facilitating training.
Who are Storm Skills Training courses designed for?
Storm Skills Training is designed for teams and individuals working on the frontline that are in regular contact with people in distress, and/or have vulnerability to self-harm and suicide. This can be at the complex end of mental health, primary care, social care, healthcare, education settings, prisons and lots of other settings.
We understand the pressures of working at the frontline and want to ensure your team leave our course feeling more confident in their skills, with up to date knowledge and the ability to apply it in practice.
Self-harm and suicide prevention is everyone’s business. That’s why it’s important that everyone has the knowledge, skills and confidence to be able to respond compassionately and within the boundaries of their role and organisation.
Are there different course levels?
Storm Skills Training in Self-harm and Suicide Prevention has three levels – Advanced, Intermediate, and Foundation – to reflect the roles and responsibilities of different members of your team.
The levels are based on NICE guidance which refers specifically to mental health professionals, other health and social care, and all other team members.
Our advanced course is ready. This covers a person-centered approach to engagement, assessment, working with the support network, formulation, and safety planning.
If these elements are part of your practice, then this could be the right level. Other levels are in the pipeline.
We are working alongside our community to understand the needs of different groups. Currently we are working towards two additional course levels. This is changing and evolving as we learn more from you.
Intermediate: most likely focusing on the needs of health and social care teams (as per the Nice Guidance (2022) and other roles with significant safeguarding responsibilities
Foundation: everyone that works on the frontline and has contact with people in distress on a regular basis
Are Storm Skills Training courses accredited?
Courses delivered directly by us, including the Train-the-Facilitator and Direct-to-Participant courses, have full Continuing Professional Development (CPD) accreditation with The CPD Certification Service.
Who will deliver my Storm Skills Training course?
One of our passionate and highly skilled consultants will deliver the training to your team. They will help you to enhance your knowledge and skills to reduce the incidence and impact of self-harm and suicide. They all have extensive knowledge and experience in suicide prevention. They will work with you to teach you practical skills that you can use in real-life situations.
Is training in person or online?
We offer both options. All our courses are facilitated by an experienced consultant and is focused on the group learning together.
The research that supports the efficacy of Storm Skills Training has been carried out in face-to-face training. We continue to deliver face-to-face.
However, during the pandemic we were able to make the transition to online training, and this is now part of our offer.
Content, learning outcomes and duration are the same across both modalities.
Each setting has its own set of advantages and barriers, chat to our team about what is best for your context.
How many people can attend a Storm Skills Training course?
Our training model uses small groups of up to eight to maximise facilitation of learning and skills development, and to prioritise emotional safety. This means that your consultant can maintain a safe learning environment whilst attending to each individual’s level of knowledge and experience.
What should I expect from Storm Skills Training?
We are proud to be a not-for-profit social enterprise that is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion. We believe that our differences make us stronger.
In everything we do, we strive to create a safe and inclusive environment for everyone.
We have integrity, and we are a fair, honest, and ethical organisation that people are proud to be associated with. We are committed to excellence, social responsibility, and believe in treating everyone with respect, compassion, and kindness.
By working with us, you’ll be part of a community that is committed to supporting our mission and vision toward less lives lost to suicide and self-harm.
Working with our team means that you will receive attention and support throughout your experience with us. We take the time to get to know each of our customers and your specific needs to make sure that we provide training sessions that meet your unique requirements.
We’ll work closely with you to ensure that your team are completely satisfied with the training services that we provide.
Is the Storm Skills Training package kept up to date?
Our community has a diverse range of needs, so we continually improve our training approach and content to match their requirements.
We do this by keeping our training package up to date so that it reflects the latest research, guidance, best practice, and lived experience knowledge (including the latest NICE Guidance, published in September 2022).
Feedback is extremely important to us, so we regularly reach out to our customers and consultants for feedback to make sure we continue to deliver an exceptional training experience.
The research supports Storm Skills Training’s effectiveness across a range of audiences including:
Health and social care
Mental health teams
Schools and higher education
Prisons
Primary care
Both the Adult and Children and Young Adults (CYA) packages have three course levels to choose from:
Advanced (available now)
Mental health professionals – e.g. psychologists, mental health nurses, and psychiatrists
Intermediate (coming soon)
GPs, health and social care staff, safeguarding role in schools and other settings
Foundation (coming soon)
Everyone else working on the frontline who have regular contact with people in distress, for example reception teams.
What our customers say about our training:
Looking for more information?
If you are interested in learning more about our training packages, please reach out to us.
