To develop a comprehensive understanding of suicide prevention it is helpful to be knowledgeable of the causes and issues tied to suicide, how to be more effective when responding to someone in crisis, how to identify and assess those at-risk as well as the statistics and trends, resources and services that are available (and how to access them) and other important information and research on the topic.

Using Samaritans Hotline as a Referral

The Samaritans of New York operates a 24-hour suicide prevention hotline (212-673-3000) that provides immediately accessible, ongoing emotional support to those who are in distress, depressed, in crisis and suicidal. The service is completely confidential and is offered by caring, professionally-trained Samaritans volunteers. The hotline is often used to supplement and bridge other counseling and mental health services and can be used as part of safety planning for individuals dealing with every kind of problem, situation or illness.

To learn more about using the hotline as a referral to help the individuals you serve, click here.

To download a Samaritans Hotline Referral Flier, click here.

Using Survivor Support Groups as a Referral

Samaritans support group meetings for those who have lost a loved one to suicide provide those in attendance with a safe and supportive environment to assist them in their grieving and healing process. Participants must be at least 18 years of age and only those who have personally and directly experienced the loss are allowed to attend. Due to the nature of the groups, those who have suffered a recent loss should be encouraged to access some form of professional help before attending a Safe Place meeting.

To learn more about referring individuals to our Samaritans Safe Place Program, click here.

To download a Suicide Survivor Support Group Flier, click here.

Suicide Awareness & Prevention for Caregivers & Health Providers Booklet

Samaritans ‘I CAN HELP!’ Suicide Awareness & Prevention for Caregivers & Health Providers Booklet provides the basic information, tools and approach utilized by the Samaritans in helping people who are depressed, in crisis or suicidal in our over 400 centers in 42 countries around the world.

The ‘I CAN HELP!’ Booklet has been utilized by Samaritans NYC public education staff in training over 35,000 parents, teachers, social workers, guidance counselors, psychologists, police officers, firefighters, nurses, emergency service staff and other lay and professional caregivers since 1988.

To download the entire Samaritans ‘I CAN HELP!’ Suicide Awareness and Prevention for Caregivers & Health Providers Booklet, click here.

Inside the booklet you will find:

Befriending a Person in Crisis   A basic overview of the approach to take and process to follow when responding to a person who is depressed, in crisis or suicidal based on Samaritans practices, click here.

An Introduction to Effective Active Listening
   An overview and refresher of the key behaviors, tools and approach to follow when practicing active listening, the goal being to keep the focus on the person in crisis and not on the one providing help, click here.

A Befriender’s Checklist for Providing Care
   A series of questions and issues that family members, friends, caregivers and service providers may find helpful in reviewing and evaluating before attempting to respond someone in crisis, click here.

Crisis Response Model and Determining Risk Procedure

A step-by-step communications-based rapport-building model that can be utilized when responding to almost anyone in crisis that includes a suicide assessment and a procedure to assist caregivers and providers in determining an individual’s degree of risk and level of suicide ideation.

To download a copy, click here.

A Guide to Designing a Site Suicide Prevention Plan

A series of basic guidelines and frameworks for creating resource lists that are intended as suggestions for those groups and organizations in the process of developing site suicide prevention and response plans.

To download a copy, click here.

Checklist for Preparing Your Workplace to Respond to a Crisis

The better prepared businesses and workplaces are to respond to crises, emotional problems and potential suicidal situations amongst every member of their staff—from front-line workers to upper management—as well as clients, customers and the general public, the more stable, productive and, most importantly, safe they will be. Samaritans provides a basic checklist for creating a safe and prepared work environment.

To view this checklist for businesses and corporations, click here.

NYC Guide to Suicide Prevention, Services and Resources

Recognizing the many challenges involved in caring for and responding to people in distress, Samaritans has created NYC’s first comprehensive guide to helping people in crisis which provides details and linkages to key information tied to identifying and assessing suicide risk, responding to suicide survivors, utilizing accessible resources, free training, major research organizations, subject matter experts, etc.

To download your copy of the NYC Guide to Suicide Prevention, Services and Resources, click here.

A Sampling of Statistics and Trends

Though statistics about suicide only give us a partial understanding of the complexity of this significant public health issue, they do provide us with background and an important perspective. Statistics help us to see the breadth and depth of the problem; how it compares to other illnesses and causes of death; those individuals, groups and populations that are highest risk for suicide; age, sexual, social, and cultural variations and differences; etc.

To learn more about statistics and trends of suicide, click here.