Free suicide prevention training on offer across North and East Yorkshire for community businesses

The Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership is offering free suicide prevention training to professionals such as hairdressers to help reduce the stigma around mental health issues.

The Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership has announced a range of free suicide prevention training for professionals such as hairdressers and tattoo artists.

Launching in November 2023, this training program equips participants with the knowledge to recognize signs of suicidal thoughts, engage in empathetic conversations, and connect individuals to local support services.

It creates a supportive environment for skill development, benefiting both participants and the broader community.

Delivered by local mental health charity Hull and East Yorkshire Mind, this program is tailor-made for professionals in various fields such as:

· Tattoo artists

· Hairdressers

· Fitness instructors

· Beauty therapists

· Nail technicians

Ryan Nicholls, Suicide Prevention Lead at Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership said: “The training has been commissioned to improve our communities’ awareness of suicide prevention. Our aim is to reduce the stigma attached to suicide and get people talking more, whilst making suicide prevention everybody’s responsibility.

“It will be great to have community businesses such as Hairdressers, Pubs and Leisure centres engage in the training and we are looking forward to the positive impact it will have.”

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Sam Bell, Director of Operations at Hull and East Yorkshire Mind said: “This free suicide prevention training program is about encouraging everyone to be there for each other. Throughout the training, we will teach you how to spot when someone needs help and how to offer that help. This is our commitment to making mental health something we can all talk about and support. We're here to create a brighter and more caring future for everyone."

The sessions will blend delivered content, impactful videos featuring lived experiences, and practical scenario discussions tailored to various working environments.

Offering in-person and online options, the training sessions are thoughtfully scheduled to accommodate diverse work schedules, including evening sessions.

Those who complete the free training will receive a certificate, informative literature, business cards with local and national support contacts, a poster, and a window sticker to display at their premises.

Follow-up support sessions will also be offered in February and March 2024.

Visit www.heymind.org.uk/SPTraining to find out more.