The 10th annual National Suicide Prevention Alliance (NSPA) Conference is sponsored by LivingWorks and will be hosted at the Kia Oval in London, UK. The conference – which takes place on January 31st – offers a chance for those working in suicide prevention a chance to network, connect, and hear from others to help grow together and further a collective goal of making everyone safer from suicide.
LivingWorks Suicide Prevention Manager, UK, Joann Hitchen and LivingWorks Training and Delivery Manager, UK, Indra Herbert will both be attending the conference on behalf of LivingWorks.
“It’s an opportunity for all the different organizations, charities and anyone who does such amazing work around suicide prevention a chance to come together. To share, to learn, and network,” says Herbert. “I know there will be a lot of LivingWorks trainers attending, so it will be a great opportunity to engage with some of them that I haven’t met yet as well.”
“We’re learning from each other all the time. That connection as professionals and people with lived experience is really powerful,” says Hitchen.
Herbert says the conference provides a perfect opportunity to let people know that LivingWorks is committed to the mission of keeping all communities across the world safer from suicide.
“LivingWorks has been around for 40 years and does amazing work across the globe, and this opportunity will help people in the UK get to know us even better,” says Herbert.
Hitchen says the conference will amplify the evidence and impact LivingWorks has on the global suicide prevention community.
“We are global leaders; we deliver suicide prevention training all over the world and it is gold standard. Yes, it’s a UK-based conference, but there will be people from around the world that we can share our story and expertise with,” says Hitchen.
Engaging with different communities, organizations, and workplaces is always a priority for LivingWorks, and Hitchen aims to connect with others and find out how LivingWorks can best support everyone.
“I really want to put a spotlight on LivingWorks and how easy it is for the UK community to get in contact with us,” says Hitchen. “I want people to be aware that we are a training provider and they can come to us directly if they’ve got that training need.”
While both Hitchen and Herbert recognize the overall conversation around mental health and suicide prevention has greatly improved, they both believe there is still progress to be made before those conversations get to where they need to be.
“I think there’s still another big leap that needs to happen regarding conversations around suicide,” says Herbert. “I think there have been big strides forward in people’s awareness and I think conversations at this conference will recognize those changes that have taken place.”
“Many people may think that if they’ve done some sort of mental health training, they’re covered. It’s a great starting point, but suicide prevention training specifically is needed.”
– Joann Hitchen
“LivingWorks is the world leader in suicide prevention training, there’s 40 years of evidence base and practice wisdom behind what we do. We’re a full-service organization; we provide the training, offer tailored wraparound support and overall help create suicide safer communities and workplaces.”
To learn more about LivingWorks and our program offerings in the UK, head to our training page.
