Training Opportunities

Training is a key component of the ND HOPES Initiative. Whether it’s training we provide directly or whether it’s connecting you to our partners’ training programs, we are committed to building knowledge and skills among professionals and community members to help prevent suicide in Western North Dakota.

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Below is a list of evidence-based trainings that we and/or our partners provide:

• Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR): A 60–90-minute training that teaches community members and non-clinical professionals to identify the warning signs of suicide, empathically listen to those at risk, provide encouragement for seeking help, and connect individuals at risk to care.

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• Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST): A two-day workshop that teaches clinical and non-clinical trainees to recognize warning signs of suicide, provide a skilled intervention, develop an individualized safety plan, and connect individuals at risk to further support.

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• Suicide Risk Screening and Assessment Training: A 30-minute training that teaches clinical professionals to assess suicide risk using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) and the Suicide Assessment Five-Step Evaluation and Triage for Clinicians (SAFE-T).

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• Safety Planning Intervention (SPI) Training: A 60-minute training that teaches clinical professionals to introduce and develop a 7-step Stanley Brown safety plan with clients at risk for suicide. The training also demonstrates how an individual would implement their safety plan during a crisis and briefly presents a fidelity tool that can be used to assess the quality and completeness of safety plans.

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• SPI + Structured Follow Up (SFU) Training: A 75-minute training that teaches clinical professionals the steps of structured phone follow up – including mood checks, safety plan revision, and addressing barriers to treatment – in addition to the Safety Planning Intervention Training described above.

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• Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment-Suicide Care (SBIRT-SC) Training: A 3.5-hour training that integrates the elements of suicide care – screening, assessment, safety planning, and structured follow up – into the evidence-based SBIRT model for substance use prevention and early intervention. Because substance use and mental health conditions often co-occur, developing the clinical skills to jointly address substance use and suicide will help you deliver care that is both efficient and effective. This training is customized to meet your needs; additional interactivity and role play will increase the length incrementally from 3.5 hours to up to 1.5 days.

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• Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) Training: A 2-3-hour training that teaches clinical professionals how to work with clients and their families to reduce access to the methods people use to die by suicide.

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• Sources of Strength: A school suicide prevention program that leverages peer social networks to create a healthy school environment that promotes help-seeking, resiliency, and belonging. Sources of Strength requires training for peer leaders and adult advisors; peer leader training is 4-6 hours, and adult advisor training is 3-6 hours.