Although the statistics around suicide are alarming, there is so much we can do. A Single Soul is an initiative of Jewish Family Service that works to create a community safer from suicide. We aim to do this by training both laypeople and professionals and partnering with organizations to provide consultation and support.

A Single Soul is the vision of Rabbi Daniel Syme, who has brought a lifetime of unending passion to raising awareness of this prevalent issue.

There are several ways we can work together:

Suicide Prevention Empower Hour
With just an hour of your time, you can become more suicide-aware and feel empowered to help create a suicide safer community. These trainings can range from a general overview of suicide prevention to specific topics like assessment or safety planning.

Youth Mental Health First Aid

Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches adults how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge, or who is in crisis. This training is designed for those who regularly interact with youth and teaches skills to help in both crisis and non-crisis situations.

safeTALK Training
This half-day alertness training prepares anyone over the age of 15 to become a suicide-alert helper. Most people with thoughts of suicide don’t truly want to die but are struggling. Through their words and actions, they invite help to stay alive. safeTALK-trained helpers can recognize these invitations and take action by connecting them with life-saving intervention resources, such as caregivers trained in ASIST.

Participants will learn to:

• Notice and respond to situations where suicide thoughts might be present
• Recognize that invitations for help are often overlooked
• Move beyond the common tendency to miss, dismiss and avoid suicide
• Apply the TALK steps: Tell, Ask, Listen, and KeepSafe
• Know community resources and how to connect someone with thoughts of suicide to further help

ASIST Training
This two-day interactive workshop teaches participants to recognize when someone may be at risk of suicide and how to work with them to keep them safe. This training is open to anyone 16 or older.

Participants will learn to:

• Understand how personal and societal attitudes affect views on suicide and interventions
• Provide guidance to a person at risk in ways that meet their safety needs
• Identify key elements of an effective safety plan as well as how to implement it

AMSR
Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk (AMSR) is a research-informed risk formulation model that helps mental health professionals feel confident navigating challenging conversations and offers key strategies for providing compassionate care to people at risk for suicide.

Suicide prevention trainings are offered at various times throughout the year

See what’s coming up soon.

Our team works with organizations to help build infrastructure to support suicide awareness according to best practices. This ensures that organizations have both a plan and the skills to respond effectively to suicide risk. Whether you already have such an infrastructure in place or are just starting, we can help you get to the next step.