(Updated 7/13/23) This is a resource guide for suicide prevention and recovery. There are links to educational sites, assessment/screening tools, trainings courses, recommended books, online support communities, mobile apps, and more.
Suicide Prevention & Recovery: 100+ Resources for Mental Health Professionals & Consumers
Education & Advocacy Sites
- #BeThe1To
- American Association of Suicidology
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention
- Centre for Suicide Prevention
- Centre for Suicide Research
- Know the Signs: Suicide Is Preventable
- Means Matter
- National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention
- National Council for Suicide Prevention
- National Organization for People of Color Against Suicide
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- Now Matters Now
- Speaking of Suicide
- Standby: Support After Suicide
- Stop a Suicide Today
- Suicide.org
- Suicide Awareness Voices of Education
- Suicide or Survive
- Suicide Prevention Australia
- Suicide Prevention Resource Center
- Suicide Stop International Help Center
At-Risk Youth
- The Jason Foundation
- The Jed Foundation
- The Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide
- Sources of Strength
- The Trevor Project 🏳️🌈
- Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program
Assessment & Screening for Suicide Prevention
- Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation
- Brief Suicide Safety Assessment Guide | From NIMH
- Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale | A PDF version of the CSSR-S (risk assessment version)
- Imminent Suicide Risk and Treatment Actions Note | PDF download
- Lifetime – Suicide Attempt Self-Injury Count (L-SASI) Instructions Scoring | (Source: University of Washington Center for Behavioral Technology) The L-SASI is an interview to obtain a detailed lifetime history of non-suicidal self-injury and suicidal behavior. Citations: Linehan, M. M. &, Comtois, K. (1996). Lifetime Parasuicide History. University of Washington, Seattle, WA, Unpublished work
- Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Assessment Tool Brief Version | Full Version | Assessment tool created by Cornell Research Program on Self-Injury and Recovery
- Reasons for Living Scale Scoring Instructions | RFL Scale (long form – 72 items) | RFL Scale (short form – 48 items) | RFL Scale (Portuguese) | RFL Scale (Romanian) | RFL Scale (Simplified Chinese) | RFL Scale (Traditional Chinese) | RFL Scale (Thai) | (Source: University of Washington Center for Behavioral Technology) The RFL is a self-report questionnaire that measures clients’ expectancies about the consequences of living versus killing oneself and assesses the importance of various reasons for living. The measure has six subscales: Survival and Coping Beliefs, Responsibility to Family, Child-Related Concerns, Fear of Suicide, Fear of Social Disapproval, and Moral Objections. Citations: Linehan M. M., Goodstein J. L., Nielsen S. L., & Chiles J. A. (1983). Reasons for Staying Alive When You Are Thinking of Killing Yourself: The Reasons for Living Inventory. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51, 276-286
- SAFE-T Pocket Card: Suicide Assessment Five-Step Evaluation and Triage for Clinicians | Free download from SAMHSA
- Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire | SBQ with Variable Labels | SBQ Scoring Syntax | (Source: University of Washington Center for Behavioral Technology) The SBQ is a self-report questionnaire designed to assess suicidal ideation, suicide expectancies, suicide threats and communications, and suicidal behavior. Citations: Addis, M. & Linehan, M. M. (1989). Predicting suicidal behavior: Psychometric properties of the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement Behavior Therapy, Washington, DC
- Suicide Attempt Self-Injury Interview (SASII) SASII Instructions For Published SASII | SASII Standard Short Form with Supplemental Questions | SASII Short Form with Variable Labels | SASII Scoring Syntax | Detailed Explanation of SPSS Scoring Syntax | (Source: University of Washington Center for Behavioral Technology) The SASII (formerly the PHI) is an interview to collect details of the topography, intent, medical severity, social context, precipitating and concurrent events, and outcomes of non-suicidal self-injury and suicidal behavior during a target time period. Major SASII outcome variables are the frequency of self-injurious and suicidal behaviors, the medical risk of such behaviors, suicide intent, a risk/rescue score, instrumental intent, and impulsiveness. Citations: Linehan, M. M., Comtois, K. A., Brown, M. Z., Heard, H. L., Wagner, A. (2006). Suicide Attempt Self-Injury Interview (SASII): Development, Reliability, and Validity of a Scale to Assess Suicide Attempts and Intentional Self-Injury. Psychological Assessment, 18(3), 303-312
- Suicide Risk Screening Tool | Free printable assessment
- University of WA Suicide Risk/Distress Assessment Protocol | (Source: University of Washington Center for Behavioral Technology) Reynolds, S. K., Lindenboim, N., Comtois, K. A., Murray, A., & Linehan, M. M. (2006). Risky Assessments: Participant Suicidality and Distress Associated with Research Assessments in a Treatment Study of Suicidal Behavior. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior (36)1, 19-33. Linehan, M. M., Comtois, K. A., &, Ward-Ciesielski, E. F. (2012). Assessing and managing risk with suicidal individuals. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 19(2), 218-232
Low-Cost & Free Trainings
- Applied Suicide Prevention Skills Training (ASIST)
- CALM (Counseling on Access to Lethal Means) | Free online course (includes PDF handouts)
- CAMS Foundational Online Training – CAMS Assessment™ & CAMS Treatment™
- The Columbia Lighthouse Project | Offers free training on the Columbia Protocol (Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale, CSSR-S), a tool for assessing suicide risk
- Making It Matter with Micro-Interventions | A free 2-hour course
- Online Training | Several self-paced courses from Maryland Behavioral Health
- Professional Development Series from The Jason Foundation | For professionals who work with at-risk youth
- QPR Institute | Suicide prevention training
- Suicide in Military Members & Veterans | Self-paced course 💜
- Suicide Prevention Resource Center: Online Courses
Toolkits & Guides
- #chatsafe: A Young Person’s Guide for Communicating Safely Online About Suicide | A 34-page printable guide
- After a Suicide: A Practical and Personal Guide for Survivors | A 40-page printable guide
- Ask Suicide-Screening Questions Toolkit | From NIMH
- Assessing and Treating Suicidal Behaviors: A Quick Reference Guide | A 24-page printable guide from the American Psychiatric Association
- Children and Suicide Toolkit
- Coming Out: A Handbook for LGBTQ Young People | A 21-page PDF guide from The Trevor Project 🏳️🌈
- Coping with Suicidal Thoughts | A 7-page PDF
- Finding Your Way Back | Guiding Their Way Back | PDF booklets for download
- Healthline Suicide Prevention Resource Guide
- How to Talk to a Child About a Suicide Attempt in Your Family | A guide from Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Suicide Prevention
- A Journey Toward Health & Hope: Your Handbook for Recovery After a Suicide Attempt | SAMHSA publication
- Manual for Support Groups for Suicide Attempt Survivors | A 144-page PDF manual
- Preventing Suicide in Men
- Safety Plans to Prevent Suicide Toolkit
- SAVE Downloadable PDFs | Free printable resources
- Screening/Assessing Students: Indicators and Tools (2015) | A 74-page PDF resource
- SOS: A Handbook for Survivors of Suicide | A 36-page printable guide
- Suicidal Ideation Risk Assessment | A 12-page PDF guide
- Suicide Prevention Primer Toolkit
- Support for Suicidal Individuals on Social and Digital Media | A 22-page PDF guide
- Teen Suicide Prevention: We Can Help Us | SAMHSA publication
- TIP 50: Addressing Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Substance Abuse Treatment | SAMHSA publication
- Transgender People and Suicide Toolkit 🏳️🌈
- Women and Suicide
- Working with the Client Who Is Suicidal: A Tool for Adult Mental Health and Addiction Services (Sources: Simon Fraser University & BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services, 120 pages)
- The Workplace and Suicide Prevention Toolkit
Recommended Books
Disclaimer: This section contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Dying to Be Free: A Healing Guide for Families After a Suicide by Beverly Cobain & Jean Larch
I Wasn’t Ready to Say Goodbye: Surviving, Coping and Healing After the Sudden Death of a Loved One by Brook Noel & Pamela D. Blair, Ph.D.
No Time For Goodbyes: Coping with Sorrow, Anger, and Injustice After a Tragic Death, 7th Edition by Janice Harris Lord
Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold S. Kushner
Suicide Survivors
- After a Suicide: A Practical and Personal Guide for Survivors | A 40-page printable guide
- Alliance of Hope
- Finding Your Way Back | Guiding Their Way Back | PDF booklets for download
- Friends for Survival
- The Gift of Second
- How to Talk to a Child About a Suicide Attempt in Your Family | A guide from Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Suicide Prevention
- A Journey Toward Health & Hope: Your Handbook for Recovery After a Suicide Attempt | SAMHSA publication
- Live Through This | Stories from suicide survivors
- Manual for Support Groups for Suicide Attempt Survivors | A 144-page PDF manual
- Our Side of Suicide
- Reasons to Go on Living
- SOS: A Handbook for Survivors of Suicide | A 36-page printable guide
- Suicide: Finding Hope
- Survivors of Bereavement Through Suicide
- Survivors of Suicide Loss
Crisis & Chat Lines for Suicide Prevention
- Befrienders Worldwide | Find a helpline by country
- Boys Town National Hotline | 1-800-448-3000 or text 20121 ☎
- Crisis Services Canada: Suicide Prevention & Support | 1-833-456-4566 or text 45645 ☎
- Crisis Text Line | 741741 (Find local chapters here)
- TheHopeLine | Chat with a HopeCoach (not available 24/7)
- International Suicide Prevention Wiki | Worldwide directory of suicide prevention hotlines
- LGBT National Online Peer-Support CHAT 🏳️🌈
- Nacional de Prevención del Suicidio | 1-888-628-9454 ☎
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline | 1-800-273-8255 ☎
- Remedy Live Chat | Chat with a “soulmedic”
- Trans Lifeline | 1-877-565-8860 ☎ 🏳️🌈
- Trevor Lifeline | 1-866-488-7386 ☎ 🏳️🌈
- Veterans Crisis Line | 1-800-273-8255 (Press 1) or text 838255 ☎ 💜
Online Support
- Alliance of Hope Community Forum
- Chronic Suicide Support Online Forum
- Connections Peer Support
- Healing Conversations
- IMAlive | Online crisis support
- Lifeline Crisis Chat Community
- Parents of Suicides/Friends and Family of Suicides Chat Room
- Suicide Anonymous
- Suicide Forum: Breaking the Silence
- Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide Forum | Peer support
- TrevorSpace | Online community for LGBTQ youth ages 13-24 🏳️🌈
Mobile Apps
- Be Safe
- BeyondNow Suicide Safety Plan
- TheHopeLine
- MY3 | Free safety planning app
- Samaritans Self-Help
- Suicide Safe by SAMHSA
- The Virtual Hope Box
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