JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families is launching a new training video intended to help individuals support someone they know who may be struggling with a suicidal crisis and has a safety plan. A safety plan is a brief intervention to help those experiencing self-harm and suicidal thoughts. It has coping strategies and resources an individual can use to decrease their risk of suicidal behavior and consists of six steps: warning signs, internal coping strategies, people and social settings that provide distraction, people to ask for help during crisis, professionals or agencies to contact during a crisis, and ways to make the environment safer.
The video is accessible to anyone who wants to view it on the MO.gov YouTube channel https://youtu.be/RFtKlzwhkgY. It is intended to complement existing suicide prevention training. Organizations providing suicide prevention training are encouraged to use this video to help individuals better prepare for how to support someone that has a safety plan.
The Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families Missouri began participating in this program in early 2021. Governor Mike Parson’s Team consists of members from the Governor’s Office, Department of Mental Health, Department of Social Services, Missouri Veterans Commission, Office of State Courts Administrators, Missouri National Guard, Department of Corrections, Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development, American Legion-Missouri, Compass Health Network, Missouri AgrAbility, Missouri Behavioral Health Council, Missouri Institute of Mental Health-Safer Homes Collaborative, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
For more information contact Jon Sabala in DMH Veterans Services at DMH.Veteran@dmh.mo.gov.