Programs - Tampa Bay

4 min read

Our education programs are designed to reach people where they are and provide them guidance for wherever they may be in their mental health journey.

Below please find information about upcoming programs offered by the AFSP Tampa Bay Florida Chapter.

Suicide prevention isn’t just about supporting someone in a moment of intense crisis. It’s also about reaching people upstream, helping them to understand how mental health is an ongoing part of all our lives, and showing them how to proactively care for their own mental health while being there for their friends, family, neighbors and coworkers.

Virtual presentations listed below are free, however, registration is required. Please register using the url listed with each training. Don't forget to keep scrolling to learn about all upcoming opportunites.

To learn more about AFSP Tampa Bay Florida Chapter Programs, how you can get invovled, or to request a program for your organization please click here to complete complete our Chapter Programs Request Form, or reach out to Jessica Toy at [email protected].

December 2024

Thursday, December 5, 2024 - 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm EST

Finding Hope: Guidance for Supporting Those at Risk

When someone in your life attempts suicide or struggles with suicidal thoughts, it can be difficult to know how to best support them in their recovery. Whether you are a family member, close friend, co-worker, neighbor, or other caring person of someone with lived experience, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention wants to help you understand and navigate this process.

This program was designed to provide you with information, resources, and practical guidance on how to support someone in your life with lived experience of suicide.

The following topics will be addressed as part of this program:

Understanding Suicide
Providing Support during the Recovery Process
Understanding the Perspective of the Suicidal Person
Identifying an Individual’s Warning Signs
Safety Planning
Making the Environment Safe
How to check-in with your loved one
Learning about Treatment Options
Responding to a Crisis
Self-Care

Suggested Participants:

This program is intended for those who care about and are supporting another person with lived experience (i.e. someone who has made a suicide attempt, struggles with suicidal thoughts currently or in the past, or both). While the program may benefit those with lived experience of suicide themselves, the content is focusing on providing support to others. AFSP understands that attendees interested in learning to best support those they care about may also have their own lived experience.

Register here: https://fhdec.attendease.com/

Monday, December 9, 2024 - 12 pm - 1:30 pm EST

Talk Saves Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention

Talk Saves Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention is a community-based presentation that covers the general scope of suicide, the research on prevention, and what people can do to fight suicide. Participants will learn common risk factors and warning signs associated with suicide, and how to keep themselves and others safe.

Register here: https://dectsl.attendease.com/

Wednesday, December 11, 2024 - 12 pm - 1:30 pm EST

More Than Sad: Suicide Prevention Education for Parents and Caregivers

More Than Sad for Parents program teaches parents and caregivers how to recognize signs of depression and other mental health problems, initiate a conversation about mental health with their child, and get help. This program focuses on parents and guardians of teen youth.

Register here: https://mtsdec.attendease.com/

Tuesday, December 17, 2024 - 12 pm - 1:30 pm EST

L.E.T.S. Save Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention for Black and African American Communities

L.E.T.S. (listening, empathy, trust, support) Save Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention for Black and African American Communities is a presentation created by and for Black people, designed to reduce cultural stigma, foster conversations about mental health, and raise awareness of suicide prevention for individuals who identify as Black or African American. The program is grounded in research and delivered by trained presenters from the Black and African American community.

Participants will:

Learn the scope of suicide among the Black and African American population  
Understand the racial and systemic factors that impact suicide in the Black and African American   
Identify suicide risk and protective factors for Black and African American communities  
Recognize warning signs of suicide  
Gain confidence in talking to someone in suicidal distress
Learn how to connect someone with help

Register here: https://letsdecember.attendease.com/

Friday, January 10, 2025 - 12 pm - 1:30 pm EST

Florida Research Connection Program (FLCS)

Next Chapter in Suicide Prevention: Objective Diagnoses and Staging of Suicidal Mental States.

Most suicide attempt survivors reported not having plans or intentions to die on the day they attempted suicide. Therefore, it is essential to develop a better understanding of the mental processes preceding their attempt to aid in the development of interventions for earlier interventions preventing suicide attempts. Several conceptual and empirical frameworks have been developed to provide targeted treatments for specific emotional states preceding suicidal behavior.. The Narrative Crisis Model of Suicide (NCM). conceptualizes individuals’ progression to suicidal behavior through the incorporation of four distinct and successive stages with proposed stage-specific treatments. Moving progressively from acute to chronic risk, such treatments would first target the acute Suicide Crisis Syndrome (Stage 4), the subacute suicidal narrative (Stage 3), deficits in stress management (Stage 2), and finally long-term risk factors/trait vulnerabilities (Stage 1). This talk will focus on potential targeted treatment options for specific mental experiences in each phase and describe the efficacy and clinicians’ emotional responses when working with suicidal individuals as the acuity of their suicidal mental state changes. Clinician training for such work using advanced AI methods will also be discussed.

Register here: https://rcpfl.attendease.com/