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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.

About Talk Saves Lives™

Talk Saves Lives™ is available in English and Spanish. Contact your local chapter or view below for information about events in your area.

Talk Saves Lives is AFSP’s standardized, 45-60 minute education program that provides participants with a clear understanding of this leading cause of death, including the most up-to-date research on suicide prevention, and what they can do in their communities to save lives.

Participants will learn common risk factors and warning signs associated with suicide, and how to keep themselves and others safe. The standard Talk Saves Lives presentation is also available in Spanish.

Topics covered include:

  • Scope of the Problem: The latest data on suicide in the U.S. and worldwide
  • Research: Information from research on what causes people to consider suicide, as well as health, historical, and environmental factors that put individuals at risk
  • Prevention: An understanding of the protective factors that lower suicide risk, and strategies for managing mental health and being proactive about self-care
  • What You Can Do: Guidance on warning signs and behaviors to look for, and how to get help for someone in a suicidal crisis

For additional information about some of the topics covered in Talk Saves Lives, please visit Risk factors, protective factors, and warning signs and What to do when someone is at risk.

In addition to the standard presentation, three specialized Talk Saves Lives modules are available that provide similar information, while focusing on specific at-risk communities:

Talk Saves Lives — Latinx & Hispanic Communities

Talk Saves Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention for the Latinx and Hispanic Communities (available in English and Spanish) is a community education presentation that addresses mental health, suicide, and its impact in the Latinx and Hispanic communities in the United States. This module of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Talk Saves Lives program focuses on:

  • Protective factors, risk factors and warning signs specific to Latinx and Hispanic communities
  • Racial and systemic factors that contribute to barriers in seeking help and suicide risk in Latinx and Hispanic communities
  • How participants can take care of their communities and speak with family and friends about suicide and mental health
  • Steps to take to seek culture-specific mental health resources in Spanish and English

Participants will receive helpful education in mental health and suicide prevention through activity-based learning, and take-home materials to use if needed in the future. The goal of this new program is to create conversations in Latinx and Hispanic communities around mental health and encourage help-seeking to prevent suicide and suicide attempts.

Talk Saves Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention for the Latinx and Hispanic Communities was created in collaboration with the National Latino Behavioral Health Association (NLBHA) and experts at AFSP. This partnership is the first of its kind at AFSP and in its effort to provide education on culture-specific factors of suicide and expand suicide prevention programming to diverse communities.

Contact your local chapter to learn more.

Talk Saves Lives — Seniors

The Seniors module provides information on risk factors and warning signs in elderly populations and how their loved ones can best connect those who are struggling with help. This presentation is also available in Spanish.

Talk Saves Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention in the LGBTQ Community

AFSP’s Talk Saves Lives has long been one of the country’s leading suicide prevention education programs, covering the general scope of suicide, the research on prevention, and what people can do to fight this leading cause of death. The newly updated module of this essential program, Talk Saves Lives™: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention in the LGBTQ Community gives participants essential and lifesaving understanding of topics including:

  • Suicide risk and its unique considerations in LGBTQ communities
  • Recognizing suicide risk factors and warning signs for LGBTQ people
  • Protective factors that can help lower the suicide rate
  • The latest research related to LGBTQ suicide prevention
  • How to seek and offer support for yourself or others
  • Crisis resources and services for the LGBTQ community 
  • What communities can do to support LGBTQ people

We all have a role to play in preventing suicide, and those in the LGBTQ community may face additional challenges and barriers to help because of discriminatory factors. This new program informs more people of the best ways to provide caring and support to those who need it.

Talk Saves Lives — Suicide Prevention Education for Workplace Settings

Talk Saves Lives: Suicide Prevention Education for Workplace Settings is a 60-minute education presentation designed to be delivered in workplace settings, to organizational leadership, managers/supervisors, and employees. This presentation provides participants with the scope of the problem of suicide, key research findings, including risk factors and warning signs for suicide, along with recommendations for the role we can all play in suicide prevention.

Topics covered include:

  • Scope of the Problem: The latest data on suicide in the U.S. and worldwide
  • Research: Information from the latest suicide prevention research
  • Risk Factors and Warning Signs: Information on health, historical, and environmental factors that put individuals at risk for suicide along with suicide warning signs
  • Prevention: An understanding of the protective factors that lower suicide risk, and strategies for managing mental health and being proactive about self-care
  • What You Can Do: Guidance on how to get help for yourself or someone else in a suicidal crisis

Talk Saves LivesTM: Firearms and Suicide Prevention

Talk Saves Lives: Firearms and Suicide Prevention is a standardized suicide prevention presentation developed for the firearms community. These presentations may be delivered at an event held at a firearms club, retailer or association, or to firearms safety course instructors.

Talk Saves Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention in the Correctional Environment

Incarcerated individuals are particularly vulnerable to suicide, for a variety of complex reasons. Talk Saves Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention in the Correctional Environment provides corrections staff with information about what can be done to create a safer environment for people in custody, as well as providing a better understanding of resources available to help them take care of their own mental health.

This presentation covers suicide prevention information that is applicable to corrections staff working with people who are incarcerated, as well as their role as co-workers in an industry that has high rates of suicide compared to U.S averages. Following the presentation, participants will be be able to:

  • Describe the scope of the problem of suicide in general and in the correctional environment
  • Explain key research findings
  • Recognize suicide risk factors and warning signs
  • Demonstrate how to seek and offer support for themselves and others
  • Explain how to access crisis services for themselves and others

Upcoming Talk Saves Lives events

Find Talk Saves Lives events by visiting our Program Calendar.