Supporting people in suicidal crisis is an important element of suicide prevention. In this conference, we will discuss the interventions that are effective in helping people who are suicidal and hear from the services who support people to find a life worth living, bringing together a range of speakers from across frontline services in the statutory and community sector.
The conference will also include keynote presentations from Professor Rory O’Connor, renowned suicide prevention expert and author of the book “When It Is Darkest: Why People Die by Suicide and What We Can Do to Prevent It” as well as Northern Ireland’s Mental Health Champion, Professor Siobhan O’Neill, who is involved in the review of NI’s Suicide Prevention Strategy and the implementation of NI’s Regional Crisis Intervention Service.
Crisis Services and Suicide Prevention in Northern Ireland Conference will take place on Tuesday 23rd January 2024, 9:30 for 10:00 - 14:00 at Guildhall Derry.
If you would like to attend, please email your interest to MHC.events@nigov.net
Registration is free but spaces are limited and subject to availability, please register early to avoid disappointment. Confirmation of your attendance will be sent via email only.
Running order
09:30 - 10:00 Registration
10:00 - 10:30 Opening Remarks and Why are Crisis Services Integral to Suicide Prevention?
Professor Siobhan O'Neill, Mental Health Champion
10:30 - 11:15 Crisis Services in the Community Panel
Renee Quinn, Executive Director, Pips Suicide Prevention Charity Ireland
Tiernan Thornton, Community Crisis Intervention Service Manager, Extern
Christina McKeegan, Project Coordinator, Foyle Search and Rescue
Peter Lockhart, Services Lead, Lighthouse
11:15 - 11:45 Break
11:45 - 12:25 Responding to People in Suicidal Crisis
Professor Rory O'Connor, Professor of Health Psychology, University of Glasgow and President of the International Association for Suicide Prevention
In this presentation, Professor O’Connor will describe Scotland’s Distress Brief Intervention, the volitional helpsheet and safety planning. Since 2017, more than 52,000 people have benefited from the Distress Brief Intervention. This presentation will provide an overview of the evidence for safety planning and the volitional helpsheet. As well as contextualise these brief psychosocial interventions in terms of the integrated motivational-volitional model of suicidal behaviour and highlight the importance of targeting entrapment when working with people who are suicidal.
12:25 - 13:10 Statutory Crisis Services Panel
Stephen Browne, Mental Health Lead, Derry GP Federation
Dr Lisa Brady, Consultant Psychiatrist, Learning Disability Services and Divisional Clinical Director, Adult Mental Health, Western Health and Social Care Trust
Ann Marie McStocker, Health and Wellbeing Lead, NI Ambulance Service Trust
Niamh Brownlee, Author of 'Struggling to Breathe' and former service user
13:10 -13:15 Closing Remarks
13:15 - 14:00 Lunch and Networking