The Academy at Harmless

Welcome to the Harmless and Let’s Talk Training Membership Hub. Within this area, you will find training in the areas of self-harm and suicide bereavement. This service has been funded by Leicestershire City Council and it is available to staff and volunteers from a broad range of sectors and organisations that sign up to be Mental Health Friendly Places.

If the above applies to you or your organisation then please email Amy Pownall at  Amy.Pownall@leics.gov.uk l to get access to these courses. 

Some of the learning outcomes covered in these courses are belowe. Please do make sure you access the content to review the complet list of learning outcomes. 

 For self-harm:

• Recognise the contextual issues surrounding self-harm
• Consider how you can best support the wider impact self-harm has on friends, family, support networks, and professionals involved in an      individual’s care
• Reaffirm how to safely & confidently elicit disclosures
• Establish evidence-based brief interventions to support someone who self-harms effectively
• Develop effective skills in order to signpost appropriately

 For suicide bereavement:

• Understand the magnitude of suicide bereavement
• Recognise suicide loss as a unique form of complex bereavement
• Explore ‘Complicated grief’, trauma, and other individual responses to suicide
•  Understand bereavement by suicide as a unique risk factor for suicide
• ·Build skill and confidence in responding to those bereaved by suicide

Suicide Bereavement

This course is designed to enable participants to effectively explore and understand the following:

• The magnitude of suicide bereavement
• Suicide loss as a unique form of complex bereavement
• 'Complicated grief', trauma, and other individual responses to suicide
• The wider impact of bereavement on those exposed to or affected by suicide
• The stigma and shame associated with suicide and bereavement
• Bereavement by suicide as a unique risk factor for suicide
• Discuss signposting individuals to appropriate, professional help - a local service perspective from The Tomorrow Project

Our Level 3 Self Harm online training course provides a more in-depth understanding of self harm and builds on the brief intervention work in the level 2 course, considering evidence-based long-term support. Participants will not only develop a range of skills to assess and support those who self harm, they will also, practice the application of these skills and reflect on their own practice.  

Our Level 2 Self Harm online training course builds a foundational understanding of self harm and encourages the participants to explore key issues and stereotypes faced by those who self harm and those who offer support. Participants will develop a range of evidence-based brief intervention strategies and signposting skills to effectively support someone who self harms. As well as reflecting on their own practice when responding to disclosures.

Conference Theme for 2023: Keeping Access and Commitment High When Resources are Low

2022 has brought new developments in the field of self harm and suicide prevention, not least with the release of the new NICE guidelines for self harm. If you want to learn what this means for you, your organisation and your work, join us. On Wednesday 1st March 2023, The national centre of excellence for Self Harm and Suicide Prevention will be leading Self Harm Awareness Day on the theme of suicide prevention starts here. In line with this day of significance, Harmless will also host our eighth national conference with a range of expert speakers on a variety of topics pertinent to the field of self harm and suicide prevention.

As in previous years, the conference will be shaped around the following five strategic areas:

• Collaborative partnership
• Service user representation
• Effective practice
• Driving change
• Overcoming stigma and discrimination

Our conference gathers together leading academics and experts in the fields of self harm and suicide.

We are charging a fixed fee of just £100.00 for Face-to-Face admission, to access quality, specialist, evidence-based, CPD-accredited content. We expect this event to be in high demand therefore we will also LIVE STREAM for a small fixed fee of £55.00. These fees will cover our administration costs, and help us to sustain our life-saving support sessions to those impacted by self harm and suicide across the UK.

As ever, delegates can expect to take away from the conference a range of knowledge, inspiration and practical applications for the implementation in real life personal and professional situations. Learning from some of the leaders in the field, delegates will have access to sessions that can drive change in the field of self harm prevention.