LEARN SAVES LIVES for Veterans

Trainer: Codie Garza, MSPH, Suicide Prevention Coordinator, Veteran Services, Counseling & Wellness, WDVA

Time:1-2:30pm

**THIS TRAINING DOES NOT MEET LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS**

Course Description:

Veterans face enormous challenges as they transition from military to civilian life. Family members, friends and colleagues of veterans also face unique challenges in supporting those who served. COVID-19 presents new anxieties that may compound these factors. Forefront’s LEARN Saves Lives for Veterans training, developed in partnership with the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, offers perspective on the unique challenges Veterans and their families face, and teaches essential skills for support and suicide prevention, specifically tailored to those who have served, their loved ones, and those who work with or support them.

Detailed Agenda:

•            00:00 – 00:30: Introduction and public health issue of suicide

o           Covers risk factors and experiences specific to veterans

•            00:30 – 1:15: Suicide prevention skills using Forefront’s LEARN model

o            Includes imminent harm by lethal means (such as firearms)

•            1:15 – 1:30: Prevention approaches practice

o            Gives participants an opportunity to practice suicide prevention skills with their peers

Learning Objectives:

1.           Explain suicide's impact and understand why people die by suicide

2.           LEARN suicide prevention skills

3.           Integrate prevention approaches into your personal and professional life