We discussed whether to include people who were suicidal in the same group with the people who were depressed, but not suicidal. We did some planning and included their input for the Suicide Prevention program. We had a team from CMHA-NL including some who had helped with the Mindfulness for Depression training program that I led in 2020. CMHA-NL received funding from the Department of Health and Community Services for running mindfulness training programs for people struggling with anxiety, depression, and addictions, which were delivered through this excellent collaboration. Mindful : How did this collaboration with the Canadian Mental Health Association Newfoundland and Labrador come together?Īndrew Safer: I presented to their board in 2016, and things developed organically from there. How Mindfulness Can Support Mental Health in Suicide Prevention It may serve as an addition to any medication, therapy, or counseling you are receiving. Most importantly, and as difficult as it may be, talk to a medical professional or to someone you trust about how you’re feeling.Īndrew Safer also offers this simple mindfulness practice that can support you in shifting how you relate to thoughts. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, know that you don’t have to navigate this moment alone. Mindful talked with Andrew Safer, Founder of Safer Mindfulness Inc., about creating this program and teaching mindfulness skills to help people navigate suicidal thoughts without acting on them. You Don’t Have to Navigate This Moment Alone For example, collectively, the participants rated the intensity of their suicidal thoughts as being more than 41% lower at the end of the program than their ratings at the beginning of the program. Those steering the project development included a clinical psychologist, a social worker, a community support worker with ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training), and others. While the program didn’t include a formal research study, participants did answer evaluation questions during the first and last sessions, indicating positive results. Mindfulness instructor and trainer Andrew Safer, author of Anxiety, Stress and Mindfulness, designed and led both programs, with input and support from a diverse team. A follow-up support program for participants was also offered from late August to early October 2021. Conducted in May and June 2021, the program was offered by the Canadian Mental Health Association Newfoundland and Labrador (CMHA-NL) in partnership with Safer Mindfulness Inc. In the book Mindfulness and the Transformation of Despair: Working with People at Risk of Suicide, Mark Williams and his coauthors speak to fellow clinicians and researchers, acknowledging the crux of the condition: “Suicidal people are hardly ever certain that they want to die, but they certainly do not want to go on living in such pain…and our job is to help them find a way of living alongside the difficulties, making peace with despair, and giving them a chance to experience what it is like to come out on the other side of feeling so trapped.” Although Williams found evidence that mindfulness-based interventions may help those struggling with suicidal thoughts, to date, not many such programs exist.Ī recent exception is The Suicide Prevention Through Mindfulness Training program, an eight-week pilot program held in St. Suicide prevention is an urgent and complex issue in mental health services. MindUp is central to our strategic vision, it supports us to create a whole-school culture of gratitude, optimism, happiness and respect within which we can all grow and flourish.įor further details about the MindUp programme, including research findings, the curriculum overview and case studies, visit. The interactive teaching and learning approaches, complemented by whole-school mindful practices, help create an exciting learning environment within which children can thrive academically, socially and emotionally. This core mindful breathing exercise, which takes place three times a day, enables pupils and staff to calm their minds, focus and get ready to learn. The MindUp lessons are complemented by the ‘Brain Break’. The 15-lesson curriculum includes practices developed to help children improve their focus, manage their emotions and face challenges with resilience, kindness and compassion. The unique evidence-based framework provides knowledge and understanding of neuroscience, mindful awareness, positive psychology and mindful practices to affect positive change within the classroom and beyond. At St Mary’s School we are proud to be part of the growing network of MindUp schools who promote the mental health and emotional wellbeing of our whole school community.
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