Professional Training

Professionals and volunteers in the emergency services, social service, mental health space, schools or HR may find themselves in situations where they were confided in of a suicide crisis over the phone. This course equips learners with the requisite skills to provide emotional support and engage in suicide conversations on a helpline or over regular phone calls with clients. Learners will explore differences in personal values and attitudes towards suicide and how these may be potential barriers to effective listening. This course also helps learners recognise and use the distinctiveness of phone as a service modality.

Telephone is one of the earliest remote platform used to provide crisis support and mental health care. The telephone has long been accepted professionally as a means and tool to offer full emotional support and psychological interventions to clients.

This course aims to equip learners with the knowledge and skills to recognise and manage suicide crisis over the helpline or regular calls with clients.

Professionals, para-counsellors and volunteers who manage helplines or make regular calls to clients as part of their job or volunteering role. This may include staff and volunteers from crisis helplines, emergency services, customer service, social service and mental health service providers.

The skills and knowledge for this course, which the learner is assumed to possess, are as follows:

• Be able to listen and speak English at a proficiency level equivalent to the Employability Skills Workplace Literacy (WPL) Level 5
• Be able to read and write English a a proficiency level equivalent to the Employability Skills Workplace Literacy (WPL) Level 5
• Be able to use numeracy skills equivalent to the Employability Skills Workplace Numeracy (WPN) Level 5
• Learners need to have basic knowledge of computer skills
• Cognition: Medium thought processing ability and speed of understanding
• Emotion: High motivation. Desire to be of service to the general public
• Sociality: Medium to high propensity

Mode of Delivery: Classroom and Asynchronous E-learning

Assessment Details: Written Assessment and Role Play

Remarks: The facilitated classroom will be conducted face-to-face at SOS. Learners will be required to attend the assessment (e.g. Role Play / Oral Interview) after the training.

• Day 0: Mandatory E-Learning (to be completed before Day 1 of training)
• Day 1: Facilitated Classroom Training (including 1 hour of E-Learning)
• Day 2: Facilitated Classroom Training (including 1 hour of E-learning & Written Assessment of 20 minutes)
• Day 3: Role Play / Oral Clarification via Zoom (40 minutes per learner)

Note: Block bookings by Agencies or Entities can be arranged separately. Minimum 15 pax and maximum of 20 pax to start class.

Self-paced e-learning: 3.0 hour
Facilitated Classroom learning (in-person): 12.0 hour (2 full-day or 4 half-day)
Assessment (Written and Role Play): 1.0 hour

*Written Assessment will be conducted on the same day as the last day of Classroom learning. Role Play Assessment will be conducted one-to-one with Assessor over Zoom on a separate date, typically 1-2 weeks after Classroom learning.