More than 10,000 members of the community are now trained in suicide prevention and mental health awareness skills, thanks to initiatives from the University of the Sunshine Coast's Thompson Institute.
The Thompson Institute delivered its first suicide prevention workshop back in 2019, in response to the Sunshine Coast's concerning suicide rate.
To help prevent the mental ill-health that can lead to this suicide risk, the Institute expanded its public education topics in 2022 to include commonly experienced mental health symptoms - such as stress, anxiety, and low mood - and strategies to manage them before they become problematic.
Thompson Institute interim General Manager Chloe Morgan said there had been consistent demand for the services, both through its workplace training offering and free community initiatives with the Alliance for Suicide Prevention - Sunshine Coast.
"The interest from the Sunshine Coast community has been fantastic, it's vital that these skills aren't limited to mental health professionals," she said.
"We're thrilled that more than 10,000 members of the public have better equipped themselves to recognise and understand mental health risk with evidence-based information.
"They have improved their knowledge to not only care for their own mental health, but also support others that they notice are struggling, which means the benefits extend beyond just the people who have trained with us."
Ms Morgan said attendees included health professionals, social workers, educators, public servants, coaches, community service personnel, and everyday people.
"We conduct vital mental health research and postgraduate education at the Thompson Institute - this science needs to be accessible to the community, and our public education programs help achieve that."
The Thompson Institute will deliver a free safeTALK workshop, offering participants practical knowledge of how to identify someone at risk of suicide and link them to life-saving services, at the UniSC Sunshine Coast campus as part of World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10.
Registration is available here.
