MIRECC / CoE

Never Worry Alone

Updated: 16 April 2018

Providing care for Veterans at risk of suicide may feel like a daunting responsibility. Why worry alone?

The Rocky Mountain MIRECC offers free consultation for any provider (community as well as VA) who works with Veterans.

Tools + Support + Evidence-based Knowledge = Better Outcomes

srmconsult@va.gov

Working with high risk individuals is stressful. This reality may cause emotional and cognitive strain, which could influence:

• The therapeutic relationship
• Provider’s problem solving/decision-making
• Documentation

When working with those at risk for suicide, the therapeutic alliance is particularly critical. During the consultation process, we aim to help providers maintain supportive, collaborative and productive therapeutic relationships. Consultants provide concrete tools as well as encouragement that help ease anxiety and increase provider confidence.

Armed with a better way to assess, conceptualize and mitigate risk, providers often experience less stress. This helps optimize clinical decision making and problem solving, while maintaining the therapeutic alliance.

As a provider you may have unanswered questions about suicide risk management, or feel that a “second opinion” might prove useful. Please contact us and #NeverWorryAlone.

COMING SOON: If you lose someone to suicide, it can be a tremendously painful experience. In order to enhance a community of shared healing for everyone affected by a suicide loss, the Rocky Mountain MIRECC (in partnership with the VA Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention), are developing a brand new Suicide Postvention Resource. The Suicide Postvention Resource will house information, suggestions, and best practices to help individuals process suicide loss. The website will include basic self-care tips for those affected by a loss, guidelines on how to establish suicide postvention teams within the workplace, educational infographics on the impact of suicide loss, podcasts with suicide postvention experts, personal accounts from providers affected by suicide loss, videos detailing suggested suicide postvention practices, and much more! Return to this page in the coming months for more information and website launch updates, or contact Sarra.Nazem@va.gov. As always, the Suicide Risk Management Consultation Program is available to any provider serving Veterans who would like support surrounding a suicide loss and/or to consult on suicide postvention practices. Place a consultation request by emailing srmconsult@va.gov.