Mental health awareness courses for workplaces and caregivers

These courses prepare managers, coworkers, caregivers and youth workers to recognize warning signs, respond with care and know where help is. They do not teach diagnosis or counseling, and they do not qualify anyone to treat a mental health condition. Every course ends with the same practical rule: when someone may be in danger, you connect them with crisis support or emergency services right away.

More than 49,000 people died by suicide in the United States in 2023, about one death every 11 minutes, according to the CDC. In 2024, 14.3 million adults seriously considered suicide, 4.6 million made a plan and 2.2 million attempted. The CDC lists veterans, rural residents, mining and construction workers and LGBTQ+ youth among groups at higher risk.

The 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, released April 15, 2024, includes a goal for workplaces alongside crisis care, safer storage of lethal means and support after a loss. Employers do not need to be clinicians to act on it; they need managers who notice, ask and connect.

A common fear is that asking about suicide will plant the idea. The National Institute of Mental Health says research shows asking about suicide does not increase suicidal thoughts or behavior, and acknowledging it may reduce them. NIMH’s five action steps are the backbone of the suicide prevention course:

1. Ask
2. Be there
3. Help keep them safe
4. Help them connect
5. Follow up

Warning signs include talking about wanting to die or being a burden, feeling hopeless or trapped, and changes in behavior. NIMH advises getting help as soon as possible, especially if a behavior is new or has increased.

A number of state boards require nurses and other licensees to complete suicide prevention training. Verified examples for registered nurses:

Boards often require an approved provider or specific content for these hours. Our courses earn a certificate of completion, so check with your board whether it accepts one before counting it.

Most people meet mental health questions in ordinary moments: a colleague who has gone quiet, a teenager who stopped coming to practice, a parent caring for someone with PTSD. The courses on depression, anxiety, trauma, self-harm and personal stress each give you the signs to notice, the words to use and the limits to respect, with scenarios set in workplaces, schools, clinics and homes.

Every course uses safe messaging: no method details, “died by suicide” rather than “committed”, and a message of hope and help in every module.

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline launched on July 16, 2022, with calling and texting available from the first day. It is free, confidential and open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can contact it for yourself or because you are worried about someone else. Veterans, service members and their families can press 1 after dialing 988 to reach the Veterans Crisis Line, which also serves veterans who are not enrolled in VA health care, and some of its responders are veterans themselves.

The courses also explain safety planning, a short written list a person makes, usually with a clinician, of their own warning signs, ways to cope, people to contact and professional help. Research summarized by the Suicide Prevention Resource Center found that people who received a safety planning intervention with follow-up calls were about half as likely to go on to suicidal behavior. As a coworker or caregiver, your part is to support that plan, not to write it.

Teachers will find a school-specific course on the K-12 education page.