Suicide prevention and self-harm

Suicide prevention

For anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts

• Mind: How to cope with suicidal feelings booklet – Explains what suicidal feelings are, why they happen and how to cope both immediately and in the long-term.
• Stay Alive App – Signposting to emergency or support services, tools to help individuals stay safe during crisis and self-care strategies.

For anyone supporting someone experiencing suicidal thoughts

• Mind: How to support someone who feels suicidal booklet – Practical suggestions on how to help and where to seek support.

For anyone who has witnessed a suicide

• First Hand – Understanding and coping with emotions after witnessing a suicide.
• Taking care of yourselves after witnessing something traumatic

For anyone experiencing suicide bereavement

• Help is at hand guide – Provides emotional and practical support after losing someone to suicide.

For anyone experiencing bereavement

• Havering Bereavement and Counselling Directory
• The Good Grief Trust – Charity run by bereaved people, offering grief-related information and providing a map of UK bereavement services.

Other helpful links

• The National Suicide Prevention Alliance (NSPA) – A collective of public, private and voluntary organisations in England who are dedicated to suicide prevention.
• Talking faith in suicide prevention – A FaithAction resource supporting faith-based conversations on suicide prevention.
• Autistica and National Suicide Prevention Alliance (NSPA) – Helps mental health professionals support young autistic individuals in crisis. 

Self-harm

General information

• “The Truth About Self-Harm” – Covers self-harm, eating disorders, death or bereavement, personality disorders, anxiety, depression and substance abuse. 

For adults engaging in self-harm

• Finding your voice: Talking about self-injury
• Distraction Techniques and Alternative Coping Strategies
• Reaching out for help: Talking About Ongoing Self-Injury
• Recovering from Self-Injury

For children and young people engaging in self-harm

• Alumina - A free 7-week online course for young people struggling with self-harm with trained counsellors and youth workers. Anonymous participation via chat box.
• The Mix - Support for young people. Connects young people to experts and peers to talk everything from money to mental health.
• Kooth – Free online mental health support, including counselling, articles, discussion boards and goal-setting tools.
• Asking for help mental health resource for young people – Practical guidance on taking the first steps towards support.
• Calm Harm – Designed to help individuals resist or manage the urge to self-harm. Recommended for ages 13-19.
• DistrACT App – Provides quick, easy and discreet access to information and advice on self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Recommended for ages 11+.
• Tellmi – Fully moderated app offering resources and a supportive community where users can share their problems, seek help and support others. Recommended for ages 11+. 

For parents of children engaging in self-harm

• Coping with self-harm: advice for parents and carers
• Parents A-Z Mental Health Guide
• HealthTalk – Real stories from parents of young people who self-harm.
• Charlie Waller Trust videos - Video guidance for parents of self-harming children. 

For education staff of pupils engaging in self-harm

• Young People Who Self-Harm: A Guide for School Staff
• Mentally Healthy Schools – An online hub with resources on self-harm awareness and student support.

Support and wellbeing resources for people from racialised communities

• Aashna – Community of therapists and clients of LGBTQIA+, global majority (collective term for people of Indigenous, African, Asian, and Latina descent), visible and non-visible disability, neurodivergent, working class and care experienced communities.
• Bayo — A space to find collectives, organisations and services from across the UK that offer mental health and wellbeing support to the Black community.
• Black, African and Asian Therapy Network — Provides lists of therapists from Black, African, Asian and Caribbean heritage in the UK.
• Black Minds Matter — Resources for Black people around mental health, including where to find culturally appropriate therapy.
• Mindfulness Network for People of Colour — Community nterest Company that helps people work though racialised trauma. They provide resources, grief spaces, grief retreats, and online courses.
• Muslim Community Helpline — Confidential, non-judgemental listening and emotional support services for people from Muslim communities.
• Sehhat — Tailored, accessible, and relevant resources for the Punjabi community.
• Southeast and East Asian Centre — Offers mental health support to people of Southeast and East Asian heritage in the UK.
• Spark and Co — Community Interest Company dedicated to racialised people and communities.

Safety plans

• Make a Safety Plan – A tool for helping someone navigate suicidal feelings and/or self-harm urges.

If you find any of links to resources are out of date, please email publichealth@havering.gov.uk.