Suicide Prevention Training 2025

The HSE provides three different stages of suicide prevention training in Ireland. All of them are free to undertake.

There is a new online suicide prevention training, launched earlier this year. It’s called ‘Let’s Talk About Suicide’ and can be accessed via traininghub.nosp.ie. The training should take about 60 minutes to complete. USI recommends that all SU officers undertake this training at a minimum.

safeTALK is an in-person, 3.5 hour training programme. You can find out when a safeTALK session is happening near you in the next few months by clicking on the dropdown links below.

ASIST is an intensive, in-person, 2-day training programme. It is advised that you have completed the safeTALK training programme before undertaking this one. You can find out when an ASIST session is happening near you in the next few months by clicking on the dropdown links below.

It is advised that if you have had a bereavement, particularly a bereavement by suicide, or have had suicidal thoughts yourself in the past year, to not undergo any of the training outlined here.

Cavan/Monaghan Area

Cork Area

Donegal Area

Dublin North City & County Area

Dublin South East, Dublin South & Wicklow Area

Dublin South City, Dublin West, Kildare & West Wicklow Area

Galway, Mayo & Roscommon Area

Kerry Area

Limerick, Clare & North Tipperary Area

Longford, Westmeath, Laois & Offaly Area

Louth & Meath Area

Sligo & Leitrim Area

Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny, Carlow & South Tipperary Area

If you would like to organise suicide prevention training for your SU team, or another group, please contact your local suicide prevention resource officer. We would recommend reaching out and connecting with your local officer at the start of the year even if you don’t need to organise group training, as they are a helpful resource and building a relationship with them may help you and your SU team throughout the year. You can find the contact details of your local suicide prevention resource officer here.

Other Suicide Prevention/ Mental Health Training

USI is currently in contact with Mental Health First Aid Ireland to try and obtain funded training places on the Mental Health First Aid course. We will reach out to all SUs should we obtain places on these courses throughout the year.

Ohana suicide prevention training is an online, 20-minute training programme which is available here. Zero Suicide Alliance provide a number of short, online trainings related to mental health and suicide prevention. They are available here. These courses are not as comprehensive as the safeTALK or ASIST courses, but we understand that SU time is tight and that in some areas there are few spaces in the more intensive courses, or not as many of the courses running. Please note that both organisations are linked so there is no need to undertake training from both. Please also note that they have recently introduced third-level-specific training, so if time is tight it might be best to focus on this particular training.

Our recommendation would be that SU Officers such as Welfare officers should sign up for the next available safeTALK or ASIST course near them, and that SU teams should consider organising a specific group training for the entire team where possible. While waiting for those courses to either become available or to be organised, every SU officer should undertake one of the online courses at minimum.

As part of the Open Up Campaign we can organise an on-campus safeTALK training session for students and SU officers to coincide with a campus visit. Please let us know at the time of booking your campus visit if this is something you are interested in – please note that this can take approx 2 weeks to organise so please bear this in mind when planning.

If you have any questions or if you need any help in this area, please contact mentalhealth@usi.ie.