Global

Suicide risk assessment and therapeutic engagement for mental health nurses

A ready-made course you customise for your organisation, with a live session deck and two surveys. You only add the 13 details that are specific to your organisation.

See the live deckSee the full outline
Try the coursePreview the survey
Length
40 min
Lessons
6 lessons
Frequency
At onboarding to a mental health or acute area, annually
Last reviewed
21 Oct 2026
Safety plans, observation and de-escalation
What would you do?

Ms Ibarra's plan says she wants a quiet room and a specific person to call; the ward is busy

Try it: this is one of 20 interactive activities in the course.

What's included

Three pieces that work together

Copy once, get everything. Learners prepare on their own, you answer questions live, and the surveys tell you what stuck.

Self-paced course

Short lessons with real workplace scenarios, not walls of text.

  • 6 lessons, about 40 minutes
  • Sorting activity, scenario, flashcards, process and quizzes

Live session deck

An AhaSlides presentation to run after the course, in person or online.

  • 10 slides
  • Quiz, word cloud, poll, scale slides
  • A closing slide for your contacts

Two surveys

Find out what landed, and whether people use it on the job.

  • Post-course feedback, about 2 minutes
  • 30-day check-in
  • Anonymous by default
  • Results feed your next refresher

Learning objectives

At the end of this course, learners can

Each objective and the lesson that covers it.

IDObjectiveSourceWhere it's covered
TO 324.0Achieve ≥ 80% on the final assessmentnoneWhole course
SO 324.1Use respectful, non-judgemental language and build a therapeutic relationship + your infoExamples: The Code (NMC); best practiceWhole course
SO 324.2Recognise risk and protective factors and warning signs, and tell the responsible clinician promptly + your infoExamples: NICE NG225; best practiceWhole course
SO 324.3Ask directly about suicidal thoughts and document the conversation using the local assessment form + your infoExamples: NICE NG225; Joint Commission NPSG.15.01.01 (US); best practiceWhole course
SO 324.4Follow the local safety plan, observation and environmental risk policies without deviating from them + your infoExamples: NICE NG225; Mental Health Act 1983 and Mental Capacity Act 2005 (England and Wales); best practiceWhole course
SO 324.5De-escalate distress and agitation, apply medication safety principles and hand over changes in risk + your infoExamples: NICE NG10; best practiceWhole course

Your part: what a template can't do for you

  • Your workplace details: fill in the 13 highlighted fields so the course describes your own policies, contacts and locations.
  • Records: record completion in your own LMS or record system.

Course outline

6 lessons, about 40 minutes

Minutes per lesson are an estimate, shared out by page count.

ContentInteractiveVideoYou customise
1

Why this conversation matters

3 pages

7 min
Before you beginNoteList
An evening on the acute wardTextImageChecklistYour infoYour info
What does good engagement look like?Key factFlashcardsQuiz
2

Risk, protective factors and attitudes

3 pages

7 min
Factors in briefTabsNote
What helps and what harms?Sorting activity
Words that helpFlashcardsMatching quiz
3

Asking directly: a decision routine

3 pages

7 min
The routineProcessYour infoYour infoNote
Put it in orderSorting activityText
CheckChecklistQuiz
4

Safety plans, observation and de-escalation

3 pages

7 min
ScenarioScenarioYour infoQuiz
ScenarioScenarioYour infoQuiz
Match the responseMatching quizSorting activity
5

Medicines, handover and speaking up

3 pages

7 min
Medication safety in briefAccordion
Who to tellProcessYour infoYour infoYour infoYour infoNote
ScenarioScenarioQuizButtonYour info
6

Final assessment

2 pages

5 min
PracticeQuiz
CompletionKey factListNoteButtonYour info

Live deck and surveys

10 slides to run live, two surveys to close the loop

Pink slides are interactive. Both surveys are anonymous; pink questions are written for this course.

ContentTitle, agenda, content note and {{STAFF_SUPPORT_CONTACT}}, "a calm question can be the safest thing we say" (speaker notes: template page URL)
Word cloudOne word for how you feel about starting this conversation
PollHow often do you talk with people who are in distress? (Daily · Weekly · Monthly · Rarely)
ContentThe six-step asking routine and what to say
QuizA patient says 'it won't matter soon'. You…" (Stay, ask directly and tell the nurse in charge ✔ · Reassure and leave · Change the subject · Wait until morning)
QuizAsking directly about suicide…" (Is safe and opens a conversation ✔ · Plants the idea · Is for doctors only · Should be avoided)
Content · customiseCustomise: our risk policy, assessment form and escalation route" with {{LOCAL_RISK_POLICY}}, {{LOCAL_RISK_ASSESSMENT_FORM}}, {{ESCALATION_ROUTE}}
ScaleHow confident are you asking directly about suicide?" 1 to 5
Open-ended / Q&AA conversation I would like to talk through (no identifying details)
Content · customiseClosing {{CLINICAL_EDUCATION_CONTACT}}, {{SURVEY_2_URL}}, {{COURSE_URL}}
Post-course feedback: 11 questions, about 2 min
  1. Overall rating 5 stars
  2. Relevant, realistic, right length, helpful activities agree/disagree grid
  3. What was most useful? multi-select
  4. Confidence before this course, and now 1-5 scale
  5. How confident are you asking directly about suicidal thoughts? 1-5 scale
  6. Which change have you tried? multiple choice
  7. What barrier have you met in trying it? short text
  8. I can ask for support after a distressing shift without fear of judgement. 1-5 scale
  9. One thing we should change or add open text
  10. Would you recommend this course? NPS
30-day check-in
  1. Have you used what you learned since the course? multiple choice
  2. How confident are you today? Compare with day 1 1-5 scale
  3. Do you know where to find the local suicide risk policy? yes / no / not sure
  4. A moment where the training helped, or where you weren't sure open text
  5. Which topics should the next refresher focus on? ranking

Results show whether people use the training on the job, not just whether they finished it.

Make it yours

13 fields to fill in, and you're ready

Everything else is done. These are the details only your organisation knows; each one is highlighted inside the course.

  • Clinical education contact{{CLINICAL_EDUCATION_CONTACT}}
  • Local policy link{{LOCAL_POLICY_LINK}}
  • Incident reporting route{{INCIDENT_REPORTING_ROUTE}}
  • Escalation route{{ESCALATION_ROUTE}}
  • Regulator and standards{{REGULATOR_AND_STANDARDS}}
  • LMS or record system{{LMS_OR_RECORD_SYSTEM}}
Show all 13 fields
  • Local risk policy{{LOCAL_RISK_POLICY}}
  • Local risk assessment form{{LOCAL_RISK_ASSESSMENT_FORM}}
  • Staff support contact{{STAFF_SUPPORT_CONTACT}}
  • Survey 1 URL{{SURVEY_1_URL}}
  • Survey 2 URL{{SURVEY_2_URL}}
  • Course URL{{COURSE_URL}}
  • Live session URL{{LIVE_SESSION_URL}}

FAQ

Common questions

Can I run suicide risk assessment and therapeutic engagement for mental health nurses training online?

Yes. The course is self-paced and online, and the live deck lets you add a live session in the room or online.

How often is this training needed?

At onboarding to a mental health or acute area, annually, and after a serious incident review identifies a learning need.

Who needs this training?

Registered nurses and healthcare assistants in inpatient, community and acute hospital settings who assess and support people at risk of suicide or self-harm; run by the nurse educator or clinical education lead, with the mental health or liaison team lead as a guest.

What records should I keep?

Record completion in your own LMS or record system, so you can show who finished the course and when.

Can I edit the content?

Yes, everything. Change the wording, swap scenarios for ones from your workplace, add your logo, or remove parts that don't apply.

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Last reviewed: 21 October 2026Templates are a starting point, not legal advice.

Ready to run it?

Open the live deck to see how the session runs alongside the course and both surveys.

See the live deck