| CEO Message | Everyone can help prevent suicide
At Lifeline we know that if someone is experiencing suicidal thoughts or feelings, one of the best methods for dealing with those thoughts and feelings is talking to someone you trust. Lifeline is in the business of talking, and we know the positive impact this can have.
However, stigma can act as a block to this important help-seeking behaviour, by bringing up issues like shame and guilt. That’s why we are so focussed on breaking down stigma and guiding Australians to recognise their role in our bid to end suicide. Everyone has a part to play in suicide prevention; it’s a whole of community health issue.
With World Suicide Prevention Day on the 10th of September, get involved in our new Out of the Shadows campaign and become part of something really amazing.
Kind regards Dr Maggie Jamieson
CEO Lifeline Australia |
| | MOVIE TICKET GIVEAWAY | Project Nim
Thanks to Icon Film Distribution we have ten double passes to giveaway for Project Nim. Project Nim, based on the book 'Nim Chimpsky – The chimp who would be human' by Elisabeth Hess opens nationally on September 29. From the Oscar winning team behind Man on Wire, Project Nim follows the story of a chimpanzee who in the mid-1970s became the focus of a landmark experiment which aimed to show that an ape could learn to communicate with language if raised and nurtured like a human child. Be the first ten subscribers to email marketing@lifeline.org.au to receive your double pass. Terms and conditions 
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| | EVENTS | Out of the Shadows
On World Suicide Prevention Day, Saturday 10 September 2011, Lifeline will launch Out of the Shadows – national suicide prevention walks. These walks aim to raise awareness for suicide prevention, remember those lost to suicide and unite in a commitment to prevent further deaths by suicide. Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians under the age of 44. Lifeline believes most suicides are preventable and we all have a role to play.
You can make a difference by participating in Lifeline’s Out of the Shadows campaign. Get involved by joining a walk or organising a walk in your local community.
For more information about Out of the Shadows walks in your area or how to register a walk visit www.outoftheshadows.org.au  |
| | FUNDRAISING | Calling on all the foxy ladies to take part in Liptember
This September, Lifeline is proud to be the chosen charity for Liptember, a campaign supporting women's mental health. In Australia one in three women will experience depression or anxiety during their lifetime.
How can you help? In support of women’s mental health we are urging women to participate in Liptember. All you have to do is buy an exclusive Liptember lippy from Myer and get your friends, family and co workers to sponsor you. All funds raised will be donated to Lifeline and the Royal Women's Hospital. So pucker up and register online now!
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| | Lifeline Centre In Profile | | Lifeline North Coast (NSW) | Location: Lifeline North Coast (NSW)
Years in operation: 25 years
Employed full-time staff: 3
Number of Volunteers: 140
Services provided: 24 Hour Telephone Counselling, General face-to-face Counselling, Gambling Counselling, Financial Counselling, ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training), 5 Retail Outlets and a Warehouse, Fundraising Events.
Website: www.lifeline.org.au/coffsharbour |
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 | | | | HELP SEEKING | | How to help someone at risk of suicide | |  | The following steps will help you identify signs to look for, decide what to do and where you can go for help if you suspect someone is thinking about suicide.
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide Lifeline is available 24 hours a day on 13 11 14. If life is in immediate danger call 000.
Why does someone consider suicide?
People considering suicide often feel isolated and alone. They may feel that nobody can help them or understand them. They believe that suicide is the only way out. Most suicides are preventable and there are steps you can take to help someone at risk of suicide.
What do I do?
1. Do Something now:
Don’t assume that they will get better without help or that they will seek help on their own. Reaching out now could save a life.
2. Acknowledge your personal reaction:
It’s natural to feel panic and shock, but take the time to listen and think before you act. Your natural reaction may be to feel:
• Panic
• Ignore the situation and hope it will go away
• Look for quick-fix solutions to make the person feel better
• Criticise or blame the person for their feelings
• Tell the person they are being silly and trivialise the issue or dismiss them
These reactions are common but not helpful. If you find you are really struggling, enlist the help of a trusted friend or helpline.
3. Be there:
Spend time with the person and express your care and concern. Ask them how they are feeling and listen to them. Let them do most of the talking.
4. Ask if they are thinking of suicide:
Unless someone tells you, the only way to know if a person is thinking of suicide is to ask. Asking can sometimes be very hard but it shows that you have been listening, that you care and that they’re not alone. Talking about suicide will not put the idea into their head. They may often feel a great sense of relief that someone is prepared to talk with them about their darkest thoughts.
5. Check their safety:
Remove any means of suicide available, including weapons, medications, alcohol and other drugs, even access to a car. Be aware of your own safety.
If you are really worried, don’t leave the person alone. Seek immediate help. When life is in danger call 000 or go to your local hospital emergency department.
6. Decide what to do:
You need to discuss together what steps you are going to take to keep the person safe. Don’t agree to keep it a secret. You may need the help of others to persuade the person to get professional help. Only by sharing this information can you make sure the person gets the help they need. Make keeping them safe your first priority.
7. Take action:
The person can get help from a range of professional and supportive people:
• GP
• Counsellor, psychologist, social worker
• School counsellor, youth group leader, sports coach
• Emergency services – police and ambulance
• Mental health services
• Community health centres
• Priest, minister, religious leader
• Telephone crisis support services such as Lifeline and Kids Helpline
In some situations the person may refuse to get help. You need to ensure that the appropriate people are aware of the situation. Don’t shoulder this responsibility alone.
8. Ask for a promise:
Thoughts of suicide often return and when they do it is important for the person to again reach out and tell someone. Asking them to promise to do this, makes it more likely that it will happen. Encourage the person to promise to call you, a GP or Lifeline on 13 11 14 if suicidal thoughts return, and to do this before they harm themselves.
9. Look after yourself:
If you’re helping someone who is considering suicide, make sure you also take care of yourself. It is difficult and emotionally draining to support someone who is suicidal, especially over an extended period.
10. Stay involved:
Thoughts of suicide don’t easily disappear. Their situation or feelings may change, or they may feel more supported and able to deal with it. The continued involvement of family and friends is very important.
Further information about signs to look out for and how to help someone at risk of suicide can be found in Lifeline’s - Helping someone at risk tool kit.
Or visit our website for more information. | | LIFELINE IN THE COMMUNITY | | Q&A with Eve Barratt. Chief Executive Officer, Lifeline South East SA | | | Suicide Prevention Training in Mount Gambier Prison
Name: Eve Barratt
Position: Lifelines South East SA, Chief Executive Officer.
Q1. What where the motivations behind setting up a suicide prevention service in the Mount Gambier Prison?
Lifeline’s Shared Beliefs and Values Statement which emphasises the essential worth of all people, provides an ideal template for working in prisons. Additionally, if we want to reach out to the community with suicide prevention strategies then we need to reach out to the whole of the community and that includes prisoners. So, when in 1995, our Centre was offered a training contract to work with prison management and staff, we used that window of opportunity to start building the Prisoner Peer Support Counselling Program, known as The Listeners.
Q2. Why is this resource so valuable and beneficial to the prisoners?
The rate of suicide in prison is estimated to be approximately three times that of the general population. Indigenous people are also over represented in the prison population and the suicide death numbers.
The prison population is 3 – 5 times more likely than the general population to have a major mental illness.
The Listener Program aims to educate the prisoners to let go of their anger, blame and shame. The program does not minimise the gravity of their crimes. It looks at what makes them a human being and encourages them to be a better version of that – for themselves, for their fellow prisoners and for society as a whole.
Q3. Since the program was started in 1995 how has it grown and developed over the years?
The Program draws heavily on the recommendations for the prevention of suicide and self harm as comprehensively outlined by Stephen Tumin, H.M. Chief Inspector of Prisons, in his U.K. review. The foundation of the Program in 1995 was recognising prisoners as “knowledgeable agents” in helping other prisoners. This recognition provides the key to the respectful relationship that must exist between Trainer and Prisoners. Over the years the program has been refined to the point where there is a real sense of prisoner ownership. At least two experienced Listeners now assist with each training. A narrative approach is used in training which sits well with indigenous prisoners and makes the program more inclusive. There are no prison officers present during training as personal experiences, past traumas and emotional disclosures are sensitive areas.
Prisoners who are Listeners are rostered 24/7. Listeners now support prisoners over the first few days of their entry to prison. The first 48 hours are a critical time for new arrivals to the prison system. Although the Program has grown and developed over the years the nucleous remains the same. The Self Awareness component of the Listener Program is still the most powerful. The “if onlys”, “the regrets”, the poor decisions, risky choices of the past can be humbling to hear. Empathy on the part of the trainer has to be balanced by the need to contain and move forward. There needs to be a very strong trust relationship between trainer and prisoners.
Q4. What success has the service had to date?
In 2010 the Listener Program run by Lifeline South East won the Suicide Prevention Australia National Award. This was a great honour but perhaps our greatest achievement has been that since 1995, under the Prisoner Listener Program, there has been only one suicide at Mt Gambier Prison. Given the Australian average of suicide deaths in prison, this is a remarkably low rate. Over the years we have seen prisoners involved in the Program build self-worth, self-respect, life skills, and coping strategies that enhance their relationships within and outside the prison. Success for us can be measured by released prisoners not returning to prison.
Q5. Is there any difference from providing this service in prison compared to the same service which is provided to the wider community?
The “heart” of the Listener Program is essentially the same as that which is offered to the wider community. However, prisoners enter prison with certain vulnerabilities such as poor coping resources, learned helplessness, mental illness; then there is a build up of prison induced stress such as loneliness, remand status, guilt, and fear. Many prisoners have had a problematic upbringing featuring perhaps violence, abuse or poor parenting. Perhaps the main difference between offering a program in prison and offering a program in community is the suicidogenic environment in the prison subculture.
Q6. What are the future aims and goals for suicide prevention in prisons?
In Australia, the prison population remains under-represented in suicide prevention activities and funding. The recent Senate Inquiry states that “Suicide and Self-harming behaviours in prisons is a significant issue in Australia”. In the U.K. the Samaritans continue to work closely within the prisons creating a subculture of hope. My vision would be for Lifeline Centres to replicate these services across Australia.
| | LIFELINE SERVICES | | Lifeline Foundation for Suicide Prevention | | | In June this year, Lifeline announced the establishment of the Lifeline Foundation for Suicide Prevention as a tangible way to generate better knowledge on how to reduce lives lost to suicide in Australia and understand why lives are still being lost every day.
The Senate Inquiry in 2010 identified the importance of building the evidence base on services and programs designed to prevent suicide. In particular, service providers such as Lifeline can ensure their activities are effective through building collaborative relationships with academics and experts.
The Lifeline Foundation for Suicide Prevention is seeking funds for research work that will create better understandings about:
• how to best reach out and make the offer of help to people who are feeling suicidal
• how to equip people in the community to identify the signs of suicide earlier, and
• how to best support those who are experiencing the loss of a loved one to suicide.
Already, a 12-person expert advisory group is being formed to guide the Foundation in its research and service development priorities.
Executive Director, Alan Woodward, has been appointed to progress the Foundation’s program of work and to build relationships throughout Australia so that Lifeline’s work can be enhanced in its reach and effectiveness.
Lifeline is calling for corporate, philanthropic and individual donations to help support the Foundations vital work.
For more information about the Lifeline Foundation please contact us via email or call 0434 378 939. | | COMMUNITY FUNDRAISING | | Ride for hope raises money for Lifeline. | | | 
The death of a young BMX rider who tragically took his own life at the age of 17 inspired his friends who were hugely shocked and devastated by his death to organise a BMX ride in his honour.
Rowan Membrey was a young 17 year old who had a passion for BMX riding, he was a regular visitor to the Shed Skate Park in Melbourne, Victoria where the ‘Ride for Rowan’ took place. The idea came from one of Rowan’s friends who felt bringing everyone who was affected by his death together to support each other and help raise awareness for suicide prevention was a great way for his family and friends to see Rowan remembered.
The event was a huge success with 80 BMX riders and over 150 spectators showing their support. The event wouldn’t have been possible without the help of everyone who worked behind the scenes and the local and interstate business’s who funded a raffle. Everyone gave very generously on the night and all the money raised from the event went to Lifeline.
“Even though we cannot bring Rowan back I hope that the money we raised from the ‘Ride for Rowan’ event will help save another vulnerable life. It was a lasting reminder to Rowan, of just how many people loved and cared for him.” Jenna, ‘Ride for Rowan’ event organiser.
If you would like to organise a community fundraising event in support of Lifeline please contact our Fundraising team .
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