Would you take a training that can help save Veterans’ lives?

VHA is offering two free online self-paced Lethal Means Safety (LMS) counseling training options for providers.

We encourage you to complete these trainings. Approximately 71% of suicide attempts occur within 60 minutes of a suicidal thought. Creating time and space between thought and access to lethal means saves lives, positively impacting the trajectories of families and communities. This is why it is crucial that community health care providers feel comfortable and confident discussing secure firearm and medication storage with Veterans. The more providers who are equipped to have these crucial conversations about securing lethal means, the more Veterans’ lives we can save.

What are lethal means? Lethal means are objects that can be used to inflict self-harm (such as medications and firearms). Discussions about creating time and space between an individual and a firearm or dangerous medications during a crisis can save lives.

Why is LMS training important? Suicide is preventable and everyone has a role to play. Most suicidal crises are brief, with less than one hour from decision to action. Building time and space between the impulse to act and one’s access to lethal means can prevent suicides. We know it’s not easy for providers to talk about suicide and firearm storage. These trainings can help make you more comfortable and confident having these critical discussions.

What are the training options? VHA has two options for free self-paced LMS trainings:

One-hour training accessible on VHA’s training platform, which provides one hour of free CEUs

25-minute training through PsychArmor, which will provide a certificate of completion (no CEUs available)

Both trainings provide valuable resources to help you talk to Veterans at risk for suicide.

They will:

Teach providers about secure firearm storage and its role in suicide prevention.

Review how to screen Veterans for suicide risk.

Teach providers to identify situations where LMS discussions may be necessary.

Provide tools and tactics to aid providers talking to Veteran patients about LMS, including ways to build trust with Veterans so that they can have effective conversations about securing firearms.

Please spread the word by sharing this flyer with your colleagues and other community partners. The trainings are designed for mental health and community health care providers like physicians, nurses, counselors, social workers and psychologists, but anyone can benefit from them.

Thank you for partnering with us in this important effort.