QQI Level 7 Certificate in Suicide Postvention

Introduction

This programme consists of one 10 ECTS module that is conferred as a minor award. It is designed to allow learners to understand the complex nature of suicide bereavement and the psychological havoc that is created in the lives of suicide survivors. It will also introduce the learners to a range of individual and group interventions to help facilitate the healing process. Learners on this programme will engage in teaching, discussion and engagement with key scientific literature related to the post-suicide landscape, the key principles of intervening with this client group and the therapeutic resources and responses that are appropriate.

Course Content

The purpose of this minor award is to help the learner understand the complex nature of suicide bereavement and the psychological havoc that is created in the lives of suicide survivors. It will also introduce the learners to a range of individual and group interventions to help facilitate the healing process.

While many programmes include some input on bereavement, grief and loss, there is a need, when working with suicide survivors, for a deeper appreciation of the complicated psychological distress and emotional problems that emerge in the wake of suicide. This distress is not confined to the families, friends and loved ones of the deceased but also impacts profoundly on therapists, health care professionals, first responders and communities, in some cases resulting in early exits from their chosen profession.

This Minor Award will help learners to understand and to examine the nature of suicide bereavement and will equip them to support suicide survivors, their families and communities in their healing journey. It will also help them recognize and understand their own often disenfranchised grief and strengthen their personal and professional resources for working in this area.