CMT & Local Training
Suicide Prevention Common Military Training (CMT) fulfills annual training requirements when augmented with information on local resources and crisis response. Download the training and lesson plan below:

• ​Suicide Prevention CMT
• Suicide Prevention CMT Lesson Plan

The Department of Defense Suicide Prevention Training Competency Framework (SPTCF) has been developed through a collaboration between the Defense Suicide Prevention Office (DSPO), the Services, and other partners to serve as a framework to support standardized suicide prevention gatekeeper training and education activities and to increase suicide prevention capabilities among all stakeholders in the DoD community.

Additionally, resources to support local training: Tools and information found throughout this site can be used to support additional training and educational efforts. A helpful training resource is:

• Navy Suicide Prevention Handbook​

Suicide Prevention Coordinator (SPC) Training
This webinar fulfills the requirement for SPC training, as stated in OPNAVINST 1720.4B.

The SPC Webinar Training is a two-hour webinar designed to prepare Suicide Prevention Coordinators with the resources and skills to assist their commands with meeting SP program needs. Registration requests must be received 48 hours prior to webinar date in order to receive access to the webinar. 

To request registration, copy and paste the below text into the body of an email. Please provide the webinar date and time in the SUBJECT line of your email, fill out requested information and send to spcwebinar@navy.mil.  NOTE:  This is an unmonitored inbox, registrants WILL NOT receive confirmation emails, so unless an undeliverable message is received an email with webinar access information will be sent 24 hours prior to scheduled course date.

WEBINAR DATE & TIME:
FULL NAME (LAST, FIRST):
RATE/RANK:
COMMAND:
UIC:
PRD:
EMAIL:

(NOTE: TIMES BELOW ARE CENTRAL)
 2024/2025 SPC Webinar Training Calendar
 

Documenting SPC training in FLTMPS:

1) Log into FLTMPS by visiting https://ntmpsweb.ncdc.navy.mil/FLTMPS/
2) On the homepage, select 'Lrng Event Compl Form' (Learning Event Completion Form)
3) Select 'CMT and OTHER TRAINING' under Report Group > 'Select by category/group/course' under Search Criteria
4) Select 'OPNAV SUICIDE PREVENTION' under Course Category > select 'Suicide Prevention' under Course Group
5) Select 'OPNAV-SPC-1.0 SUICIDE PREVENTION COORDINATOR' under Course Title
6) Enter last name in 'Search by Name' field > check 'Completed,' enter Completion Date and Save

Please note: Training officers should verify completion by obtaining a copy of the participant's SPC webinar training certificate prior to recording in FLTMPS.

Questions? Email suicideprevention@navy.mil 

Sailor Assistance and Intercept for Life (SAIL)
SAIL is an evidence-based approach to intervention that provides rapid assistance, ongoing risk assessment, care coordination and reintegration assistance for service members identified with a suicide related behavior (SRB). Risk is assessed at key intervals using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) and managed using the VA Safety Plan through a series of contacts over 90 days following an SRB. Participation in this program is voluntary.

SAIL is not designed to replace existing suicide prevention efforts nor replace needed mental health services. It is not a form of treatment. Regional SAIL Case managers are counselors who will maintain contact with Sailors, healthcare providers and command leadership, assisting with care coordination and engaging additional resources as needed.

Navy Suicide Prevention Branch (OPNAV N170B), together with Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) and the Bureau of Navy Medicine and Surgery (BUMED), launched the first phase of the SAIL Program in the Pacific Northwest Region in August 2016. The program became available Navy-wide in January 2017.

SAIL Policy Guidance and Training

• NAVADMIN 021/21: SAILOR ASSISTANCE AND INTERCEPT FOR LIFE UPDATE
• SAIL Training: SAIL guidance for all suicide prevention coordinators

Why SAIL?

• The evidence shows that suicide-related behavior significantly increases the risk of suicide, and evidence-based interventions are needed within the immediate months following SRBs (90 days) to ensure a Sailor’s safety.

• Programs that encourage support, provide ongoing caring contacts and help people navigate medical systems following an SRB reduce deaths by suicide.

• The most effective programs provide a range of different elements of support and collaboration with multiple stakeholders.

• According to the Navy Suicide Prevention Annual Multi-Disciplinary Case Review, about 40 percent of Sailors who died by suicide had a previous SRB.

What's the Command's Role?

• Commands are required to refer sailors to SAIL if they exhibit suicidal behavior or ideation. But SAIL case managers struggle to get in contact with those referred to the program.  New SAIL procedures noted in NAVADMIN 021/21 requires Commanding Officers to ensure that Sailors who have experienced a suicide-related behavior contact the Regional SAIL Case Manager: https://www.milsuite.mil/book/docs/DOC-929099 to confirm the Sailor has been contacted.

• This proactive approach will help strengthen communication between Sailors and SAIL Case Managers by involving both in the initial contact process. After the Sailor is contacted, participation in the SAIL program remains voluntary.

Benefits

• Continuous contacts

• Individualized risk assessment

• Safety planning

• System navigation

• Command coordination

• Supportive environment focused on the Sailor’s recovery

SAIL Informational/Promotional Resources

• SAIL Leadership Messaging:  Fact sheet designed for leaders, offering informed responses to common questions Sailors may have about the SAIL Program

• CNIC SAIL Waterfall Brochure:  Designed for SAIL stakeholders including command leaders, medical providers, chaplains, etc. to communicate about the program with Sailors​

• CNIC SAIL Rack Card and Poster:  Designed for public display to share information about the SAIL program

• New! CNIC SAIL Commander's Toolkit​:  Developed as a quick reference guide to assist unit commanders in successfully navigating their responsibilities after an SRB is reported and ensuring that the installation's SAIL program is operating

Gatekeeper Training
Studies of suicides among Sailors have revealed that there are key communities – gatekeepers – who tend to interact more often with Sailors who are at a heightened risk of suicide. Because of their more frequent contact with at-risk Sailors, they require enhanced and in-depth training on ways to assess and address suicide risk. 
  
Corpsmen, families and ombudsmen, Sailors working as staff in Transitional Personnel Units (TPUs) or other barracks, instructors and staff in schoolhouses, and attorneys and other members of the legal staff interact most frequently with Sailors at high risk for suicide. These are our Navy gatekeepers. 
  
These trainings are designed not only to educate on suicide prevention, but also to provide the skills to accurately assess someone at risk and develop a plan. These trainings are based on the Defense Suicide Prevention Office (DSPO) DoD required training competencies. 
  
The trainings are not required, but they are encouraged. They can replace the annual Common Military Training (CMT) for each of these communities and may be taught by a mental health provider, Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC), Chaplains, Deployment Resiliency Counselors or trained Suicide Prevention Coordinators (SPCs). 
  
The trainings are accompanied by lesson plans. The final slide of each training contains a link to free video training that anyone can use. They are user-friendly for small group discussions in accordance with the new GMT design. 
  
The lesson plans and trainings for each gatekeeper community are available below. 

• Ombudsmen and Families: Training
• TPU and Barracks Staff: Training
• School House Instructors: Training
• Attorneys and Legal Staff: Training 

The DoD Suicide Prevention Training Competency Framework (SPTCF) 
The SPTCF has been developed through a collaboration between the Defense Suicide Prevention Office (DSPO), the Services, and other partners to serve as a framework to support standardized suicide prevention gatekeeper training and education activities and to increase suicide prevention capabilities among all stakeholders in the DoD community. The document is available to download  here.