Rates of suicide in Australia remain high and graduates with psychology training tend to work in settings where knowledge of suicide prevention and support is needed. However, there are no specific units in suicide prevention and support offered in psychology courses in Australian universities, with most training provided in community settings. The purpose of this paper was to describe and reflect on the co-design of a six-week online unit and associated 12-week hybrid unit which are dedicated to suicide prevention and support. These units sought to reflect best practice in the mental health sector through a collaborative approach to curriculum design.
The project used a participatory action research design. The co-design process for the curriculum included contributions from people with expertise in education, research, practice, service provision and lived experience of suicidality and/or suicide impact. This paper details the development of the curriculum and the authors’ reflections on the process.
The authors’ reflections identified facilitators and barriers to co-designing the unit, learnings from working together and recommendations for future collaborative work with relevant stakeholders within and outside the university setting.
The units are unique offerings within the psychology curriculum in Australia. The aim is to create impactful education that leads to more “helpful helpers” and honours those with a lived experience of suicide and suicide bereavement.
