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OUR PROGRAM
The National Center for Suicide Survivors partners with individuals approximately 15 years and older who have attempted suicide with the goal of preventing future suicide attempts. Our Intensive Suicide Survivor Treatment (ISST)
stems from the Swiss-based Attempted Suicide Short Intervention Program (ASSIP), which decreased suicide re-attempts by 80% shown in a randomized controlled study.
To date, no protocol offers more hope!
WHAT TO EXPECT
Our program consists of five 90-minute intensive virtual or in-person sessions with 24 months of continued support through six care letters. To understand how each session is structured hover over the following tiles. (If viewing this website on a tablet, all details may not display. Please use a phone or computer. )
Pre-Session
Paperwork
Pre-session paperwork is lengthy but crucial to the success of your individualized program. Paperwork will be automatically emailed to you with a DocuSign link after your payment is received. Click on the link, complete the forms and assessments, sign and submit. Once the paperwork is received, we will contact you to set up your five appointments.
session
one
Session one consists of creating a collaborative alliance where you are empowered to be the expert of your story. We want to know about you BECAUSE YOU MATTER! We will offer treatment recommendations. Begin thinking about who your primary support person can be. No story is too big or too scary. We have BIG shoulders!
session
two
Session two focuses on your suicide attempt story. This session will be video recorded to use as a tool in future sessions. If you are not sure what to say, don't worry, we will help. Plan to have your primary support person at this session.
session
three
Session three concentrates on using your suicide attempt story video to gain a clear understanding of your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors during pivotal moments in your narrative. Be prepared, we all have homework after this session, including your primary supports.
session
four
Session four begins by reviewing the homework you so diligently completed. Our homework, including your individualized case conceptualization, will allow us to co-create a successful safety plan strategy. We will have a few surprises during this session.
session
five
Session five consists of applying your new understanding and strategies by re-exposing you to the pivotal moments of your suicide attempt story video. Even though this will be our last formal session, you will still be hearing from us! Further, you will gain access to the online community of ISST graduates.
care
letters
Six care letters will be sent to you during the next 24 months reminding you that WE CARE and YOU MATTER. Letters will review your individual success strategies to keep those at the forefront of your mind. Of course, refresher sessions can be scheduled if needed. We are here for you!
NEED MORE SUPPORT
The National Center for Suicide Survivors realizes that suicide affects individuals, families, and communities. We strongly believe in providing guidance to those supporting suicide survivors. As part of ISST, Parents and Supports will receive training to ensure the best outcome for our suicide survivors. The video training is designed to provide parents, caregivers, family, and friends with the relevant tools they need to help their loved ones. For more information on your crucial role in eliminating suicide, visit our FOR PARENTS page.
MEET THE EXPERTS
Dr. julie rickard
Growing up in a dysfunctional home and struggling to make sense of the world I became the person that others looked to. I quickly learned that I had a knack for helping others and by the time I was 18 yrs old, I knew my purpose was to help others who struggled getting through life. To help people make sense of chaos and to live the type of life they always wanted, but felt it was out of reach. I have lived dedicating myself to serving the community, helping people that struggle, and believing I would change the world. I never knew how until now. The NCSS is how we will reach and serve the masses well into the future.
I am a licensed psychologist, who has focused my career on integrating psychologists into medical settings and to suicide prevention efforts. I am the CEO of Moment by Moment Suicide Prevention and the founder of the Suicide Prevention Coalition of North Central Washington (SPCNCW) in 2012. My specialty has been working with the most difficult patients, program development, leadership, and being a visionary. I have worked at the state level, county level, and community level to consult on best practices and policies related to suicide prevention and mental health. SPCNCW created a best practice pathway for schools to utilize following a death of a student in managing the media as well as providing care for faculty and students. SPCNCW created models of care and suicide prevention screeners for long-term care facilities managing suicidal seniors, assisted with prevention efforts at the middle and high school level, created policies for colleges, worked with leaders to better understand changes in the workforce related to mental health, developed pathways for primary care settings, and spent many days with grieving families over the loss of a loved one. I have lost friends and colleagues to suicide and suffered from multiple attempts within my own family. I am dedicated to a world with zero suicide. No family should have to endure a loss like that. Lastly, as the executive director, I opened and ran a crisis stabilization center and saw first hand what is going well in the care provided to suicidal patients and where systems are lacking. I believe the new NCSS services are adjunctive to what is missing from our current system of care. There is no other place to get outpatient treatment dedicated to suicide prevention in Washington State. We welcome you to join us on your journey to wellness!
Blake
Suzelis
At the age of six years old, I knew I was called to save lives. I was born with a birth defect resulting in severe malabsorption and only given a few years to live. After my last two surgeries in first grade, I felt I had been spared for a reason, and I wasn’t going to waste the life I was given. At first, I believed becoming a pediatric surgeon would be the way I would save lives. However, many years later, I have come to realize that seizing the opportunity to partner with individuals in their most vulnerable time (after a suicide attempt) helps save lives.
I am a Professional Suicide Consultant, Washington State Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Registered Hypnotherapist, Child Mental Health Specialist, Ohio State Licensed Professional Counselor, and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. I am in my last year of my Ph.D. in Mind-Body Medicine. Further, I am the author of The Gift of Luck: The 10 Stages to Deep and Lasting Change (amazon). My experience includes serving children and their families as a child and family therapist, in addition to supervising the WISe program, an intensive program for at-risk youth and families. I have had the opportunity to serve adults dealing with acute and chronic mental illness at a mental health inpatient facility. My passion for supporting suicide survivors was born during my time in the crisis stabilization facility. Lastly, I have spent three and a half years in full-time private practice, in addition to a few years part-time. I look forward to serving you.