Suicide Prevention & Effective Dialogue - A CPCA Webinar to Remember

A couple of months ago, I felt the time had come to host a webinar on the topic of suicide prevention and effective dialogue. One day before our webinar, on February 18th, I received a text from Saskatoon PS Chaplain John Morris asking for prayer for the staff at SPS following a tragic suicide of a senior police officer while at headquarters. Twenty-four hours before our webinar, another heartbreaking story of a loss of a protector and public servant of society. Our thoughts and prayers are with the staff of SPS, their families and all who are caring for them including our CPCA Chaplain John Morris.

Checking in with John on the morning of February 19th prior to our webinar, he shared news of hope in that he had numerous opportunities thus far to connect with officers who were opening up in conversation. We attribute this to the trust John has earned by investing countless hours in service to the SPS staff. All the visits and ride-a-longs and events consistently attended by John has given way to people opening up their lives. When I spent an afternoon at SPS headquarters with John a year ago, I bore witness that John was a living testimony to the 3R's we talk about in the CPCA: being relevant, relatable, and reliable (see attached document, "The 3 R's" - authored by RCMP National Chaplain George Madden).

This article isn't about John; however, what I share here should be a source of encouragement to every chaplain across Canada who is trying to apply the 3R's to their service as a police chaplain. To some of you, it may not seem like you are having a significant impact; however, if you are regularly investing your time and energy in the lives of law enforcement personnel, you are making a difference.

Now, regarding our webinar entitled, "Hope with Skin On: How Chaplains Can Be Part of the Solution to Suicidal Desperation Among the People That We Serve." Our presenter Michelle Snyder is the Executive Co-Director of the Soul Shop Movement, which is the global leader in faith-based suicide prevention. Michelle has been at the helm of the Soul Shop movement since its inception and it has grown to a global movement that spans 4 countries, 3 continents and over 40 states. Soul Shop's mission is to equip faith communities to both minister to those impacted by suicide but also to recognize the significant role faith communities can play in the ministry of companioning the desperate into a place of hope. Michelle is also the co-author of Life, Death, and Reinvention: The Gift of the Impossibly Messed-Up Life.

There were many valuable takeaways from Michelle's presentation for the 36 webinar participants. As chaplains, we talk about the ministry of presence, and we place value on the skill of being a good listener. I have my beliefs why listening is valuable; but, there still remains that innate human desire to offer counsel when dealing with desperate persons. I've heard so many chaplains report that after being there for an officer in a crisis situation, they felt they didn't have the "right words to say" and felt ineffective. YET, in the days and months that followed, the affected officer expressed gratitude for their presence in the situation. Michelle presented the acronym of "CALL". "CALL" stands for Commitment, Ask, Listen, and Lead to safety.

It was during Michelle's explanation of "Listen," when I received an epiphany regarding the ministry of presence in association with the art of listening. Michelle began by sharing that listening is helpful all by itself. I believe this; however, what she shared next was truly impactful for me in understanding the reason listening is impactful to the hurting and the desperate. This is a quotation from Michelle spoken during the webinar:

"If you listen long enough non-judgementally, without kind of opinion, that the despair will make space for the other thing that's true. And once the space has been made for the other thing that's true - that there's a part of them that doesn't want to die, then they can start to look at this hand, and examine it, and explore it and consider the possibility of it. So when we listen, we let the pressure off that system [despair], we let the pressure off that thing that keeps telling them no, and don't, and it's too big. So we get to the end, and we haven't fixed anything for them, but we've taken the pressure off enough that the balloon is not going to pop."

To those who attended the webinar or registered and have now received the video recording, there will be a greater context to the quotation I shared above. There were many takeaways from Michelle's presentation. Suicide is a topic that all too many of us have dealt with, but none of us like to talk about; but we must talk about it. The estimates that 6% of adults and 20% of adolescents are thinking about suicide at any given time, plus the fact that first responders have some of the highest rates of all, points to just how frequently police chaplains are encountering suicidality in their daily lives and ministries.

Thank you Michelle Snyder for equipping us a little more to recognize the signs of suicide, helping to expand our thinking about what causes suicidality, providing some simple behavioral interventions to use in a suicide crisis, and offering suggestions for dialogue when dealing with families post suicide.

Thank you to the 35 registered participants who took part in this webinar either through the live stream or the recording. God bless you for your service to police officers and families across Canada. As long as their continues to be interest, I will endeavor to put together meaningful online training webinars. If there is someone you feel is well trained as a facilitator in a topic relevant to police chaplaincy, please contact me with your recommendation.

Warmest regards,

Bruce Ewanyshyn

CPCA President

ICPC Director of Region 1

The 3 R's of Police Chaplaincy by George Madden.pdf

Download PDF • 78KB