On 17th January, USI were delighted to be invited down to UCC to take part in the launch event for an undergraduate module in suicide prevention. This module has been developed by the National Suicide Research Foundation (NSRF) and the School of Public Health in UCC, with funding provided by The National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP), which is part of the HSE.

The module is designed to be embedded into the curriculum, and is currently aimed at health and social care students. It will be rolled out as part of a pilot study in UCC this semester, and data will be gathered from this to inform further rollout.

The day was divided into two – with the first half comprising talks from relevant stakeholders, and with provision of an overview of the module and it’s contents, as well as information on how it was developed. The second part of the day took the form of a world cafĂ©, where the barriers and possible solutions of implementing the module were teased out.

The module development included student participation, and the data gathered from the pilot will be from students undertaking the module as well. The development of this module is an important first step in making sure that students are informed and confident in taking steps around suicide prevention, as well as helping to reduce the stigma around suicide among the student population.

If you are an undergraduate student in a health or social care related course in UCC, keep an eye out for this module as it is rolled out this semester, and enrol if you can.