A World Where LivingWorks

Building Networks of Safety

This episode is all about moving our minds from the concept of managing risk to building networks of safety when it comes to suicide prevention and mental wellbeing. In “Building Networks of Safety” host Kim Borrowdale talks with Bruce Turley and Edmund McCombs.

Bruce is a well-known LivingWorks contributor and has been part of the team for 20 years, working on design, development, and evaluation. He walks us through the evolution of suicide first aid training and discusses how approaches have shifted over the past decades to current best practices in training.

Edmund McCombs is the Head of External Partnerships and General Manager, Social Sustainability for global property and construction company LendLease. Edmund pulls back the curtain on how a global workplace in the property and construction industry is at the forefront of shifting from incident management of physical safety to thinking about supporting staff as people bringing their whole selves to work daily and what that means for their physical and mental health and safety.

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Behind Crisis Lines

The sixth and final episode in the first series of our podcast A World Where LivingWorks is “Behind Crisis Lines”. This episode takes a look at the people and practices behind crisis lines and suicide intervention support services. Who are the voices at the other end of the line? What training and support do they receive to be there for people in distress? And how have these organisations put processes in place to take care of themselves and each other?

Host Kim Borrowdale talks to Joe Ball, CEO of Switchboard Victoria, Australia, and Shari Sinwelski, Vice President of National Networks, Vibrant Emotional Health and Deputy Director, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the United States. 

Switchboard is a suicide prevention organization that provides peer-driven support services for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and gender diverse, intersex, queer, and asexual LGBTIQA+ people, their families, allies, and communities. 

Vibrant Emotional Health administers the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the US with funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The aim is to provide 24/7 support to anyone in emotional distress or suicidal crisis in the US through a network of crisis centres across the country. Close to 200 centres have joined the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and take calls from individuals in their local communities.

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First on the Scene

The fifth episode in our podcast A World Where LivingWorks is “First on the Scene”. This episode is all about living well in the first responder and emergency services workforces.

Host Kim Borrowdale talks with Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent and LivingWorks trainer Paul Bertrand. The FBI is an intelligence-driven and threat-focused national security organization in the United States with both intelligence and law enforcement responsibilities. The FBI works around the globe and employs close to 36,000 people, including special agents and support professionals such as intelligence analysts, language specialists, scientists, and information technology specialists. 

Also joining the conversation from the United Kingdom is Andy Chapman. Andy is a former police officer with many years of his three-decade policing career spent as a hostage negotiator where he often negotiated at length with people planning to take their own lives. Andy is a safeTALK trainer and now the Suicide Prevention Lead for the City of York. 

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Putting Care in Healthcare

The fourth episode in our podcast A World Where LivingWorks is “Putting Care in Healthcare”. This episode is all about healthcare, hospitals, and essential workers and finding the balance between education, understanding, and peer support when it comes to suicide prevention in healthcare.

Host Kim Borrowdale speaks with University of Calgary nursing professor Dr. Jacqueline Smith in Canada, and  President of the Singapore Association of Social Workers Chey May Long (May).

They discuss better ways to support those working in health to build skills and understanding when it comes to suicide prevention for patients and their families and really put the care in healthcare. And they touch on how health workers themselves can find balance between helping others and looking after their own mental wellness.

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Young People and the 'S' Word

This episode is all about suicide prevention in schools. How can we safely and effectively build suicide intervention skills in young people? And we ask our guests the question, what have we learned about training in schools, as well as how do we support those around young people such as teachers, parents, and carers?

Host Kim Borrowdale speaks with Associate Professor Jo Robinson from Orygen, an Australian youth mental health organisation, where she leads a program of work focused upon youth suicide prevention. Jo has also undertaken evaluation of the efficacy and acceptability of LivingWorks safeTALK for secondary school students.

Joining Kim and Jo is Kathleen Snyder, a Senior Training Coach of ASIST with three decades of experience with that program, as well as a safeTALK Instructor. Kathleen has a Master of Social Work, is a Law Enforcement and Community Chaplain, and is the California Representative for LivingWorks, supporting more than 500 trainers in that region.

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Protecting our Protectors

The second episode in our new podcast A World Where LivingWorks is “Protecting Our Protectors”. This episode is all about living well in the defence and military communities and asking that all important question, when it comes to suicide and mental health, how are we protecting the lives of those who protect ours?

Host Kim Borrowdale speaks with Sergeant First Class Chris Allen, Suicide Prevention Program Manager for the South Carolina Army National Guard in the USA, and Dr. Stephanie Hodson, National Manager of Open Arms, a Veterans and families counselling organization in Australia.

Both are Veterans and both their organizations use LivingWorks programs, as well as others, to keep their communities safe from suicide. In the podcast they both zeroed in on some similarities they see when it comes to those who serve in the military regardless of which country you’re from.

Click here for transcripts.

About A World Where LivingWorks

So, what is this podcast all about? And when you’re spoiled for choice, why should you choose this podcast? 

Whether you are working in suicide prevention or interested in implementing suicide first aid into your workplace or community, this podcast is for you. 

In this series our host Kim Borrowdale will be talking with people from all over the world with different personal and professional perspectives, with research backgrounds, clinical experience and on the ground expertise in building stronger, more cohesive communities. 

In each episode she'll talk with two people from different countries who share a common interest or profession to share with you what they’ve learned when it comes to suicide prevention and creating industry and community networks of safety.

From construction to healthcare, military veterans and first responders (including the FBI) to schools and education.

All bring their unique professional perspectives. Many bring their personal experiences with suicide to the table. Wherever they live and work. Whatever their backgrounds.

They all share this in common. A passion for making a positive difference and a drive to contribute to a world where living works.

Don’t miss new episodes as they drop over the coming weeks. Subscribe to A World Where LivingWorks on all the usual channels. And make sure you share episodes you find interesting with your family, friends and colleagues on social media tagging LivingWorks.