Closing the Session
These slides are available for use with this section of the presentation. For information about downloading presentation slides, see Introduction.
Ask participants to assess their confidence now that they’ve completed the training.
Ask participants to reflect on what they’ve learned during the session. If needed, review how to respond empathetically to a student in distress (while considering their own limits and a balance of care and respect), and the various services and resources available to support students.
Invite questions and comments and say that you will stay after the session to talk to anyone who has questions.
Conclude with a brief discussion about what participants can do for their own self-care after the session.
Activity: Brainstorming Self-Care Ideas
Ask participants to jot down a few ideas about how they can take care of themselves after the session and invite them to share with the group. Ideas include:
- Talking to a friend or family member to debrief
- Taking a walk in nature to reflect on what you’ve learned
- Exercising
- Box breathing or meditating
If you are presenting online, ask participants to post one or two thoughts in the chat.
If you haven’t already shared the resources, share Handout 1, Handout 2.2, and Handout 3, and distribute your post-secondary institution’s workshop evaluation.
Facilitator Note: After the Session
Presenting a session on suicide can be emotionally exhausting. Taking time after a session to debrief is important.
If you have co-facilitated the session, take some time to talk about what happened during the session so you can then let go and move on. If you have facilitated the session on your own, consider talking to a colleague or friend to debrief.
Here are some debriefing questions you may want to ask yourself after you’ve completed a session.
- What was a positive moment or success in this session?
- How did the participants engage with the different activities? Are there activities or discussions that I would change for next time?
- Did I or a participant have a response to the material, a shared story, or another participant that was challenging? If so, how was it responded to or resolved?
- Is there something I want to do differently next time? Is there something that would be helpful for me to learn about or check with a co-worker about?
If you feel overwhelmed by anything from the session, talk to a counsellor on your campus. Provincial crisis lines or employee assistance lines can be used as a resource for anyone who needs to talk about their experiences.
Media Attributions
- Beach, sea, coast, sand, ocean, shore, wave, material, body of water, wind wave by anonymous is licensed under CC0 Public Domain Dedication.
- Flower of an Indian Lotus by Hong Zhang is licensed under CC0 Public Domain Dedication.