Suicide Risk, Assessment and Management in Emergency Department Settings (SRAM-ED) first aid workshop

SRAM-ED training was developed by the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Learning. It equips participants with the skills to support a person in suicidal crisis, keeping them safe and supporting their ongoing care. The course supports staff in emergency and urgent care settings to assess risk and sensitively respond, and to support and refer in a compassionate and capable manner utilising best practice approaches.

It is not uncommon for patients in emergency and urgent care settings to disclose suicidality whilst being treated for acute injuries. Following the SRAM ED training, participants will be able to:

• confidently recognise warning signs and risk factors for suicide and ask directly about suicidal thoughts
• be equipped to use sensitive, compassionate, culturally informed, and trauma aware questioning techniques to explore a person’s suicidal ideation, intent, desire, and plans 
• be able to identify and incorporate effective short term safety strategies into a person centred care plan to help keep the individual safe.

All participants must complete a two-hour self-learning activity before attending the workshop. You will receive the material after registering. By registering for this session, you consent to having your registration information shared with Murray PHN and the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Learning. You will receive your self-learning module from the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Learning.

While training is tailored to supporting patients in emergency and urgent care settings, the skills participants gain will gain can be applied in non-acute and primary care settings. 

Topics include:

• Engage Assess Respond Support (EARS) framework
• barriers and challenges in engagement 
• trauma-informed and culturally sensitive care
• risk factors and warning signs
• suicidal ideation planning and intent (including role play to consolidate skills)
• safety and support

SRAM-ED training is supported by Safer Care Victoria. All participants will receive certification from the trainers.

Speakers

Chris Pidd, Suicide Prevention Lead - Murray PHN

Chris Pidd is a dedicated suicide prevention advocate, trainer, and community mental health leader with over a decade of experience supporting individuals and organisations through crisis intervention, education, and systemic change. 

Beginning his career in frontline support, Chris quickly expanded his impact by developing evidence-based training programs for schools, workplaces, and community groups that emphasise practical skills, compassionate communication, and culturally responsive care. He has led public awareness campaigns, coordinated multi-agency response teams, and advised policymakers on effective prevention strategies that prioritise early intervention and access to care.

Chris holds certifications in crisis counselling, suicide prevention training, and trauma-informed care, and he regularly presents at conferences and webinars to share best practices and reduce stigma. Known for a calm, empathetic approach, he centres lived experience and collaborates closely with survivors, families, clinicians, and peer-support networks to create safer environments. His work integrates data-driven evaluation with community feedback to ensure programs are both effective and equitable.

Shaina Serelson, Senior Project Officer - Safer Care Victoria

Shaina is an experienced mental health nurse who has worked in various public mental health services in Victoria. Her work is driven by a belief that people deserve compassionate health care, and that the systems around us should make doing the work easier, not harder. 

Shaina brings a strong commitment to suicide prevention, delivering suicide prevention education through the Victorian Centre for Mental Health Learning and supporting clinicians to translate values into everyday practice.

Her work has increasingly focused on strengthening the systems that sit around clinical care. At Safer Care Victoria, Shaina developed training aligned with the Zero Suicide Framework and now leads a statewide improvement project working with hospitals, clinicians, and people with lived experience to improve how health systems respond to people experiencing suicidal distress. At the heart of her work is the belief that prevention is everyone’s responsibility and that compassionate systems enable safer care.

Learning outcomes:

• Identify warning signs and risk factors of someone that may be at risk of suicide
• Apply compassionate, culturally sensitive and trauma‑informed specific questioning techniques to explore suicidal ideation, intent, desire and plans.
• Identify effective strategies to include in a person's care plan to help keep them in in the short term.