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Secondary Care

Testimonials

Kevin Bailey, Strategic Health & Wellbeing Co-ordinator, West Belfast Partnership Board, Belfast

“The PABBS training was a day well spent. Sharon and Barry are excellent facilitators that bring enthusiasm and compassion to a topic which is often taboo in communities. The mix of research, experience and facilitation skills of the trainers is evident. I left the training feeling more confident and skilled to support and care for individuals and communities bereaved by suicide. I would highly recommend this training to anyone working in suicide prevention, intervention or postvention”

PABBS Training – Belfast – April 2021

Wendy Brook, Merulae - Counsellor MHFA Associate and independent trainer. Mental Health Speaker. Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner

I deliver training, work with trainers and attend training Dr Sharon McDonnell, Suicide Bereavement UK and yours [PABBS] in Manchester pre-covid was among the best I have attended. I left feeling further motivated when working with those bereaved by suicide. As you always say this comes from you as a professional and a person and it shows!

Wendy Brook – LinkedIn – 20/05/2021

Rick Harrington, Mental Health Trainer, FORCES in the Community

“PABBS training delivers the knowledge needed to engage effectively with people bereaved by suicide. The aftermath is often devastating and far reaching so knowing what support to consider is a must.”

There were no issues for me with the COVID-19 arrangements.

PABBS Training – Manchester – December 2020

Mairead Ashton, Educational Mental Health Practitioner, RDASH NHS Foundation Trust, Doncaster

I found the training [PABBS] invaluable and has offered me some great ideas on how to support people after suicide. It was great to hear people’s lived experience and to know that it is ok not to have all the answers but to simply be there for them afterwards can be enough.

PABBS in-house training – Doncaster – October 2020

Vivienne Lee, Child Mortality Nurse, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

It was a fantastic day, where a difficult subject was handled well.

I have known families in both my personal and professional life, who have been bereaved by suicide and have felt ill equipped to know how to best care for them. This training has provided great insight in how to support families and professionals through this challenging time.

PABBS in-house training – High Wycombe – October 2020

Carol Smith, Counsellor, Healthy Minds, Oldham

As a counselor I come into contact with many bereaved people and have felt confident in my skills to offer support and hopefully comfort.  However when I have been met with people bereaved by suicide I was always nervous of saying or doing the wrong thing.  Through attending PABBS and the practical training delivered by a team who are both knowledge and passionate about their subject helped me build my confidence in supporting those who have been bereaved by suicide.
PABBS training – Manchester – January 2020

Beverley Whitfield, Postvention Practitioner, West Yorkshire & Harrogate Suicide Bereavement Service, North East

This is the best training I have been on for a long time and found it very informative. The trainers were great. It also learnt me a lot about my past experiences to which I can take with me and pass on to others in need. Would definitely recommend the training to others.  Thank you.
PABBS training – Manchester – December 2019

Nic Ferguson, Caseworker, Victim Support, Gloucester

I found the day insightful, informative and inspiring. The trainers offered research-based content with sensitivity and conviction. I’d highly recommend PABBS training to anyone in a helping profession.
PABBS in-house training – Gloucester – December 2019

Kayley Smith, Clinical Lead, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, North West

I attended the PABBS training and found it really helpful . I would feel confident and knowledgeable in supporting people affected by bereavement related to suicide . Id feel confident in supporting staff members within my workplace should they become affected by this also.
PABBS training – Manchester – December 2019

Dr Sharada Abilash, Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director for Quality and Safety, Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, Midlands

PABBS suicide bereavement training is very useful for all the professionals. It gives an understanding of how little we are doing  to support the affected at present. Bereavement itself is difficult and following suicide it gets even more complex and emotional.
PABBS in-house training – Dudley – December 2019

Jayne Bell, Consultant Nurse for Complex Clinical Risk Management, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board - Mental Health Clinical Board, Wales

Having completed the Suicide Bereavement Training in December 2019, I have returned to my role inspired to try and set up a service within my Health Board. It doesn’t feel right that at the moment, all we can offer is signposting to other services, so it was pleasing to discuss the simple and practical things that I could do in my new role to support those bereaved by suicide in my local area.
PABBS training – Manchester – December 2019

Dr John Dudgeon, Medical Case Examiner, General Medical Council (GMC)

The PABBS course helped me in a number of ways. It was reassuring to learn the approach I currently take was broadly in keeping with what was being promoted. This was encouraging and important to hear as often, particularly in general practice, you work in isolation and uncertainty about how you handle sensitive tasks can predominate. To see the challenges those bereaved for any reason, but particularly by suicide, presented to all of us in the room that day allowed me to better accept this role we fulfil; a role most around us will never experience. As someone who is carefully watching how primary care in the UK is changing, I was encouraged that I was the only doctor in the room; despite the course having been initially designed with GPs in mind. I was impressed by the skill and compassion demonstrated by my fellow attendees. This left me reassured that we are increasingly going to be able to provide PABBS to those who most need it; as we have recognised it does not need to be given by a doctor. Given the leadership role GPs are asked to take within primary care it would, however, be important that GPs in a senior role were familiar with the skills PABBS provides. I would like to thanks the presenters who were open about their own relationships with the issues we discussed. This empowered them to provide a  credible and empathic approach to the day.
PABBS training – Manchester – December 2019

Karen Nicoll, Unity Locality Manager, Lead Nurse, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester

I really enjoyed the course , it was interactive and thought provoking , not just in relation to how we need to work with the family and friends of those people who have ended their lives, but especially the impact it has on staff , and ways to support these staff , acknowledge that staff will be impacted by these acts. Would seriously recommend  the training to other staff , and I plan to look at how I can change my practice to support staff.
PABBS training – Manchester – December 2019

Helen John, Primary Mental Health Nurse, Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, West Midlands

In one sentence it was both emotional and inspirational.
PABBS in-house training – Dudley – December 2019

Rebecca Firth, Assistant Psychologist, South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Yorkshire

I attended the PABBS Suicide Bereavement Training in Manchester in December 2019. I work for CAMHS in an Assistant Psychologist position and my work brings me into contact with young people who are bereaved by suicide. This training allowed me to hone the skills I didn’t realise I already had, and taught me new skills that help me gain a greater understanding of bereavement by suicide in order for me to pass these skills on to the young people I work with. Highly recommend it to everyone.
PABBS training – Manchester – December 2019

Gemma McIntosh, CAMHS Primary Practitioner, South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Yorkshire

This training provides great insight into the grief process and the complexities of supporting someone bereaved by suicide. The trainers have an incredible amount of knowledge about the subject area and provided a safe, comfortable space to explore thoughts and feelings of those that attended in a contained, well-paced way. I enjoyed the opportunity to hear perspectives of fellow trainees who were from lots of different clinical backgrounds and feel that this was an invaluable part of the training.
PABBS training – Manchester – December 2019

Lorraine O’Mara, Young Persons Counsellor, Manchester and Blackburn Foyer, Blackburn

I recently attended the PABBS training in Manchester, the course exceeded my expectations and will be very useful in the future whilst working with young people.The training will help me to identify the risk of suicide and the likely hood of suicide in families. The course in delivered in a professional manner with many. Interesting facts to support the information delivered.
PABBS training – Manchester – December 2019

Rachel McCluskie, Clinical Lead, South Tyneside Crisis Team, Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, North East

I found the PABBS training extremely useful, it was emotive and very engaging. The training increased my understanding of postvention support and facilitated me to consider ways in which we can further develop this within my area of practice.
PABBS in-house training – Sunderland – November 2019

Clare Johnson, Team Manager Sunderland Crisis Team, Associate AHP Director, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust, North East

As you are aware I attended PABBS training on Friday. It was very useful for those staff who currently, or might be in a position to, provide a postvention response to families and friends and bereaved by the suicide of one of our service users, or indeed our service users who are bereaved by suicide. The training offers a valuable insight into evidence based techniques and approaches which bereaved individuals have found beneficial. Following the training I would feel more confident offering postvention to bereaved individuals and it would be more likely that these interactions would be helpful and supportive. If more clinicians can access this training this will further enhance the postvention response our services are able to provide.
PABBS in-house training – Sunderland – November 2019

Kate Costello, Psychiatric Nurse, South Tyneside General Hospital, Cumbria, Northumbria, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust, North East

I was feeling very excited about attending the PABBS suicide bereavement training prior to coming. The prospect of guidance and tools to help when meeting with people who have been bereaved by suicide felt positive. The content and the delivery of the training by both Sharon and Angela was amazing. There is nothing better than learning from people who have lived experience of the topic and are enthusiastic  about helping bring about change. The content was real, from people who have lived it, with their advice of what helps the most. I left feeling motivated and less frightened of how I would react when I was faced with a postvention situation. You must have decided to use the secret shopping scheme because on my first day back to work a gentleman who had been bereaved by suicide in August was one of our assessments for the day. I enthusiastically prepared the resources that I know knew were the most meaningful and had no worries as I left to see him. The session went well, the gentleman gratefully received the information I provided and seemed to benefit from just being heard. Thank you for a great training, I am telling every one of my colleagues to attend when you come again.
PABBS in-house training – Sunderland – November 2019