‍Introduction:

Suicide prevention is a critical topic to equip health professionals with the skills to better collaborate with people who may be exhibiting suicidal behaviour. This elearning course is built in Articulate Rise withStoryline block integrations.

Client Background:

The client is the Australian Psychological Society, an organisation focused on mental health. Their mission is to make mental health support accessible to a wide range of professionals in the healthcare, education and mental health industries. 

Course design:

The course aims to help learners develop effective communication strategies, connect individuals at risk with professional help, and understand ongoing self-care practices when dealing with suicidality. It is built using Articulate Rise, a multi-device-friendly elearning authoring tool, with integration of Storyline blocks.

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The course consists of an introduction, seven main topics and an assessment. 

• Introduction to Suicide Prevention
• Topic 1. Examining the role of the psychologist
• Topic 2. Understanding suicidality
• Topic 3. Priority populations
• Topic 4. Assessing and formulating risk
• Topic 5. Developing and managing collaborative treatment care plans
• Topic 6. Understanding ethical and legal issues
• Topic 7. Engaging in self-care
• Assessment

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Course challenges and solutions:

There are several challenges in developing the course, they include:

• Given the topic's sensitive nature, it is essential to select a designtheme that conveys a delicate and nurturing feel without resorting to literal visual elements. 
• Given the course's length, short breaks prompts are included to help learners process the information.
• To prevent cognitive overload, lengthy paragraphs are converted to visuals or broken down in smaller and easily digestible content.

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Course implementation:

The course is published on the APS website, allowing members and non-members to access the course at any time. The course is self-paced, allowing learners to complete the modules at their own pace. 

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Access the course here on the APS website:

https://psychology.org.au/event/23817

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