Joy Hibbins - The Suicide Prevention Pocket Guidebook

A Trigger Book

Published by Welbeck Balance

An imprint of Welbeck Publishing Group

20 Mortimer Street

London W1T 3JW

First published by Welbeck Balance in 2021

Copyright Joy Hibbins, 2021

Joy Hibbins has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the Author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owners and the publishers.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

US eBook ISBN: 978-1-80-129033-3

UK eBook ISBN: 978-1-78-956300-9

Typeset by Lapiz Digital Services

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Note/Disclaimer

Welbeck Balance encourages diversity and different viewpoints. However, all views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this book are the authors own and are not necessarily representative of Welbeck Publishing Group as an organization. All material in this book is set out in good faith for general guidance; no liability can be accepted for loss or expense incurred in following the information given. In particular, this book is not intended to replace expert medical or psychiatric advice. It is intended for informational purposes only and for your own personal use and guidance. It is not intended to diagnose, treat or act as a substitute for professional medical advice. The author is not a medical practitioner, and professional advice should be sought if desired before embarking on any health-related programme. Names of clients and other individuals have been changed in this book.

www.welbeckpublishing.com

Joy Hibbins is the founder and chief executive of Suicide Crisis, a registered charity that runs suicide crisis centres. The charitys work has attracted national and international attention as a result of their zero suicide achievement. As of April 2021, they have been providing suicide crisis services for eight years, and throughout that period all clients have survived while under their care.

Their 24-hour service provides a combination of suicide crisis centres, home visits and emergency phone lines for clients under their care.

Joy set up the charity in 2012, and their first Suicide Crisis Centre opened a year later. Joy had experienced suicidal crisis herself and she felt there was a need for a different kind of crisis service. It was very important to have a highly skilled, well-trained team, but their personal qualities would be equally important: kindness and care would be at the heart of their work.

In 2016 Joy was invited to a series of meetings by the UK Governments adviser on suicide. She was asked to give a presentation about their Suicide Crisis Centre to the national advisory group on suicide prevention, which was chaired by the Governments adviser. She was subsequently invited to a meeting with the Chair of a Parliamentary Health Select Committee, where she was asked to give her opinion on the Governments new suicide prevention policy. Prior to that, she was invited to give evidence to a UK Parliamentary Select Committee, which was tasked with looking at the measures needed to prevent suicide. In the same year, the Labour Partys Shadow Minister for Mental Health visited their Suicide Crisis Centre. Joy continues to attend meetings of the UKs All Party Parliamentary Group on Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention.

In 2019 she was contacted by a senior manager from the Ministry of Health in New Zealand, who was leading their new suicide prevention strategy. They wanted to learn more about the work of the charity as they planned their new national strategy. Further communications took place and Joy received a letter in which they commended the charitys work, described it as inspiring, and asked her to reflect on the fact that it is supporting other work across the world.

Joy has always felt it important that the charity remains fully independent. The charity receives no government or statutory funding. It is funded primarily by small grants and by donations from the public.

In November 2018, Joy received the Janey Antoniou award for an outstanding contribution to addressing stigma and improving the lives of people affected by mental illness.

In January 2019, she was named in the Queens New Year Honours List for services to vulnerable people.

The authors royalties for this book are being donated to Suicide Crisis.

To my parents, with love and thanks for their constant support.

And to all the clients who we have been privileged to support at our Suicide Crisis Centres thank you for the difference you make to the world.

If you are in crisis, please call your doctor or a mental health or crisis service straight away.

If you are at immediate risk of suicide, call emergency services or go to the Emergency Department of your local hospital.

There are national suicide prevention helplines in many countries, and these provide excellent support in times of crisis.

UK and Ireland: The Samaritans on 116 123

USA: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255. From 2022, it will change to a three-digit number: 988.

Canada: Canada Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-833-456-4560. There are plans to change this to a three-digit number: 988.

Australia: Lifeline on 13 11 14

New Zealand: Need to talk? on 1737

Your life is precious. Please seek help.

I feel very lucky to have discovered Joys work. I was looking for a clinical approach where people in a suicidal crisis are supported in a truly open-hearted, humane and compassionate way, as equals, which we could learn from as professionals.

Joy and the Suicide Crisis Centre have found a way to provide exactly this, and Ive been seriously impressed by the service they have developed. Their methods incorporate the continuity and compassion of a good therapeutic relationship with a tenacious, proactive approach in a way that really meets peoples needs in their darkest hours.

As a professional I have already learnt a lot from Joys talks and writing, but there is a need for more. I regularly hear from carers, friends and families that they feel ill-equipped to support their loved ones in their times of need and this book will fill this important gap by offering skills and understanding that can be applied widely.

Dr Deborah Dover MBChB MRCPsych BSc (Hons)
Deputy Medical Director, Consultant Psychiatrist and Suicide Prevention Lead, Barnet, Enfield and Haringey (London) Mental Health NHS Trust

Joys work has become my go-to place for sound ideas, wisdom and practical guidance on suicide prevention. It comes from personal and crisis support experience, and it goes to the heart of good practice. Her work demonstrates how human connection, caring presence and building relationships of trust have to be at the centre of any response to crisis.