National Crisis Intervention Training Institute, Inc.
National Crisis Intervention Training Institute, Inc.
NCITI has no more important function than to assist family, friends, significant others, law enforcement officials, clinicians, and other helping professionals in the prevention of suicide. Often dubbed as a "permanent solution to a temporary problem," this definition fails when considering the non-stop, chronic, and life-long pain and suffering experienced by children, youth, and adults who are battling each and every day to stay alive; resisting the urge or compulsion to take their own lives, as a way of ultimately escaping the psychological, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual dungeon in which they are captive.
By clicking on the link below, you will be able to access an NCITI presentation on suicide prevention, that explains the phenomenon of suicide, the "stinkin' thinkin'" and "stuck state" that many sufferers find themselves in, and how caring individuals can assist and help to rescue those sufferers from certain death. In the presentation, we introduce a questionnaire, entitled the "Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale," which is not only utilized by professional Crisis First Responders, but by concerned lay-persons, as well. We strongly encourage you to first study the "First Response to Suicidal Emergencies," then follow the links given in the presentation to the Columbia Lighthouse Project website, found at cssrs.columbia.edu ,where you can actually become certified in the use of the C-SSRS.
As always, if we can be of direct assistance to you, or provide you with additional information, feel free to contact us. If you are currently dealing with a loved one who is battling chronic depression and suicidal thoughts or ideations, or you suspect that someone you know is suicidal, call 911 and request a professional Emergency First Responder to aid in the evaluation of your loved one. Depending on your community, it may be a police officer who is specially trained as a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) member. People often hesitate to notify law enforcement, for fear of angering the suicidal person. Our strong contention is that an angry friend is far preferable to a dead one.
For a detailed training presentation on "First Response to Suicidal Emergencies," or a quick reference list of "The Top Ten Things to NEVER Say to a Suicidal Person," click the "Download" buttons below.