A university initiative aims to equip all staff and students to support people at risk

How can we prevent suicide? Is it the sole responsibility of mental health professionals, or can everyone play their part? Nurse Clare Dickens, a senior lecturer in mental health at Wolverhampton University, believes we all need to understand how to help someone who is feeling suicidal. ‘People can be petrified if they don’t know what to do,’ she says. ‘Our course is designed to give people a basic level of awareness and the confidence to do their bit in that moment.’