Finding Programs and Practices – Suicide Prevention Resource Center

One of the steps in a strategic planning approach to suicide prevention is to find programs and practices that address the risk and protective factors you will be targeting. Program registries and lists are great sources of information on suicide prevention programs and practices.

This page will help you:

Find sources of programs and practices
Use these sources effectively

Suicide Prevention Center’s Best Practices Registry

SPRC’s new Best Practices Registry is now accepting applications! The easy-to-access and user-friendly BPR is seeking applications for programs and interventions that incorporate national frameworks, best practices, and culturally relevant approaches to suicide prevention, as well as upstream strategies to prevent suicide risk before it starts.

We invite you to apply and help spread the word.

SAMHSA’s Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center

This resource center contains a collection of science-based resources for a broad range of audiences. The resources include treatment improvement protocols, toolkits, resource guides, clinical practice guidelines, and other resource types. Users can search by topic area, substance, or condition, as well as by resource type, target population (e.g., youth, adult), and target audience (e.g., clinicians, prevention professionals, patients, policymakers). This resource center is especially useful for identifying resources relevant to the effective care and treatment of people with serious mental illness, a population that is at increased risk for suicide.

Other Program Registries and Lists

Many other registries and lists are available, each with its own focus and criteria. The resources below offer many additional sources of information on programs, including programs targeting specific groups and upstream prevention programs:

SPRC: List of promising prevention practices that are culturally appropriate for American Indian/Alaska Native settings
National Institutes of Health, Office of Disease Prevention: Links to lists of evidence-based interventions and strategies
Youth.gov: Links to federally sponsored evidence-based program directories, listed by government department and agency

Be sure to follow the guidance below on how to use program registries and lists. Just because a program appears on an evidence-based registry or other list doesn’t necessarily make it a good suicide prevention program for a particular population or setting!

Using Program Registries and Lists

Suicide prevention efforts are most effective when they are guided by a strategic planning process. Strategic planning can help you determine specific risk and protective factors on which to focus in your community, identify activities that will be effective in preventing suicide, and prioritize your efforts to achieve maximum impact.

When looking at existing programs, keep in mind that although a program was shown to be effective in changing one or more outcomes, that doesn’t mean it will work for your population, setting, or goals. Be sure to look for programs that address the risk and protective factors identified in your needs assessment and are the most appropriate for the group(s) you are trying to reach.

Here are some tips for selecting programs:

Avoid simply “picking from the list.” Program registries and lists are useful tools, but they are not substitutes for thoughtful data-driven strategic planning.
Start with a needs assessment. Before consulting a registry, conduct a local assessment of the problem, risk and protective factors, and current efforts.
Assess relevance. Look for programs that address the underlying risk and protective factors and the conditions that drive or contribute to suicide in your context.
Consider practical fit. Choose programs that match your population, setting, and culture and that are feasible in terms of capacity, resources, and readiness to act.