Safety, Hope, & Healing
Counseling & Consulting
L.I.S.T.E.N.
Tools for Showing Up During Hard Times
People consistently report that what they need most when they are in the early stages of mental health, substance use, and suicidal challenges is someone who will listen. And, at the same, there are real barriers for lay people in connecting with people who may be struggling. Research overwhelmingly shows that social connection is a protective factor for every major behavioral health challenge. Many excellent programs exist to provide guidance and support for the general public on how to intervene when people are experiencing a crisis; however, little exists to help people connect and provide support earlier on.
The primary goal of the L.I.S.T.E.N. training is to provide participants with the confidence and skills to connect with friends and family prior to the onset of a serious mental health or substance use crisis.
The 90-minute L.I.S.T.E.N. training provides tools to help people understand how to show up, connect, and actively listen to and support the people in their lives who might be struggling.
L.I.S.T.E.N. is the acronym, the starting place, and the most important overall directive.
The non-linear framework of L.I.S.T.E.N. is:
L – Listen actively
I – Inquire about what is going on and what the person needs
S – Support them for who they are and what they need
T – Tell them about options and supports, and that there is hope
E – Encourage them to access the supports and to hold the hope
N – Notice what is coming up for you and what you need to show up for yourself
What makes L.I.S.T.E.N. different?
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Brief - The training is 90 minutes
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Designed with a lens of trauma-informed principles - acknowledging the role of trauma and toxic stress in driving many hardships people face
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Designed with input from people with lived experience with a range of challenges about what has and has not been helpful
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Emphasizes the value of peer and social supports - acknowledging that formal treatment is not always the best or only path for everyone
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Non-pathologizing - no focus on diagnosis, just supports what people have found helpful for all types of distress
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On-going support and connection for participants through the website portal, learning collaboratives, and email group - acknowledging the limitations of one-off trainings in changing behavior
Training Objectives:
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Encourage people to connect with and show up for others in their lives who might need support
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Reduce perceived barriers to connecting with someone who may be struggling
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Provide a framework for showing up for people, and when necessary, connecting them to additional supports
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Manage their own reactions and show up for themselves too
What Participants Are Saying:
●I love that you built it on data
●I think that it’s excellent for what it can deliver in a short amount of time. Simple framework. For everyone. Much needed.
●The accessibility and wide application. I think using this with teens could be beneficial. I don’t think they have much quite like this. Definite use for adults and even senior citizens.
●It’s a great resource for providing catch-all mental health support for the average person. It is short, accessible and easy to remember.
●Taking more time to just listen and notice with friends versus offering lots of resources. To encourage and support others in a different way.
●Loved the concrete ideas about what to say to people – I think that is often missing in a lot of trainings
●I felt it was helpful and will take the LISTEN acronym and use it in my own life.●It was honestly all wonderful.
●I think you honed a really tight model.
Trainers/Training Developers:
Sarah Gaer, MA
Sarah is a suicide loss survivor and holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with over twenty four years’ experience in the field of mental health care. She is a proud alumna of Holyoke Community College Class of ’98 and Antioch New England University Class of ’09. Her graduate degree work was focused on military veterans and trauma.
Since 2012, Sarah has worked as a Suicide Prevention Specialist focused on men in their middle years and public safety. She has trained hundreds of first responders in trauma, toxic stress reduction and suicide prevention. Sarah is a QPR (Question, Persuade & Refer) Master Trainer for the QPR Institute.
Sarah is currently Chair of the Central Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention and sits on the Executive Committee for the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention. She is also a consultant and trainer for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health CIT-TTAC Jail Diversion program specializing in Law Enforcement mental health and suicide prevention.
Joanna Bridger, LICSW
Joanna is the Director of Safety, Hope, & Healing Counseling & Consulting.
She has worked with youth, families, adults, and communities that have experienced trauma and loss in a wide range of settings in the U.S. and abroad for more than 20 years. Joanna has taught at Boston University School of Social Work and was the Clinical consultant for the Support After Death by Overdose (SADOD) program. She serves as a Playmaker Mentor with the Life is Good Playmaker Project. She is the Co-Chair of the Greater Boston Regional Suicide Prevention Coalition, and sits on the Executive Committee for the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention.
For ten years Joanna was the Clinical Director for Riverside Trauma Center. Prior to that she worked for ten years with people experiencing homelessness and interpersonal violence in a variety of settings.