Preparing Ahead

In-Person Workshop Environment and Room Setup

The ideal workshop room will have desks or tables arranged in a “chevron," however, SafeSide workshop has been delivered in a variety of environments and can be adjusted to nearly any room configuration.

Workshop Size

The SafeSide Workshop can serve groups as large as 350 people, but for the best experience we recommend capping at 50-75. That size allows a more interactive experience and greater active engagement from participants.

Schedule for the Day

You know your audience best, including reasonable times to start and finish. As a guideline, we suggest 9am-4pm, with an hour for lunch and two 15 min breaks. We are happy to start earlier in the morning, but ask that you consider whether participants will arrive on time. Dr. Pisani and Ms. Mossgraber share their personal stories at the beginning of the day, so it is not ideal for participants to miss that background.

AV Requirements

• Two (2) lapel microphones. Dr. Pisani and Ms. Mossgraber request a wireless lavalier (lapel) microphones that will allow them to move freely around the training space. For groups larger than 70, 1-2 additional wireless handheld mics are helpful to amplify participant questions and comments.
• Dr. Pisani must use his own laptop to present. It is an Apple laptop. He brings all necessary adapters for A/V projection.
• The SafeSide workshop involves video presentations of key skills and concepts. Thus, good, clear sound projection is essential. If the venue is unfamiliar, we ask that workshop organizers personally check screen size and sound amplification (rather than just asking a venue representative) to make sure it can be comfortably seen and heard throughout the room.
• One flip chart with & markers, wipe board, or similar surface to write on.

Promotional Materials

Assets to support communication and publicity for the event can be downloaded here.

Assets include:

• A two-page overview of the SafeSide Workshop (.pdf) that can be distributed to prospective participants.
• Links to bios and photos of Dr. Pisani and Ms. Mossgraber
  
• A workshop cover image that is sized to fit into powerpoint presentations.
• A set of SafeSide logos you can use for promotional purposes.

Participant Handouts

Prior to the workshop, you can download and print a simple handout that contains the SafeSide framework with some parts left open for them to fill in during the workshop. This is ideally printed in color, with legal (extra long) paper, but it can also be printed on regular letter-size paper.

After the workshop, participants can download a .pdf of the entire framework with all blanks filled in. The speakers will provide a download link for the group at the end of the workshop.

The Day of the Training

The on-site coordinator will be responsible for ensuring the room and audio-visual arrangements are in place and working, registering participants who are registering that day and distributing training manuals.

The on-site coordinator or designee should also be prepared to welcome the audience, provide location-specific instructions (such as restroom and refreshment locations), and introduce Dr. Pisani and Ms. Mossgraber.

Speaker Bios

The following bios should be used when introducing the presenters:

Tony Pisani is an international leader in suicide prevention education. He is on the faculty of University of Rochester–Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide. Dr. Pisani has published numerous academic papers and served on national workgroups including the Workforce Preparedness Taskforce of the National Action Alliance, which authored the current US Suicide Prevention Strategy.

Kristina Mossgraber is an advocate for recovery-oriented behavioral health care. A suicide attempt survivor, Kristina devotes herself to improving care for others who suffer as she did. She is Director of Education & Community Outreach for the Rochester chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) and provides lived experience expertise to all programs provided by SafeSide Prevention.