Ventura County Behavioral Health and the Ventura County Suicide Prevention Council have developed a draft Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan for Ventura County. It can be viewed by clicking here >

COMMENT PERIOD CLOSING ON SEPTEMBER 30
To provide comments on the plan, please click here > 

The Ventura County Suicide Prevention Council is comprised of countywide stakeholders who are dedicated to reducing suicides by offering help and hope to people of every culture, gender, and socioeconomic group throughout their lifespans.

After the plan is published, the Council will likely be forming workgroups to define specific activities and coordinate progress under each area.  

If you are interested in joining the Ventura County Suicide Prevention Council, to request a presentation, training, and/or for more information on implementation groups, please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Suicide touches us all. Find connections and support through personal stories, creative expression, wellness activities and local resources. 

Join us in-person or virtually for the Preventing Suicide: Connections & Community Forum. Free events on September 21 and 29.

REGISTER NOW >

988 – New and Easy to Remember

A new, easy way to access support in a time of crisis is available. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. If you or someone you care about is thinking about suicide, call or text 988 now. It’s free, confidential, and available 24/7. 

Share this number to help link anyone in distress or crisis with a trained counselor who will listen compassionately and provide caring support and crisis resources.

RESOURCES 

• Emergency: Call 911 and ask for a CIT Officer
  
  
• Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call, text, or TTY 988
  Web Chat: www.988lifeline.org 
  
  
• Veteran’s Crisis Line: 988 then dial 1
  
  
• Ventura County Crisis & Referral Line:
  1-866-998-2243
  
  
• Substance Use Treatment Access Line:
  1-844-385-9200
  24/7 • www.VCBH.org 
  
  
• The Trevor Project Lifeline (LGBTQ+ focus):
  1-866-488-7386
  24/7 • www.thetrevorproject.org

Additional Resources:

• Preventing Suicide
• Suicide Warning Signs
• What You Can Do
• Support After a Loss
• Youth & Suicide
• Older Adults & Suicide

See Ventura County Behavioral Health's Community Education & Support webinars, and the rest of our video library, on the Wellness Every Day YouTube channel.

Community Education & Support Webinars

 Learn about crisis signs & symptoms, and how to help someone who is suicidal and connect them to resources.

View on YouTube >

 
Grief is a natural response to various losses we will experience in our lifetime.
Learn about the stages of grief and how to best care for yourself. 

View on YouTube >

Grief is a natural response to various losses we will experience in our lifetime. Learn about the stages of grief and how to best care for yourself. 

Please join us on: 

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 12th 
3:00 – 4:00 PM 

REGISTER NOW for this free Zoom event via email:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Interpretation is available upon prior request.

 The 5th Annual Preventing Suicide: Help & Hope Conference was held on December 10, 2020. Keynote Speaker Pablo Campos from Active Minds shared his insights about struggling with depression and addiction – and his road from attempting suicide to recovery. QPR Suicide Prevention Training was also offered.

Pablo Campos shared an inspiring story of his challenges in his road to recovery and talked about how stigma, cultural norms, and lack of education affected him and his recovery process. He discussed important obstacles that many struggles with when dealing with a mental illness and addiction; growing up without any discussion of or education on mental health, having to juggle the norms of two cultures, and lacking healthy coping skills. Pablo shared about not understanding why he had feelings of anger and frustration and of being unsure how to cope. He talked about how stigma and a lack of education made seeking help more difficult, but by finding a strong network of professionals and loved ones, he was able to grow from being his own worst enemy to a powerful participant in his recovery.

The QPR training is a great educational resource that teaches how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. The program is designed to teach lay and professional "gatekeepers" the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to respond; it is designed to increase the chance of survival in the event of a crisis. The mission for QPR is to reduce suicidal behaviors and save lives by providing innovative, practical and proven suicide prevention training.

Suicide is a tragic reaction to severe distress or feelings of hopelessness in one's life. Thoughts of suicide do not necessarily mean that you want to die. Instead they mean that you have more pain than you can cope with right now. However, suicidal thoughts do not have to become suicidal actions. It's important to know that suicide can be preventable. Whether you are considering ending your life, or know someone who feels suicidal, learn to recognize the warning signs and how to get immediate help. You may save a life – your own or someone else's.

Learn More:

Suicide Can Be Prevented, Wellness Every Day