MIRECC / CoE
Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Suicide Prevention

Updated: 21 November 2017
Educational Products
The Rocky Mountain MIRECC has create a number of useful educational products for Veterans, Families and Clinicians. They can be downloaded or ordered online. All the products are free.
Featured Educational Product
Suicide Attempt Survivor Family Resource Guide



This resource guide related to self-care, care for others (particularly children), and care for the suicide attempt survivor.
Download the Suicide Attempt Survivor Family Resource Guide.
Educational Products
Welcome to the Rocky Mountain MIRECC Educational Products
Simply click on the plus (+) symbol to expand the section and read more about each selected research project. And the minus (-) to close that section.
Suicide Prevention:
A Guide for Military and Veteran Families


If you think a loved one is suicidal, you may be feeling scared and helpless. But you and other family members are often able to tell when a loved one is in crisis, because you know that person best. And there are ways you can help. This guide will help you recognize when someone is at risk for suicide and understand the actions you can take to help.
Suicide Attempt Survivor Family Resource Guide


This resource guide related to self-care, care for others (particularly children), and care for the suicide attempt survivor.
Download the Suicide Attempt Survivor Family Resource Guide.
Informacion y Apoyo para los Sobrevivientes del Suicidio: Guia de Recursos del Departamento de Veteran Affairs para las familias que esten lidiando con el suicidio


This is the Spanish version of the resource guide related to self-care, care for others (particularly children), and care for the suicide attempt survivor.
Download the Informacion y Apoyo para los Sobrevivientes del Suicidio.
How to Talk to a Child about a Suicide Attempt in Your Family: Guides Targeting Preschoolers, School Age Children and Teenagers
also available in Spanish!



Description: These guides (one for each age group) are intended to serve as a guide for parents/adults to use when talking with a preschooler, school age child and teenager about a suicide attempt in the family. The guide is not intended to replace professional mental health advice. In fact, it may be best to use this along with professional support if you or your child is struggling with how to talk about this difficult subject.
There are English and Spanish version available. Currently, the Spanish version uses a previous format. Download:
How to talk to a preschooler about a suicide attempt
Cómo hablar con un hijo de 4 a 8 años acerca de un intento de suicidio en la familia
How to talk to a school age child about a suicide attempt
Cómo hablar con un hijo de 9 a 13 años acerca de un intento de suicidio en la familia
How to talk to a teenager about a suicide attempt
Cómo hablar con un hijo de 14 a 18 años acerca de un intento de suicidio en la familia
There is a new 24 page full color booklet that can be ordered for free that combines all age groups. This booklet is currently only available in English but look for a Spanish version soon.
Lastly, there is a new Talking to Kids about a Suicide Attempt in your Family website to accompany the new booklet.
The VA ACE Card



The purpose of ACE card is to help Veterans, their family members and friends learn that they can take the necessary steps to get help.

The acronym ACE (Ask, Care, Escort) summarizes the steps needed to take an active and valuable role in suicide prevention.
This wallet sized card is easy to hold and pass on to friends and family.

The ACE (Ask, Care, Escort) brochure summarizes the steps needed to take an active and valuable role in suicide prevention. The ACE brochure is good to handout with the ACE card to help make people feel more comfortable using the card.
Order the VA ACE card and the supporting brochure online. Free delivery.
Suicide Risk Assessment Guide

Download the Suicide Risk Assessment Guide.
The Suicide Risk Assessment Guide can be ordered through the local VA Suicide Prevention Coordinator (SPC). This link will take you to a page where the nearest SPC can be found.
DVD: Substance Use and Traumatic Brain Injury Risk Reduction and Prevention



This seven-minute program provides information regarding the impact of using drugs and alcohol after a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The video guides the viewer through a discussion about how the brain works before and after a brain injury, and then demonstrates how drugs and alcohol can affect persons with a history of TBI using brain animations and short vignettes. This tool was designed to facilitate providers in engaging clients in a dialogue about substance use post-injury and was made possible by funding from the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program.
To learn more about the video and watch it online please follow this link.
To order a copy of the DVD please go to our Educational Products page (where you will see other interesting products related to suicide prevention).
Conceptualizing Suicide Risk in TBI: A Supplemental Handbook

This handbook presents an overview of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), a kind of "TBI-The Basics" course. The handbook then explores the relationship between TBI and suicide risk. Presented in an easy to digest manner for our very busy clinician. This a must have for clinicians.
Primary Care Suicide Risk Assessment and Management Resources
This resource guide for Primary Care Physicians that provides online resources was adapted from Suicide Prevention Resource Center: http://www.sprc.org/for-providers/primary-care-resources by Megan Petrik, PhD a post-doctoral fellow at Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Suicide Prevention. Resources include: VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline: Assessment and Management of Patients at Risk for Suicide and Counseling on Access to Lethal Means. Download it now!
Selected Presentations
From the Self-Directed Violence Nomenclature to Suicide 101, Rocky Mountain MIRECC has posted select presentations for Veterans, Families and Clinicians. They can be downloaded easily to help you better understand the complex topic of suicide prevention. [Learn more]
Self-Directed Violence Nomenclature
The Rocky Mountain MIRECC has worked to create a common language, or a nomenclature, related to self-directed violence [Learn more]
