Suicide is a behavioral health crisis that prevention and early intervention can interrupt. But only when community members have the skills and confidence to act when someone they know is struggling. Most do not.

Suicide remains a critical public health issue across East Tennessee, with many individuals experiencing depression, isolation, and limited access to support. While crisis services like 988 are essential, most individuals in distress first confide in someone they know, such as a friend, family member, coworker, or faith leader, yet many people feel unprepared to respond effectively in these moments.

CONTACT Care Line answered over 80,233 crisis contacts last year, reinforcing what experience and research show: early intervention by trusted individuals can prevent escalation and save lives. However, there is a clear gap in available training. QPR provides a brief introduction but limited hands-on practice, while ASIST offers in-depth skill-building but requires a significant time commitment.

To address this gap, CONTACT proposes CARE (Connect, Ask, Respond, Engage), a four-hour, in-person training designed to build practical, confidence-based intervention skills. CARE will include interactive simulations and real-world scenarios to help participants recognize warning signs, initiate conversations, and support individuals in distress.

CARE’s Listening Monsters framework, developed through decades of crisis-line practice, helps participants identify and overcome conversational habits that interfere with effective helping.

CONTACT seeks to support research, curriculum development, collaboration with University of Tennessee faculty, and creation of participant materials, resulting in a training ready for scalable implementation across Trinity’s nine-county region.