Soul Shop

Soul Shop

Program Type

Education or Training Program

Cost

$2,501 or more

Evidence Type

Empirically-Defined Evidence

SPRC Comprehensive Approach

Identify and Assist, Connectedness

approved What is this?
Program or Intervention Summary

Soul Shop™ for Leaders is a one-day suicide prevention training designed to equip faith community leaders to recognize, respond to, and support individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts and related distress. Faith leaders are often trusted first points of contact for individuals facing mental health challenges, including suicide risk, grief, isolation, and despair. This program prepares clergy, ministry staff, chaplains, lay leaders, and faith-based clinicians to foster soul-safe communities where individuals can speak openly and receive compassionate, informed support.

The purpose of Soul Shop™ for Leaders is to integrate suicide awareness, prevention, and response practices into congregational life and leadership. Program goals include increasing participants’ knowledge of suicide risk and protective factors; strengthening confidence and skills to engage in direct, supportive conversations about suicide; reducing stigma within faith communities; and enhancing the capacity of congregations to respond to individuals impacted by suicide, including those at risk and those bereaved by suicide loss.

Outcomes are measured through participant self-report and pre/post training assessments, including changes in knowledge of suicide warning signs and risk factors, confidence in engaging individuals at risk, and perceived ability to apply intervention and referral skills. Some implementations also assess behavioral intentions and reported use of learned skills following training.

By the end of the training, participants can identify warning signs and risk factors, initiate direct and supportive conversations about suicide, apply a structured conversational intervention approach, and connect individuals to appropriate supports and resources. Participants also develop strategies to incorporate suicide prevention into ministry practices and organizational planning.

Essential components include suicide prevention education, theological reflection, guided discussion, stigma reduction, practical conversation tools, and skill-building exercises. The program also supports congregational planning by providing guidance on creating supportive environments, developing faith-informed messaging, and equipping members with foundational awareness and response skills. Soul Shop™ for Leaders is distinct in its integration of evidence-informed suicide prevention practices within a faith-based context, promoting both individual skill development and broader organizational change.

Type Education or Training Program
Setting In-person, Other
People Religious or Faith-Based Groups, Women, Men, Service members, veterans, and their families (SMVF), Mental Health Professionals
Languages English
Study Method Mixed Methods Design
Implementer Requirement Adults, Faith and spiritual community leaders, Mental health treatment providers
Training Requirement Yes
Delivery Options In-Person
Risk and Protective Factors Sense of hopelessness, Social isolation, Feeling connected to others, Feeling connected to school, community, and other social institutions, Cultural, religious, or moral objections to suicide

Is there a broken link on this page? Let us know!