The Army Installation Management Command launched an online version of the Suicide Prevention Program Coordinator course Dec. 17 and, initially, all new and current SPPCs will be required to take the course.
Suicide Prevention Program Coordinators are responsible for supporting Commanders by implementing the Army’s Suicide Prevention Program at the installation, state and command levels, said Derek Ferrell, Suicide Prevention Program Manager at Headquarters, Installation Management Command. The SPPC course familiarizes new SPPCs with their roles and responsibilities within their respective locations and provides them with foundational knowledge to effectively perform those duties.
The new online course provides a mechanism by which new SPPCs can meet the Army regulatory requirement of completing the SPPC course within 120 days of assuming their position, Ferrell said.
“(The online course is) just a great baseline for us, especially as new SPPCs that come in, to give that understanding of everything that we should be doing in this position,” said Christa Zayas, who has worked as an SPPC for four years and beta-tested the course, which is being offered through the Army Training Information System, or ATIS.
Traditionally, the course has been held in person once a year in San Antonio.
“I typically run the (in-person) course in June—if a new person was hired in July after the course ran, they would have to wait a whole calendar year… to be formally trained,” Ferrell said.
“So, the benefit of having a foundational course online is that as soon as a person is hired, (there won’t be) lag time in getting accurate baseline information about their functions and responsibilities.”
Although intended for new SPPCs, all current SPPCs will have a one-time requirement to take the online course, too, Ferrell said. “It was a good refresher—it felt like a check on learning of where we are for those of us who have been in the position for a while,” said Miguel Sierra, who has served as an SPPC for four years and also beta-tested the ATIS SPPC course.
“It was a lot of information…that I was glad to have in that setting where I could also test my knowledge base.”
The ATIS SPPC course consists of eight modules and is asynchronous, meaning SPPCs can access the course 24/7 and complete it at their own pace. Students will have about two weeks to finish the course once they start it. Sierra said the online course can serve as a stopgap measure for new hires, and it complements the additional mentorship, connection and experiential knowledge offered by the in-person course once new hires are able to attend. SPPCs who take the online course can always reach out to Ferrell or other SPPCs at installations or Army commands to ask questions and get support in their new role, said Zayas.
“We’re in the people business, and there’s only so much we can do via Microsoft Teams or online training,” Zayas said.
“Having that interaction face to face…and connectedness goes a long way.”
Army Substance Abuse and Program Specialists who serve in a risk-reduction or suicide prevention role are also eligible to take the course. SPPCs with questions about the ATIS course should reach out to Derek Ferrell at IMCOM for assistance
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