CHATS

Guidance to help you connect and talk with rangatahi experiencing mental distress and suicidality

This information is designed to support people who work with or support rangatahi. We encourage you to display the posters in shared office spaces (e.g. staff-only spaces, lunchrooms or internal meeting rooms). They are not designed for use in open or public areas of your organisation.

CHATS

These resources aim to guide, educate and aid people who work with or support rangatahi. They offer ways to recognise and respond to rangatahi mental distress and suicidality, safely and effectively.

The resources can help to:

Equip people with best practice and evidence-based guidance on how to respond safely to help-seeking behaviour or suicidality.
Remove stigma and judgement around suicide and suicidal behaviours.
Raise awareness about mental distress and suicidality and address common myths about suicide.

All suicidal thoughts, feelings and actions should be taken seriously.

“Open, non-judgemental, safe, and age-appropriate kōrero about suicide help reduce shame and isolation and encourage and help rangatahi to reach out for help when they need it.”

The CHATS acronym is an easy way to remember the practical steps you can take when supporting rangatahi.

CHATS Resources

Resources will be available soon

Wallet card

Set of 4 A3 posters

Purple A2 poster

CHATS save lives

If someone is showing signs of distress or acting differently from their usual self, it’s important to:

Connect with them. Ask how they’re doing and how you can help.

Hear and see them. Listen. Validate their feelings.

Act on ways you can help right now. Sit with them.

Take talk of suicide seriously. Believe them. Keep checking in.

Share and escalate concerns with your team and support services

What is suicidality?

‘Suicidality’ is a term used to refer to thoughts, feelings and actions related to suicide. It includes a range of experiences, from occasionally thinking about wanting to die, to plans for ending your life. Suicidality also includes suicide attempts. A person experiencing suicidality or suicidal distress needs support. This support could be from the people who know them best (e.g. their whānau, close friends or trusted colleagues) or from a health professional.

Worried about someone?

If you're worried that someone might be thinking about suicide, don't be afraid to ask them directly.

Be direct. Try asking:

“Do you ever think about suicide?”
“Have you thought about ending your life?”

If they answer ‘yes’, ask if they’ve thought about how.

Take safety steps if you can (e.g. remove all methods, where possible).
Escalate concerns.
Be alert for signs of distress.
Listen, validate and understand where they’re coming from.

If they’ve thought about suicide, acknowledge what's been shared.

“Thanks for sharing this with me.”

Anchor the conversation. Reinforce hope.

“I'm sorry you're going through this. Let's work through it together.“
“It must feel tough at the moment. How can I help?”
“Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Let’s see how we can help you.”

Keep the person safe. Don’t promise to keep their ‘thoughts’ secret. Be honest about needing to get extra support.

“I really want to get more help for you, so I need to share with others who can help us.”
“It takes a lot of courage to share what you did. I want to support you to feel better.”

Talking safely about suicide won’t make someone act on their thoughts. It may save their life.

Other things to keep in mind:

Ask them if they would like to talk about what’s going on for them with you or someone else. They might not want to open up straight away but letting them know you are there for them is a big help.
Listen and don’t judge. Take them seriously and let them know you care.
Support them to access professional help, like a doctor or counsellor, as soon as possible. Offer to help them make an appointment and go with them if you can.
Help them to find and access the support they need from people they trust: friends, whānau, kaumātua, religious, community or cultural leaders, or health professionals.
Don't leave them alone – make sure someone stays with them until they get help. If they don't get the help they need the first time, keep trying. Ask them if they would like your help explaining what they need to a professional.

For more information about behaviours and signs to look out for, factors associated with suicidality and guidance on other ways to support someone see this page.

Safety Plan

A personal safety plan allows someone to keep a record of the things they can do and the people they can contact to keep themselves safe if experiencing distress. For more information on how to support someone to complete a safety plan or to access our range of safety plans see here.

How to speak safely about suicide

Talking about suicide is important but it needs to be done in a safe way. Check out our guide on how to talk safely about suicide and why words are important.

Stigma and suicide myths

Myths and stigma around suicide continue to exist. They can frame beliefs and attitudes and make it harder for people to seek help when they need it. Visit here for some common myths and facts to keep in mind.

Visit our FAQs page for answers to common questions about mental health, or how to access mental health services.

Self-care is important

Supporting someone in distress can be tough on you too.

Try to:

eat healthily and get enough sleep
do things you enjoy
spend time with friends and whānau
share how you’re doing with your team or supervisor
set your own boundaries and recognise your limits
if you need help, call a free helpline or talk to a GP or counsellor.

Finding help

Contact a free helpline for support for yourself:

Need to talk? Call or text 1737 to talk to a trained counsellor (24/7)
Youthline: Text 234, call 0800 376 633, webchat youthline.co.nz, Instagram @youthlinenz (24/7)
Lifeline: Text 4357 or call 0800 543 354 (7am – midnight)

Click here to read more about Suicide Prevention.