Queer CALM: LGBTIQ+ Inclusive Suicide Prevention Training for Services That Want to Get It Right

Key facts at a glance

• In Private Lives 3, Australia's largest national survey of LGBTIQ adults (6,835 participants), 41.9% reported they had considered attempting suicide in the previous 12 months. Source: La Trobe University, Private Lives 3, via LGBTIQ+ Health Australia
• Less than half of Private Lives 3 participants felt accepted when accessing health or support services. Source: LGBTIQ+ Health Australia

Founder quote

"LGBTIQ+ people don't need a different kind of care. They need care that doesn't make them explain or defend who they are before they can get help." Audrey Bevan, CEO, CALM Suicide Programs

 

Quick answer

Queer CALM is CALM's suicide prevention training adapted for LGBTIQ+ communities and the services that support them. It builds the same practical capability as CALM's other accredited programs, recognising distress, asking directly about suicide and connecting someone to support, while addressing the stigma, exclusion and service barriers that shape LGBTIQ+ experiences of distress.

Why do LGBTIQ+ communities need specific suicide prevention training?

Being LGBTIQ+ is not a risk factor for suicide. Stigma, discrimination, exclusion and rejection are. Research consistently shows these experiences contribute to much higher rates of psychological distress and suicidal thoughts among LGBTIQ+ people than in the general population.

In Private Lives 3, 41.9% of LGBTIQ adults surveyed reported they had considered attempting suicide in the previous 12 months. These figures are not shared for shock value. They explain why generic training, delivered without this context, often misses what matters most.

What gets in the way of LGBTIQ+ people seeking help?

The same research found less than half of participants felt accepted when accessing health or support services. When someone expects to be judged, misgendered or asked intrusive questions, they are less likely to reach out, and less likely to come back.

Common barriers include:

• Past experiences of discrimination in health, housing or community services.
• Intake forms and systems that assume gender, relationships or family structures.
• Staff who mean well but use the wrong name, pronouns or language.
• Fear that disclosing their identity will change how they are treated.
• Family rejection, which removes a support network many services assume exists.

What does Queer CALM cover?

Queer CALM keeps the core of CALM: an evidence-based, human-centred framework for recognising distress, asking directly about suicide and responding safely. It then adapts that framework for LGBTIQ+ contexts. [CONFIRM: the specific modules and co-design partners below.]

• Understanding minority stress and how discrimination shapes distress.
• Inclusive language, names and pronouns, and how to recover well from a mistake.
• Working with chosen family and community as sources of support.
• Intersectionality: the added barriers faced by LGBTIQ+ people who are also First Nations, from multicultural backgrounds, living with disability or living regionally.
• Referral pathways to LGBTIQ+ specific services, such as QLife.

Who is Queer CALM for?

Queer CALM suits LGBTIQ+ community-controlled organisations and any mainstream service with LGBTIQ+ staff or clients: youth services, housing and homelessness services, family violence services, health and community health teams, and government agencies. In practice, that is almost every service.

Signs your service is LGBTIQ+ inclusive

• Intake forms let people describe their own gender, pronouns and relationships.
• Staff are trained, not just told, how to respond inclusively.
• Visible signals of safety are backed by consistent practice.
• Referral lists include LGBTIQ+ specific services.
• Feedback from LGBTIQ+ clients is actively sought and acted on.

Frequently asked questions

What is Queer CALM?

Queer CALM is CALM Suicide Programs' suicide prevention training adapted for LGBTIQ+ communities and the services that support them. It teaches practical skills for recognising distress, asking about suicide and connecting people to support in an inclusive way.

Why are suicide rates higher among LGBTIQ+ people?

Being LGBTIQ+ is not itself a risk factor. Higher rates of distress and suicidal thoughts are linked to experiences of stigma, discrimination, exclusion and rejection.

Is Queer CALM only for LGBTIQ+ organisations?

No. It suits any organisation with LGBTIQ+ staff or clients, including youth, housing, family violence, health and government services.

Sources

• LGBTIQ+ Health Australia, Private Lives 3 study: https://www.lgbtiqhealth.org.au/private_lives_3_study
• Suicide Prevention Australia, Fact Sheet: LGBTIQ Populations: https://www.suicidepreventionaust.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Fact-Sheet-LGBTIQ-Populations.pdf