The PC CARES Model is more than training: It strengthens meaningful connections and works through community ownership
The PC CARES program is designed and enacted in partnership with Alaska Native communities to shift suicide prevention efforts from top-down, clinically-managed crisis intervention to community-based primary and secondary prevention efforts, carried out by those who regularly interact with vulnerable young people.
The model contains the following elements:
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In-person - Community-based learning circles are facilitated by local facilitators. PC CARES fulfills a dual need by training future community health, wellness and social workers to deliver an innovative suicide prevention program, and by offering engaging, research-based and locally-led suicide prevention training more to more communities across the state.
In both virtual and community-based learning circles, discussion-based presentations are supplemented by video, handouts with local data, and activity pages. An active learning model helps to motivate participants to reach out to youth and mobilize various forms of social support to ensure safety and initiate preventive care. Facilitators’ and participants’ own stories will reinforce concepts, and the training activities, small group discussions and role plays to practice intervention skills will extend learning and motivation to use it.
Each 2-3 hour PC CARES “learning circle” utilizes a flexible, blended education and mobilization approach in order to train providers to assist, support, and coordinate in the prevention of youth suicide. Sessions are intended for adult community members who are in key positions to identify and engage with vulnerable youth (i.e., social workers, village-based counselors, health aides, and other health services workers, teachers, school staff).
Virtual - The Virtual PC CARES learning circles are facilitated by members of the PC CARES research and implementation team, comprised of researchers and Indigenous wellness advocates who co-authored the program and experienced facilitators in Alaska.
Learning circles are designed to share locally-relevant research to spark discussions as participants work together to prevent youth suicide. PC CARES offers tools, skills and ideas that can be useful before, during, and after a suicide crisis. Universal prevention steps—which could help prevent suicide crises by fostering community strengths—are emphasized as essential avenues for change.
This course involves 4 virtual 2-hour sessions. Each session builds on the next, and it is highly recommended that participants attend all four. Sessions are interactive and participatory, involving multimedia presentations, small group discussions, surveys and polls.
Virtual learning circle topics:
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At this 5-day training of trainers, participants learn about the philosophy of PC CARES, the research that makes up the ‘What does the research show?’ portion of each LC session, Facilitator Guide, tools and material resources provided by the model (PC CARES Toolkit), facilitation skills, and practice facilitating PC CARES learning circles with their partner. Participants in the ToF will also consider the key people and sectors within their community to recruit to participate in the learning circles. They will troubleshoot and discuss recruitment strategies for their community, and get support for taking on a leadership role in their community around the complex topic of suicide and at0risk substance use. At the end of this training, participants will be prepared to host PC CARES learning circles in their local community. This 40-hour training was is approved for continuing education hours through the National Association of Social Workers-Alaska Chapter.
““I’d just like to say that I am very grateful for this program. It’s time to return communities back to how they were before colonization. We all need each other to get mentally healthy because humans are social creatures and have emotional needs for connection””
training outcomes
Learn more here about what happens when local helpers, school staff, and others create a community of practice around preventing suicide and promoting youth wellness.
““It’s great to see people in the villages being in charge of their own. It’s a great model for us to work with. It has a lot of cultural pieces to it when we do our work and want to get well.””
Latest News & opportunities
We are proud to spotlight the work and journey of Dr. Diane McEachern, a founding PC CARES collaborator, co-developer, and co-investigator. Dr. McEachern is faculty at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Kuswokim Campus, where she leads the Rural Human Services program.