More Questions Than Answers (MQTA) Training

Introduction

The ‘More Questions Than Answers (MQTA)– Supporting People Bereaved by Suicide’ blended learning course was developed by Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland (CBCS) in collaboration with NHS Health Scotland as part of its programme of work to support people bereaved by suicide.

This training is based on training developed by CBCS and centred on a series of videos of relatives of people who had taken their lives about the impact of being bereaved by suicide.

Who is the Course For?

The course is aimed at three distinct constituencies who may come into contact and have a role in supporting people bereaved by suicide. This includes:

• Professionals and members of specialist teams who are involved with the family in the first 24 hours following the death (first responders);
• After the immediate impact (secondary responders); and
• Those involved formally or informally in the longer term support of families (community support).

Course Format

The training is in a blended learning format and consists of two components:

• Successful completion of the e-learning module is a pre-requisite of attending the face-to-face workshop.
  • The e-learning module can be accessed from Health Scotland’s Virtual Learning Environment or from learnPro.
• Individuals attend a workshop, each designed for a different audience and a slightly different focus, depending on their role as:
  • First (workshop A);
  • Secondary (workshop B); or
  • Community supporters (workshop C).

Objectives of the E-learning Module

• To raise awareness of the effects of loss and grief.
• To provide a basic understanding of the experience of people who have been bereaved by suicide.
• To explore own thoughts, beliefs and feelings about suicide, including people who take their own lives and people who are bereaved by a suicide death.
• To increase understanding of the impact of suicide and the particular issues and difficulties facing people bereaved by suicide.

Objectives of the Workshops

The face-to-face workshops, build on the learning of the core module and offer participants opportunities to:

• Further increase their understanding of the impact of suicide and the particular issues and difficulties facing people bereaved by suicide.
• Learn and practise relevant skills (e.g. communicating or breaking bad news).
• Feel more confident and competent about supporting people bereaved by suicide.
• Identify areas where they may wish to acquire further knowledge and/or skills.