Changes in prospective helpline volunteers' suicide intervention skills throughout the initial training

The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes in prospective helpline volunteers' suicide intervention skills throughout the training in Lithuania. In total, 90 participants of the Youth Line volunteer initial training course completed the Suicide Intervention Response Inventory (SIRI-2) before any training, before and after the suicide intervention module, and after all training. There was a steady and significant increase in the trainees' suicide intervention competencies during the training. Younger and less skilled trainees benefited more from the training. These results indicate that helpline volunteers can be trained in suicide intervention skills in a relatively short time.