Holding Hope Over Time: Evaluating the Enduring Impact of the AIMS Suicide Prevention Model

This two-year follow-up study evaluated the sustained impact of the AIMS suicide prevention pathway, a structured, short-term intervention delivered by the Wellbeing Team (WBT) in a large Australian metropolitan mental health service. The retrospective cohort included 232 individuals who engaged with the WBT for at least 2 weeks and were discharged to primary care. Re-presentation to public mental health services was examined across three thresholds: any service contact (Condition 1), secondary care involvement (Condition 2) and sustained case management (Condition 3). At 24 months, 66.4% of participants had not re-presented to any public mental health service. Only 8.2% required further engagement with secondary services, and just 3.0% transitioned into longer-term case management. Survival analysis showed no statistically significant differences based on prior service contact, suggesting the AIMS pathway was broadly effective across diverse clinical histories. These findings indicate that AIMS supports not only crisis stabilisation but sustainable recovery. Its dual emphasis on clarity and growth is foundational: clarity through structured clinical actions, Assessment, Intervention, Monitoring and Step Up/Down (AIMS) and growth through guided discovery, values alignment, and peer support. The model is further strengthened by integration of the SAFE framework for dynamic safety planning and the HOPE framework for values-based recovery, both of which are embedded in the Safe Life Guide mobile application. By meeting individuals where they are and addressing both immediate safety and long-term purpose, AIMS offers a system-level reimagining of crisis care, one that reduces dependency, restores direction, and fosters life in motion.