Media release
For immediate release 9 October 2026
For World Mental Health Day
Two-thirds of Australians lack confidence to respond to someone struggling with suicidal thoughts
Free half or full-day Wesley LifeForce training aims to upskill the nation to have those conversations
Australians are being invited to build the skills and confidence needed to reach out when they recognise someone may be struggling rather than wait for them to ask for help.
New survey findings* commissioned by Wesley’s Mission reveal 54 per cent of Australians are only slightly or somewhat confident they would know how to respond if someone told them they were thinking about suicide. A further 12 per cent are not at all confident. That means two-thirds of Australians lack the confidence needed to respond when someone discloses suicidal thoughts.
This World Mental Health Day, Wesley Mission wants to equip more Australians through practical Wesley LifeForce suicide prevention training available free across Australia, including online. Just as first aid training helps Australians respond during a physical health emergency, suicide prevention training empowers people with the skills and confidence to respond when someone is in distress.
Wesley Mission CEO, Rev Stu Cameron, says the training presents a real opportunity to offer participants skills they can use throughout their lives.
“We have normalised first aid training because we know emergencies do not always happen in front of a doctor. Hundreds of thousands of us are trained with essential first aid knowledge. Suicide prevention should be= no different. The first person to notice someone is struggling is usually a friend, family member, colleague or neighbour.
Too many Australians are worried they will say the wrong thing, so they end up saying nothing at all.
“These are skills every Australian should have in their back pocket. In just half a day or a day, you can build the confidence to step towards someone who may be struggling and start a conversation that could change or even save their life, rather than worry about saying the wrong thing.”
“Having the confidence to ask the question helps someone feel confident that you are ready to hear their answer.”
At the heart of Wesley LifeForce training is the SALT method – See, Ask, Listen and Take, a simple framework for approaching what can otherwise feel like a difficult conversation.
“These are suicide prevention skills and they are also life and communication skills. They help us connect with people, actively listen and have conversations that matter. We have a real opportunity to upskill the country and put these skills into the hands of more Australians,” says Rev Cameron.
Wesley LifeForce has delivered suicide prevention training to more than 50,000 people across metropolitan, regional, rural and remote Australia.
Training is also available for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities with Wesley LifeForce Refugee and Asylum Seeker Suicide Prevention Training translated into Arabic, Dari, Karen, Khmer, Persian and Tamil.
Find out more or register for free Wesley LifeForce Suicide Prevention Training
at www.wesleylifeforce.org.au or call 1800 LifeForce (1800 100 024)
ENDS
Wesley Mission CEO Rev Stu Cameron is available for interview
Media contact:
Anne Holt
0418 628 342 (preferred)
[email protected]
*Research commissioned by Wesley Mission and conducted by McCrindle in September 2026. The online survey collected responses from 1,010 Australians aged 18 and over.
