New event offers relational approach to supporting people in suicidal crisis

Health and care professionals working in community and primary care settings are invited to attend a one-day workshop exploring Relational Care in the context of suicidal thinking and suicidal crisis, hosted by QNIS in Edinburgh, on Thursday 30 October 2025. 

This timely and thought-provoking event is designed to strengthen practitioners' emotional resilience and clinical understanding while supporting individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts or crisis. 

Focusing on relational approaches, the workshop will help attendees better understand both their own emotional experiences and those of the people they care for. This clinically grounded method fosters compassion, confidence, and professional optimism, while helping reduce frustration and burnout in demanding care environments. 

Attendees will hear from Dr Rachel Gibbons, who has worked as a consultant in the NHS, privately, and in national leadership roles. She has been researching the nature of suicide and suicide bereavement for over 16 years. Rachel is a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and group analyst. They will also hear from Dr Adam Burley, consultant clinical psychologist and currently professional lead for NHS Lothian’s specialist trauma service. He has a particular interest in health inequalities, exclusion dynamics, and the psychology of adversity. 

Primarily aimed at community and primary care nurses, the workshop is also relevant to any health or care professionals in these settings who are responsible for assessment and support of people experiencing suicidal crises — and who are interested in using relational models in their work. 

Key aims of the workshop include: 

- Fostering open dialogue around the nature of suicide 
- Deepening understanding of psychodynamic concepts that underpin suicidality 
- Encouraging relational engagement with individuals who are suicidal 
- Exploring the impact of suicide on bereaved individuals, professionals, and wider systems. 

Attendees will leave the day with deeper insight, strengthened professional tools, and a renewed connection to their vital roles.  

The workshop is fully funded, and QNIS is working with Suicide Prevention Scotland, Scotland’s national suicide prevention delivery collective, to bring you this event.
Click here to find out more about Suicide Prevention Scotland

Please note: This event is now fully booked.
Click here to find out more