About the Embedding Alternatives to Suicide (Alt2Su) Project:

Since 2022 LELAN has actively worked to embed the Alternatives to Suicide approach across South Australia. Alternatives to Suicide was developed by the Wildflower Alliance (formerly the Western Mass Recovery Learning Community) in the US. Alternatives to Suicide peer-led community-based groups centre mutual connection and meaning making around suicide distress, thoughts and experiences. They offer non-clinical spaces where people can be honest about their experiences without fear of forced treatment, other forms of coercion, or risk assessment that shuts conversation down.

Whilst the focus of the project is to support the establishment and ongoing running of Alternatives to Suicide groups, another core component is using this model as evidence that community based lived experience-led initiatives work and can be scaled. The initial focus was to ‘pilot’ a series of Alt2Su groups targeting different locations and community groups, and complete a formal evaluation to understand more deeply the group characteritics, facilitator supports and surrounding conditions that are most helpful and effective. The evaluation period has ceased with learnings and recommendations continuing to be integrated into the conceptualisation and design of future lived experience-led alternatives.

The Alternatives to Suicide Groups Charter defines the principles and values of support groups using the Alternatives to Suicide approach: Responsibility to – and not for or over; Consent and choice; Responses to injustice; and Healing in communities. 

You can read more from an early evaluation of the Alt2Su groups in Western Australia here.

[This project has been made possible by financial support from Adelaide PHN, Wellbeing SA/Preventive Health SA and Country SA PHN – including monetary contribution from LELAN]. 

Hear more about the Alt2Su Approach and the PHN Health Equity Award that LELAN won:

Below are four videos that spotlight LELAN’s work in thinking about and responding to suicide differently, as well as provide greater insight into the Alt2Su approach.

• Video 1 – Produced for Adelaide PHN’s Health Equity Awards 2024 where LELAN was honoured to receive an award for Alt2Su.
• Video 2 – The Care not Treatment documentary produced by LELAN in 2020 that led to the advocacy to bring peer-led community-based alternatives, thus Alt2Su, to South Australia.
• Video 3 and Video 4 – Interviews with Leo and Emery about Alt2Su groups and the philosophy behind the approach. Leo and Emery were two of the first people in Australia trained in Alt2Su and had facilitated many many groups between them. Leo and Emery led the Alt2Su Peer Group Facilitator training for LELAN in 202 and 2023 before we were able to become train-the-trainers ourselves and enhance the sustainability of the model in South Australia.

Learn more being an Alt2Su Peer Group Facilitator and how you can be involved:

Read more about the independent evaluation of this project:

Throughout 2022 and 2023 LELAN commisisoned an evaluation of the Embedding Alternatives to Suicide Project to understand how well Alt2Su had been implemented, the difference it has made for people attending Alt2Su groups and the service system, as well as how implementation can be improved. Overall, the findings were overwhelmingly positive, with strong expressions of support for the Alt2Su approach itself, as well as for LELAN’s implementation of Alt2Su. There was widespread appreciation of Alt2Su’s philosophical underpinnings as well as the enactment of this approach in practice.

Participants described Alt2Su groups offering space to speak freely about suicidality and life-difficulties without fear of a coercive response, fostering connection and community, and a reduction in shame and loneliness. The Alt2Su principle of ‘responsibility to—not for or over’ was found to be particularly impactful, with this shift in mindset extending beyond Alt2Su groups into people’s professional and personal lives. Many participants contrasted Alt2Su with disempowering experiences in mainstream services, including risk-averse responses to disclosures of suicidality and escalation, foreclosing space to speak of distress and life-difficulties.

Recommendations:

1. That long term, ongoing funding opportunities for Alt2Su be sought, in partnership with existing funders and other stakeholders.
2. That LELAN foster more conversations to clarify emerging questions in relation to the Alt2Su approach, in the context of adaptations, sustainability and scalability.
3. That LELAN continue working relationally with funders, stakeholders and services to explore how Alt2Su can be embedded and scaled up, while attending closely to the potential risk of co-option.
4. That Alt2Su training be updated.
5. That supports for facilitators continue to be expanded.

    

   Download evaluation documents by clicking the images below. 

Where you can find information about Alt2Su groups in other parts of Australia:

Connect with our team:

If you have more questions reach out to the LELAN team via info@lelan.org.au or call 0431 953 526.