Help as a Family Member, Friend, or Employer

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

Describe how to use the S.A.V.E. method for suicide prevention.
Find robust suicide prevention resources and tools.
Refer Veterans to VA resources to get immediate help and mental health care.

Use VA’s S.A.V.E. If You Know a Veteran at Risk

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It’s worth mentioning again—if you encounter a person at risk of harming themselves, VA’s S.A.V.E. is a method to help you act with compassion and play a valuable role in suicide prevention.

The acronym S.A.V.E. summarizes the steps you should take to respond to a veteran in crisis.

Signs of suicide (know them)
Ask about suicide
Validate the Veteran’s experience
Encourage help and Expedite treatment

Learn more about how to use VA’s S.A.V.E. by taking this 18-minute training video through PsychArmor Institute.

Use Suicide Prevention Resources

You can play an active and important role in preventing Veteran suicide. VA is committed to connecting concerned individuals like you with robust resources to help Veterans in crisis in your family and workplace.

PsychArmor Institute offers a portfolio of vital information about suicide prevention in the form of video courses.

VA offers a Veteran Outreach Toolkit that can be used by employers. It includes guidance on starting a suicide prevention council, promoting mental health events, and educating on safe storage of self-harm means.

VA’s Social Media Safety Toolkit outlines the steps you can take to provide support to the Veterans in your life if ever they express emotional distress, feelings of crisis, or thoughts of suicide on social media—helping to keep them safe and encouraging them to connect with resources.

Nearly 7 out of every 10 Veteran deaths by suicide are the result of firearm injuries. For a Veteran who is going through a tough time or an emotional crisis, a safely stored firearm can mean the difference between a tragic outcome and a life saved. As a concerned family member, friend, or colleague, you have the power to initiate a conversation about safely handling and storing firearms. View VA resources on Talking to a Veteran About Firearm Safety.

If you’re caring for a Veteran, VA offers Caregiver Support to give you mentoring, a library of resources and even a caregiver support coordinator.

Coaching Into Care is a VA program that provides guidance to Veterans’ family members and friends for encouraging reluctant Veterans they care about to reach out for support with a mental health challenge.

Help Connect Veterans with VA

Veterans are an integral part of every community. A key component of VA's National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide is greater coordination of efforts among individuals, communities, organizations, and settings to increase the reach and impact of suicide prevention activities.

One of the best things you can do for Veterans is invite them to connect with everything VA has to offer. There are multiple hotlines for Veterans to call, text, or chat with a caring trained professional 24/7. No matter how big or small the problem is, call hotlines are there to help. Encourage a Veteran to reach out. You could save a life.

Ask the Veterans you know to get started on their mental health journey at mental health.va.gov. VA is dedicated to offering all the mental health resources, information and treatment options that Veterans may need.