Training for suicide prevention

Editor’s note: The sharing of any non-VA information does not constitute an endorsement of products and services on the part of VA. Veterans should verify the information with the organization offering.

If you’re a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one, contact the Veterans Crisis Line to receive 24/7 confidential support. You don’t have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to connect. To reach responders, Dial 988 then Press 1, chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat, or text 838255. 

Blue Star Support Circles: Upstream Solutions to Crisis has reached many caregivers, Veterans, military members and their supporters in our effort to end Veteran suicide. Through the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Program, our innovative approach equips those best positioned to intervene before a crisis occurs. VA News featured this program earlier this year, from the perspective of a Veteran Spouse. This story focuses on Dr. Thomas Brodar, a Veteran, physician and prior American Legion Commander from Indiana.

Brodar participated in Blue Star Support Circles in 2024 as a way to support his fellow Veterans. He comes from a long line of Veterans stretching back to his grandfather in World War I. He served in the Army during Vietnam and even used his G.I. Bill benefits to become a physician. He wanted to pair his health care experience and love for the community to become a better frontline advocate and supporter.

“Knowing that there was a need to help my fellow Veterans in their time of suicidal depression was my call to arms,” said Brodar. “This training helped me feel confident – to be the first line of defense. This showed me the way to find help for Veterans.” Research on the program shows that the training not only builds confidence but also shifts how participants view suicide, reinforcing their belief that they can make a meaningful difference.

The importance of virtual training

“Being in a rural environment and having an educational opportunity was heartwarming and made me feel more connected and involved,” said Brodar, who liked how easy it was to sign up and to access anywhere, a core component of the Blue Star Support Circles program.

Brodar appreciated the breadth of information from the Blue Star Families team and community presenters. He could tell that the information, presentations and experts were all passionate about the same mission of preventing Veteran suicide.

He also appreciated the program’s “Lethal Means Safety” component, which offers free medicine safes, gun locks and firearms safes for participants. Blue Star Support Circles distributes these as a way of providing a barrier to lethal means for any person at risk, and has given out more than 216 locks and safes to date.

Raising awareness

When asked if the Blue Star Support Circles program has helped him professionally or personally, Brodar enthusiastically shared his experience. “This training has raised my level of awareness and confirmed my position as a grassroots mental health first responder in my local community. This is so vital for a rural community because our resources are so limited. We have to help each other because there is no one else coming to our rescue. We have to be able to identify the problem, and then we have to know how to immediately assist.”

Blue Star Families is thankful for Veterans and advocates like Brodar who wants to use this program and help prevent a crisis before it occurs.

Learn more about the free, virtual Blue Star Support Circles Upstream Solutions to Crisis, including how to sign up.