Event: 48th Congress of the Polish Psychiatric Association (Kraków, 4–6 Sept 2025)
Link to event: zjazdptp2025.pl.
Talk: Wstępna ewaluacja kursu zapobiegania zachowaniom samobójczym ELLIPSE Gatekeeper+ i kursu Postwencja ELLIPSE (Preliminary evaluation of the ELLIPSE Gatekeeper+ suicide-prevention course and the ELLIPSE Postvention course—abstract & session description) in Session: Nowe wyzwania w profilaktyce samobójstw (New Challenges in Suicide Prevention) (chair: Prof. Marta Makara-Studzińska; under the patronage of the Polish Association of Psychiatrists Suicidology Section).
Presenter: Dr. Anna Baran (Karlstad University), representing the EU-cofunded ELLIPSE Resilience Enhancement ERE project
Why did we present ERE?
We shared early evaluation data on the Polish ELLIPSE Gatekeeper+ and ELLIPSE Postvention courses to demonstrate that open, evidence-based training is both useful and feasible for large, mixed professional audiences. For psychiatrists, other physicians, psychologists, nurses, social workers, and academic teachers, the message was clear: structured online modules and handbooks can standardize core skills (risk detection, safety planning, compassionate postvention) while lowering access barriers for students and busy clinicians. Building on these results, ERE (2025–2027) – led by Karlstad University – adds interactive scenarios, Q&A, and new languages and expands country reach, inviting Polish institutions to contribute data, co-create content, and pilot updated materials in teaching and clinical settings
Highlights:
From ELLIPSE (2019–2022) → ELLIPSE Postvention (2023–2024) → ERE (2025–2027)
- Origins (Feb 2019): ELLIPSE began from a small network meeting of three people representing lived-experience worlds – a psychiatrist, a person bereaved by suicide, and a person with experience of suicidality – sparking an European, and then also worldwide educational initiative in prevention and postvention.
- New phase – ELLIPSE Resilience Enhancement (ERE, 2025–2027, lead: Karlstad University) – Johanna Gustafsson, Victoria Lönnfjord & Anna Baran: more interactivity, regular updates, and wider language/country rollout – from Austria, Hungary, Norway, Poland & Sweden in ELLIPSE to Belgium, Germany, Lithuania, Spain, Ukraine, Poland & Sweden in ERE
Early evaluation highlights of the Polish version of in ELLIPSE Gatekeeper+ Course in Prevention of Suicide Behaviours & ELLIPSE Postvention (Navoica platform; Oct 2024–Jun 2025)
- Participation: 2,310 enrolled in the Polish version of the course (155 completed surveys); 818 in the ELLIPSE Postvention Course (34 completed surveys).
- Usefulness: 100% of Postvention respondents and 87.7% of the ELLIPSE Gatekeeper+ respondents said the course helped them achieve their goals.
- Fit: ≥90% rated difficulty appropriate; most rated length as appropriate.
- Next steps in ERE: more interactive modules, risk scenarios, Q&A, and Spanish added to the existing PL/EN/NO/DE/SV/HU/UK versions.
What’s next for universities & services?
- A new ERE project is launching a survey of students, academic teachers, and campus mental-health services to map education and training in suicide prevention across, to adapt optimally the suicide prevention curriculum to the academic needs in the project countries.
Who participated?
- Clinicians & educators: free, scalable e-learning + handbooks to standardize suicide prevention skills and postvention practice.
- Students & trainees: evidence-based introductions with practical checklists and scenarios; forthcoming ERE updates increase interactivity and language reach.
References:
- 48th Zjazd Naukowy Polskiego Towarzystwa Psychiatrycznego. (2025). Strona główna / informacje o zjeździe. https://zjazdptp2025.pl/ zjazdptp2025.pl
- Baran, A. (2025). Wstępna ewaluacja kursu zapobiegania zachowaniom samobójczym ELLIPSE Gatekeeper+ i kursu Postwencja ELLIPSE — abstract & session description. (Conference materials).
