Suicide among men is a major public health problem and is the single leading cause of death among men under the age of 50 and for young people aged 20-34 years in the UK.

Suitable support for men in suicidal crisis is vital; yet service provision is lacking, particularly within community settings.

James’ Place’s Liverpool centre is the first of its kind in the UK, delivering interventions by trained therapists to men who are experiencing a suicidal crisis. The therapists at James’ Place use clear, everyday language to help men understand how they have reached crisis, and what is keeping it going. Importantly the men learn new ways of coping that will help if they are faced with a similar set of circumstances in the future.

This academic evaluation, led by Dr Pooja Saini from Liverpool John Moores University, recognised the positive impact of the charity’s therapeutic model to men experiencing a suicidal crisis, their families, their communities and the wider system.

For this evaluation, a set of items defining suicidal distress were measured before and after men engaged with therapy at James’ Place. All men who took part experienced a clinically and statistically significant positive change as a result of James’ Place’s intervention.