Understanding and Preventing Suicide and Suicidal Behavior
This summer school is unique worldwide. It will inspire you to learn more about this tragedy called suicide- that many people suffer from. We accomplish this through interactive lectures, and workshops from experts in the field of suicide prevention. Also, there will be brainstorm sessions throughout the week for students to challenge them to form their own Zero Suicide plan. You will have a chance to present your plan to your fellow students at the end of the summer school.
The summer school invites students and researchers from social sciences, humanities, medical sciences, religious and computer science to participate. Our goal is to inspire a new generation of students and researchers, and to stimulate them to explore new collaborations and directions to decrease the burden of suicidality among people throughout the world.
Practical information
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Dates
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22 - 25 June 2026
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Locations
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Groningen, the Netherlands (University of Groningen) |
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Level
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BA/MA/PhD/Postdoc/Practitioners
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Fees
(including lunch) |
€ 200 for BA/MA students from RUG and in the EU network of coordinator, dr. Diana Van Bergen € 290 for PhD students and Postdocs (in the network of dr. Diana Van Bergen) € 500 for professionals
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Academic coordinator
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Dr. Diana van Bergen, Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences |
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Contact
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Dr. Diana van Bergen |
Requirements
Who is this summer school for?
This course is designed for BA and MA students, PhD students, professionals, junior researchers and postdoctoral researchers. The students and researchers should have an interest in mental health and a background in Social Sciences, Humanities, Medical Sciences, or Computer Science.
It is expected that the participants have a sufficient command of the English language to actively participate in the discussions and to present their own work in English.
Learning outcomes
Learning outcomes
After this course you will be able to:
1. The participant will have knowledge of the risk factors and protective factors for people with suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior.
2. The participant understand which interventions are effective in treating suicidal complaints according to the latest scientific evidence.
3. The participant has gained understanding in different methodologies and their approaches to prevent (attempted) suicides.
4. The participant has gained understanding of different research disciplines and their contributions to the field.
5. The participant knows how to collaborate with fellow students/researchers and has developed and presented their ideas on the prevention of suicides.
Workload
Preparation: 15 hours
Lectures: 20 hours
Presentation: 2 hours
Upon successful completion of the programme, the Summer School offers a Certificate of Attendance that mentions the workload of 37 hours (28 hours corresponds to 1 ECTS). Students can apply for recognition of these credits to the relevant authorities in their home institutions, therefore the final decision on awarding credits is at the discretion of their home institutions. We will be happy to provide any necessary information that might be requested in addition to the certificate of attendance.
Course schedule
Overview of topics
Students and researchers will follow lectures with the following topics: introduction to suicide research risk factors and protective factors, treatment interventions, school-based interventions for suicidal behavior, recover of suicidality
Lecturers
1. Dr. Jo Robinson, Orygen Australia and the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
2. Dr. Susanne Knappe, PhD, University of Applied Sciences for Social Work, Education and Nursing, Dresden (Germany)
3. Dr. Ana Ortin Peralta, Yeshiva University, New York, USA
4. Dr. Vitalii Klymchuk, Luxembourg University, Luxembourg.
5. Dr. Ozlem Eylem, Leiden University, the Netherlands
6. Dr. Allessandra Seggi, Villanova University, Pennsylvania, USA.
7. Joep Lakeman MSC., 113 Suicide Prevention, Amsterdam
More will be announced shortly!
Application procedure
To apply, kindly fill out the online application form. Please note you will be asked to upload the following documents:
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CV of one page
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Letter of motivation of maximum 300 words indicating why you are interested in the topic of the summer school and what you hope to get out of participating in this programme.
Selection will take place on a rolling basis. The go/no go moment is after the application has been screened. The participant will be contacted a few days after they applied with the outcome of the selection process.
For candidates from non EU countries, the last moment for submitting your application is 15 March 2026. For candidates EU countries, the last moment for submitting your application is 1 April 2026.
Partner
