The Whisperer Team's Community, Method and Signal Launch for Suicide Prevention

It was a warm summer’s day in late 2024.

I was in my flat in Aldinga Beach, South Australia, and fancied a coffee.

A coffee place not far away was on my mind, so I paid it a visit to grab a vanilla latte.

I had just brought out a coaster which featured a suicide prevention signal that I had developed, to be a part of something I call The Whisperer Team.

It’s an organisation that promotes life and prevents suicide – by organising things like pub parties while also ensuring there are people in the community who can support those emotionally, who may be alone and experiencing suicidal thoughts, and are reluctant to call a helpline.

So, having just had the coasters created, and the fact that the coffee place sold drinks, I was confident, enthusiastic and a little too gung ho when I approached their team with the offer of the coasters to sell on my behalf and use at their venue.

I don’t know what convinced me that stores and other organisations would offer the coasters, but I was a touch naive, now looking back on it, to think everyone was as passionate as me about preventing suicide.

We had a difficult conversation and they declined my offer.

I mean, I get it that everyone but those who follow through thinks suicide is a harmful choice, considering we’ve all been given the gift of life. And while life for most of us does get tough sometimes and suicide ought to be prevented wherever possible, my concept is not for everyone.

I just didn’t realise that not everyone wanted to do something about it.

Well, maybe they do, but just not my way.

Did I stuff up with my approach? Sure, it was a mistake. Did I feel guilty, maybe for a few days. Did that error of judgment redirect me to a better way of approaching businesses and venues? Yes it did.

And so here I am, with a local pub, brewery and café on board in our local Aldinga area, hoping I may find some people interested in seeing the vision of creating a Whisperer Team in the area.

If you take a look at the logo of The Whisperer Team, it tells a story.

In the middle you have the man with his arms folded, he’s The Pub Whisperer, looking back on the past and saying, “suicidal thoughts end here.” This was the original concept that emerged from me travelling Australia and creating the www.greataussiepubs.com.au website.

To his right you have The Community Whisperer saying “yes, we can do this, onwards and upwards, lets prevent suicide in the community” and behind them both, looking to the future as well, is a woman, championing the idea that men (and women) are working together to help their brothers and sisters during tough times.

So that’s exactly what I’m looking for in our community: men and women, who would like to assist in creating safe spaces within venues where there are drinks sold – pubs, clubs, café and breweries, to name a few – so people going through tough times can deploy The GLASS EMPTY Suicide Prevention Signal, and be assisted to safety, should they feel isolated, alone and suicidal in places where connection is encouraged.

It’s a project destigmatising the idea that suicide ideation should be shameful when it is the only thought and emotion available, making compassion cool and creating connection in places where people may need to have a real conversation, rather than just on a phone line, if they have no one personally they can turn to for that assistance – to find hope again.

I felt this approach was necessary given that "official" suicide rates in Australia rose from 8 to 9 a day during covid. That's 7 men and 2 women on average.

On April 28 in the beer garden of the Aldinga Hotel I’ll be hosting an evening to find “Community Whisperers” who would like to assist their community with suicide interventions.

Come find out more about how the organisation began, its vision for the future and how you can assist on a community level in reducing the rate of suicide in our region.

This is ideal for people who have been there, with lived experience of mental health issues, and have come out the other side, and people who can empathise with those doing it tough.

More at www.thewhisperer.team

Just some more quick statistics on suicide:

In Australia suicide is the leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 44 and the second highest for the 45 to 65 age group.

In 2020 to 2022 one in 6 people in Australia aged 16 to 85 experienced suicidal thoughts or behaviours in their life.

An estimated 65,000 Australians make a suicide attempt every year.

In 2022, the suicide rate among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was approximately twice that of non-indigenous Australians.

On average 26.9% of suicides in the Australian population have alcohol in their system at the time of death. Around the world that figure can be up to 69%. In some Australian areas the figure can be between 60% and 100%.

That’s what the research says, and meeting people where they are at, in pubs, clubs, cafes and breweries etc. is why The Whisperer Team can make a difference.

According to trauma and addiction expert Gabor Mate: “when you look at the studies on what makes for effective therapy, it’s not the technique of the therapist, it’s not their formal or academic qualifications, it’s the quality of the relationship between the client and the therapist.

“There was an interesting study that shows the heart emits electrical waves or radiation, as does the brain, and when the waves and radiation between the heart and the brain are in sync, there’s a state of calmness and presence.

“The most effective moments of therapy were when the radiation of both the client and the therapist were in sync with one another.

“This happened more often when the therapist was listening rather than when they were speaking.

“So it wasn’t the great insights of the therapist that made the hugest difference, it was the capacity of the therapist to actually listen, and be present.

“To really be present with the client.”

Join Michelle Kemmler, from I Care Consulting in the City of Onkaparinga, (part of the Team so far). We hope to see you at The Aldinga Hotel beer garden at 7pm,  Monday, April 28.

For more information or to book your free seat visit here, email me at [email protected], message me here or call me on 0430 60 7827.