New initiative addresses link between suicide and domestic violence in Quebec

Tashi Farmilo

The organization À cœur d’homme – Réseau d’aide aux hommes pour une société sans violence will receive $150,000 over two years to implement L’homicide-suicide : Agir pour mieux intervenir, a project aimed at training suicide prevention workers to better identify the risks of homicide-suicide in intimate partner and family contexts. By fostering collaboration between specialists in suicide prevention and domestic violence intervention, the initiative seeks to equip frontline professionals with the tools needed to recognize warning signs and intervene before tragedy occurs.

Sabrina Nadeau, Executive Director of À cœur d’homme, emphasized that the project aims to strengthen the ability of frontline workers—such as crisis intervention staff and first responders—to identify and respond to high-risk situations. “It’s about sharing expertise,” she said, explaining that suicide prevention professionals will receive specialized training from domestic violence experts to better recognize warning signs among at-risk men.

The initiative will offer online training, clinical coaching for crisis workers, and webinars to help health professionals detect homicide-suicide risk factors. Participants will also learn to conduct gender-sensitive assessments and connect individuals with appropriate support services, fostering a more coordinated approach to intervention.

“This is about giving those on the ground the right tools to recognize distress and step in before it’s too late,” Nadeau said. “Regions like Outaouais will directly benefit, as their frontline workers will have access to this training. The more people we reach, the more tragedies we can prevent.”