ESPPA 2026 Symposium: Changing the Narrative on Suicide – Safer Transitions
September 11 @ 1:00 pm - 8:00 pm
$50
Join us in a beautiful Wrocław, Poland or online (only for e-poster viewing session) for the very special WSPD-associated event – inaugural international symposium of the European Suicidology, Prevention & Postvention Association (ESPPA) – the very first formal Europe-wide, newly registered association, bringing together suicidology, suicide prevention and postvention, with participation of IASP SIG Education and Training in Suicide Prevention representative, as well as Section of Suicidology EPA for strengthening of suicide prevention and postvention in Europe.
The ESPPA 2026 Symposium, “Changing the Narrative on Suicide: Safer Transitions”, focuses on one of the most critical and insufficiently addressed periods in suicide prevention: the transition from hospital care to outpatient, community and family support.
The first days after discharge from psychiatric hospital require urgent attention.
Do you even know, that research has estimated a suicide rate of approximately 2,950 deaths per 100,000 person-years during the first week following psychiatric discharge – around 200–300 times the rate observed in the general population? Discharge must therefore be understood not as the end of care, but as a high-priority transition requiring preparation, continuity, rapid follow-up and shared responsibility.
The symposium is for clinicians, researchers, educators, students, hospital representatives, public-health professionals, people working in crisis intervention and community services, decision-makers, industry representatives and people with lived experience.
Through an international workshop, expert lectures and a multidisciplinary forum, participants will explore practical approaches to strengthen safety planning skills in an innovative way using serious game concept, a part of European Union co-funded grant (ELLIPSE Resilience Enhancement) (ID 2025-1-SE01-KA220-HED-000364668). Ensure timely and coordinated follow-up after discharge, involve patients and supportive family members in safer transitions and translate evidence and international experience into real-world action.
A distinctive component of the event will be its interactive e-poster programme. Accepted e-posters will remain available electronically and will be brought together in an e-book, extending the visibility of projects and findings beyond the symposium itself. Where authors provide consent, participants will also be able to contact them directly to ask questions, exchange experience and develop new clinical, educational or research collaborations. Do not let hospital discharge become a gap in which a vulnerable person is left alone. Join the conversation, share your experience and help us build safer transitions across Europe.
Register now and be part of the inaugural ESPPA Symposium!
Submit your abstract and e-poster by 31 August 2026.
