About This Event

A powerful, practical session exploring why people, particularly men, can struggle in silence even when support is available. The Signature Tough Talk challenges the assumption that someone in distress will always ask for help. It explores how pressure and pain can show through changes in behaviour, why reaching out can feel difficult, and how the people around us can create opportunities for earlier support. Using lived experience, practical insight and Tough To Talk’s upstream approach to suicide prevention, the session helps audiences understand the Reach Problem, recognise behaviour before words, and feel more confident starting the conversations that too often happen only after someone reaches crisis. This is not simply an awareness talk. It is about helping people notice earlier, reach in sooner and understand the part they can play in prevention. Please note that this talk will discuss the topic of suicide and factors leading to suicidal thoughts and behaviours. Speaker: Steve Whittle is the founder of Tough To Talk, a UK male suicide prevention charity working upstream of crisis. Drawing on lived experience, practical insight and evidence-informed thinking, Steve helps organisations recognise distress earlier, understand behaviour before words and create cultures where fewer men reach crisis unnoticed. He is also a qualified Suicide First Aid Tutor and Assessor. This event is part of our Nottingham Mental Health Awareness Weeks programme.

Staying overnight?

Hotels within walking distance of Nottingham Central Library.

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