Virtual Hope Box (new) vs Safe Life Guide

The Virtual Hope Box (VHB) is a smartphone application designed for use by patients and their mental health providers as an accessory to treatment. The VHB contains simple tools to help patients with coping, relaxation, distraction, and positive thinking. Patients and providers can work together to personalize the VHB content on the patient's own smartphone according to the patient's specific needs. The patient can then use the VHB away from clinic, continuing to add or change content as needed. Patients can use the VHB to store a variety of rich multimedia content that they find personally supportive in times of need. For example, a patient can include family photos, videos and recorded messages from loved ones, inspirational quotes, music they find especially soothing, reminders of previous successes, positive life experiences and future aspirations, and affirmations of their worth in their VHB. A patient can also collaborate with their provider to create coping cards to use in response to personal problem areas they experience. Finally, the VHB provides the patient with positive activity planning, distraction tools, and interactive relaxation exercises including guided imagery, controlled breathing and muscle relaxation.

Safe Life Guide provides people with the tools to stay safe and navigate a suicidal crisis as well as build resilience for the future. HOPE digitises the evidence based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. You will explore and connect with your values and use them with the people and pursuits that that truly matter to you. The framework will walk you through values guided committed actions and build resilience and strengthen reasons for living. SAFE will provide your personalised situation specific safety plan and if you follow through the steps of the distress ladder you will know exactly what to do when you are feeling on edge, or in crisis, or amid an emergency. The HABIT framework will provide tools to be at your personal best by creating simple repeatable steps in line with the identity that you aspire to. You will also find a mood diary, alcohol log, medication history, safety tracker to note urges to self-harm or suicide and a reflective journal. All of this is free. For professionals who support people in suicidal distress, the annual subscription of Safe Life Guide provides a wealth of resources. They will have access to the full PROTECT training and all its derivates (LIFE, PEARLS, 1-2-7, 7 Safe Steps). This includes digital books, and access to the Progress Guide video library. Professionals can also use the safety documentation suite to write safety formulations and create collaborative safety plans to share with patients, families and other professionals involved in the person’s care.