Julie Bentley

Said the following about Steve Tollerton:

“Steve Tollerton: Delivering and developing Suicide Prevention and Trauma Support Training to the rail industry for over 12 years

Steve Tollerton will be a familiar face to many in the rail industry, having delivered 10 years of training to prevent suicides on the railway and help staff deal with the aftermath. During this time Steve has been responsible for single-handedly delivering 825 training courses to over 10,400 rail staff and personnel.

Having worked for Samaritans’ training team for seven years prior to joining the rail partnership team, Steve used his significant knowledge of suicide along with his experiences as a Samaritans volunteer to develop the Managing Suicidal Contacts (MSC) course; first delivered in 2010.

His expertise along with his enthusiastic and professional approach has ensured a consistently high and outstanding average score of 4.9 out of 5 for the delivery of materials, presentation style and skills across each course.

Samaritans’ MSC course covers the very difficult topic of suicide in an empathetic and engaging way to help delegates think about, and develop, their emotional, listening and observational skills. It also gives them confidence to deal with society’s most vulnerable people, whether on the railway or their own communities.

Some feedback for Steve from delegates includes:

“Steve Tollerton, the Tutor for the day delivered a most worthwhile learning experience. He shared his knowledge and experience of all his practical work-related history and was more than helpful in attempting to answer a wide range of questions from a varied set of attendees at the event. I have used the learning experience to great effect dealing with colleagues who have had some issues with mental health this year. Well done Steve”

“An excellent and enjoyable training session. It covers a very delicate subject in a totally respectful but also at time in a light-hearted manner so as to try and ensure the attendees do not become too lost in the darker aspects of the subject. Steve the trainer was first class. He was always able to offer concise words of support and guidance and relayed all information in a manner that encouraged participation and group discussion and inclusion. A very powerful and worthwhile training session. Thank you.”

Following the success of the Managing Suicidal Contacts course, Steve developed the Trauma Support Training (TST) course which focuses on enabling managers to better support staff after a distressing incident on the railway.

Many report using the course’s speaking and listening tips to identify and sensitively respond to a situation they may otherwise have struggled with.

One East Midlands Trains colleague described how Steve’s TST training gave him the techniques and confidence to talk to a colleague needing support.

He said: “On the same evening of the course, one of my managers attended to a train involved in a fatality. I was able to discuss the event with him, with a better knowledge of what he may have gone through.”

Samaritans’ three courses are so popular that 99 percent of attendees would recommend them to a colleague. Steve has also inspired some delegates to continue their efforts in empowering our colleagues to support vulnerable members of the public, colleagues, friends, or family, through becoming mental health first aiders, pursuing further suicide prevention qualifications or roles in their organisation or local community.

Steve has also used his knowledge to evolve suicide prevention training to maximise the reach of its audiences. Samaritans’ development of an online learning tool for the railway in 2014 enabled rail staff to access key information on making an intervention. Steve also contributed considerably to the growth and writing of the content for this progressive piece of work.

In 2020, following the rail industry partnership contract renewal, Steve embarked on a new challenge and set up as a training consultant. Steve’s rail suicide expertise means he is still engaged with the programme and continues to complete freelance work with Samaritans. Steve is greatly respected within the organisation and through the partnership, where his incredible strengths as a trainer have really empowered rail staff to make interventions and increase their understanding of vulnerable people on the railway.

Certainly, Steve has played an enormous part in shaping the rail programme - particularly within the training sector - to be the success that it is today.“