September is Suicide Prevention Month—a time to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and share resources that can truly save lives. There are many important pieces to prevention, from understanding risk factors and warning signs, to knowing how to respond in a crisis. But in the moment, what often matters most is having a resource you can hand someone that helps them feel calmer and think more clearly. When a person begins to feel even a little safer, calmer, and more grounded, it becomes easier to connect, to reason, and to accept support. Bi-Tapp is a resource that fits into the larger picture of prevention – using proactive strategies to reduce risks; intervention – providing immediate support in a crisis; and postvention – offering support and healing after a suicide loss.

Prevention

Prevention is about reducing risk before someone reaches the point of suicidal thoughts or behaviors. It takes a broad approach, focusing on ways to strengthen resilience and foster a sense of belonging. Prevention also emphasizes building skills—helping people find healthier ways to cope with challenges and to manage overwhelming emotions.

Many organizations put this into practice: Law enforcement agencies often offer peer support programs. Schools utilize programs such as the Hope Squad, where students look out for one another, and workplaces may provide wellness programs. Together, these efforts remind us that connection and belonging are powerful protective factors.

Teaching coping skills and resilience strategies is vital, but in highly stressful moments, many people report that they can’t remember to use them. This happens because the more anxious or dysregulated we become, the harder it is to think clearly. That’s where Bi-Tapp comes in. Handing someone the tappers is one of the simplest things you can do. The bilateral tapping calms the part of the brain that activates the fight-or-flight response. As a person begins to feel calmer and safer, they are better able to connect, reason, and engage with the support being offered.

Intervention

The more upset or dysregulated someone becomes, the harder it is for them to think clearly. Two key risk factors that contribute to suicidal ideations are difficulty processing emotions and trouble regulating them. When someone is in distress, simply handing them the tappers can help. Within a few minutes, they often feel calmer, making it possible to interact in a more productive way.

Coping skills are not accessible to someone when their distress rises above a 6 on a scale of 0 (no distress) to 10 (highest level imaginable). At that point, even simple directions – like “take a deep breath” – may feel impossible to follow. Helping someone calm down first makes all the difference, and the tappers are an essential tool during intervention. Once they begin to feel more settled, they are able to listen, follow directions, and connect.

To see how this works in practice, listen as Megan from Canyon Creek Services shares her experience supporting someone in an acute crisis here. 

Postvention

Postvention is often filled with trauma and grief.  Support is needed at the individual, family, and community level to facilitate healthy grieving. Bi-Tapp is a resource that is being used during this difficult time.

Melanie, who experienced the tragic loss of her husband, shared how the tappers became a vital support for her and her family.

“I felt triggered almost constantly, so I kept the tappers with me. There was no way I could have taken in any information in the beginning, so the tappers really helped me feel calmer. I would push the button on one of the tappers to start the tapping whenever I needed that help to feel calmer. The tappers took away that panicked feeling. 

I also used them with my son, age 8 at the time and my niece, age 11. When they were struggling, I told them, ‘Wear these and then go do whatever you want to do. Notice how you feel.’ The tappers helped both of them feel calmer. My son knows he can ask for the tappers whenever he needs them and my niece now has her own set of tappers because she struggles with anxiety.

Even to this day, I keep the tappers in my purse because I never know when I will be triggered or sad. Sometimes, just hearing a song will devastate me or seeing something that reminds me of him. I know I will always miss him but I feel like I can move those tough times better with the tappers. I don’t feel stuck in those difficult moments, which most of the time, come unexpectedly.”

Melanie’s story shows how postvention is about finding ways to move through the grief and trauma with support, resources and connection.  Grief is normal and healthy and Bi-Tapp can help you move through those moments when the waves of grief – both expected and unexpected – feel the heaviest.

Conclusion

Suicide prevention spans every stage of life: improving resilience, stepping in with support during a crisis, and walking with others through the pain of loss. Each of us has a role to play in that journey, and even small actions can make a big difference. Bi-Tapp is one resource that empowers us to offer comfort and calm exactly when it’s needed most.