VitalCog

VitalCog is an interactive course that helps you understand your role in suicide prevention. We provide 4 different VitalCog courses : Athletics Staff, Student-Athletes, in Construction, and in the Workplace. Each course content is tailored specifically to the respective setting. You’ll learn to build protective factors and safety nets, identify risk factors and warning signs, and practice conversations around suicide.

We also offer a postvention course that is ideal for organizations who want to develop a plan of action that they can implement after a crisis occurs.

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We provide courses in 2 ways

Our instructors have extensive experience with the mental health landscape, providing instruction to adult audiences, and are a sought-after trainers within the sport ecosystem and workplace/corporate settings. Upon successful completion of any VitalCog course, participants are certified for two years.

Courses open to anyone

We offer virtual (via Zoom) courses open to anyone interested in the topic discussed. Click the button below to see our current course offerings.

Some courses offer continuing education for various disciplines (strength & conditioning, athletic training, and social work). See each registration page for details.

View Available Open Courses

Requested by an organization

Courses are offered virtually (via Zoom) anywhere in the US or in-person (travel fees apply for in-person courses outside of Grand Forks, ND). Each course is 60 to 120 minutes long depending upon the module chosen (see below for details about each module).

We need a minimum of 5 registrants to hold a course, and each course is limited to 30 participants.

Request a Course for Your Organization

VitalCog Courses

  • Two construction workers, one older and one younger, wearing hard hats and safety vests, working together at a roadside construction site with green fields in the background. They are examining blueprints or plans near a metal post.

    VitalCog for Construction

    This program is designed to help construction workplaces appreciate the critical need for suicide prevention while creating a forum for dialogue and critical thinking about workplace mental health changes. The program builds a business case for suicide prevention while promoting help-seeking and help-giving. 

    Courses are $500 (up to 30 people per course).

    Request a Course
  • Woman running up a hill as the sun is setting on the water. Text reads VitalCog. Suicide prevention for student-athletes. Contact Erin Haugen to learn more. bit.ly/vitalcog

    VitalCog for Student-Athletes

    This program is designed to help student-athletes appreciate the critical need for suicide prevention while creating a forum for dialogue, critical thinking about mental health challenges in sport, and promoting help-seeking and help-giving. We offer courses for student-athlete groups, organizations, and teams (ages 18+).

    Courses are $750 (up to 30 people per course).

    Request a Course
  • Cover page of a document titled 'Vital Cog' with the subtitle 'suicide prevention in the workplace', featuring a photo of a tidy desk with an open laptop, coffee cup, and office supplies, along with logos of Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Depression Center and Haugen Performance Consulting.

    VitalCog for the Workplace

    This program is designed to help workplaces appreciate the critical need for suicide prevention while creating a forum for dialogue and critical thinking about workplace mental health changes. The program builds a case for suicide prevention in business and corporate settings while promoting help-seeking and help-giving. 

    Courses are $750 (up to 30 people per course).

    Request a Course
  • Cover page of a publication titled 'VitalCog' focusing on suicide prevention for athletic staff. It features a man in sports attire at an outdoor stadium, with sunlight behind him. Logos for Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Depression Center and Haugen Performance Consulting are at the bottom.

    VitalCog for Athletics Staff

    This program is designed to help athletic staff appreciate the critical need for suicide prevention while creating a forum for dialogue, critical thinking about mental health challenges among student-athletes, and ways to promote help-seeking and help-giving in sport. Continuing education credits may be available.

    Courses are $750 (up to 30 people per course).

    Request a Course

FAQs

  • Yes! These courses can be given entirely online, so you can complete them from the comfort of your own home or within your work environment.

  • Yes! We are happy to provide in-person instruction for no additional fee in the Grand Forks, ND area. Outside of that area, additional charges apply. Contact us to discuss details!

  • Unfortunately, no. The courses are highly interactive. We also want to create and maintain safety for participants. Therefore, we cannot record the instructor-led portion for later viewing.

    We do have a number of on-demand courses related to mental health that you are welcome to purchase.

  • Unfortunately, no. These courses are designed for adult participants only (ages 18+).

  • Yes, we offer CE credits for specific courses offered to medical and mental health professionals. Each registration page will indicate if it is offered for CE credits. We partner with ATAGF for our CE courses, and they are an approved CE provider for the BOC, NDBSWE, and NDBACE.

Additional Courses

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Mental Health First Aid

8-hour course where you learn about how to respond to crisis and non-crisis mental health situations. 3 year certification.

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Education & Training Courses

We offer a wide range of training and continuing education courses for many disciplines on numerous topics.

Learn more