New and Original
Featuring Lisa Morgan, an autistic activist, trauma-informed consultant, and founder and co-chair of the Autism and Suicide Prevention Workgroup
Crisis Support and Suicide Prevention for Autistic People
An Overview
1 video (1h47mn), 4 parts, 12 chapters
How can you recognize a suicidal crisis in someone who doesn’t express it in the same ways as others do?
Suicide is one of the leading causes of premature death among people with autism. Yet most approaches to crisis support and suicide prevention were not designed for the way people with autism think, communicate, and perceive the world.
- What should you do when the way you support someone actually makes their distress worse instead of easing it?
- How can you tell the difference between silence that’s a withdrawal, silence that’s sensory overload, and silence that’s a danger?
- And how do you create a safety plan with someone whose coping strategies are unlike any you’ve encountered before?
In 1 hour and 47 minutes, Lisa Morgan revisits the issue from the beginning: what the research says about suicide risk among people on the autism spectrum; risk factors that don’t appear in any standard model; warning signs, including those that aren’t visible; communication in crisis situations; and adapting the Stanley-Brown safety plan for people on the autism spectrum. She draws on both current research and her personal experience: Lisa is autistic, and she has experienced the trauma of a loved one’s suicide.
Learn how to accompany and support people on the autism spectrum in crisis situations.
Why support that usually helps can actually harm
Lisa Morgan’s husband took his own life. At the very beginning of this program, she recounts the police response that evening and the clumsy attempts at support she experienced from people whose job it was to help.
That’s where her work comes from. And that’s where a statement that she makes later on comes from: “Harm done unintentionally by well-meaning people who are trying to help is still harm.” Well-intentioned support can be misinterpreted—or even completely miss the mark—when offered to a person on the autism spectrum in crisis.
That’s why this program goes beyond simply understanding suicide risk. It’s about learning to:
- Better recognize the distress of people on the autism spectrum,
- Communicate more effectively in crisis situations,
- Minimize unintentional harm,
- Develop respectful and appropriate forms of support.
This program explains these differences and what we can do differently.
Discover how to adapt your support to avoid unintentionally worsening distress
A word from Florence
Co-founder and CEO of Quantum Way
One of the biggest challenges in suicide prevention is recognizing that support that works well for one person can, unintentionally, hurt another. This is especially true when supporting people with autism in crisis.
We discovered Lisa Morgan at the Trauma Conference in Boston in 2024. Her presentation resonated so deeply with us that we decided to invite her to the 2026 Trauma, Attach(e)ment & Resilience Summit.
Her approach, which combines lived experience, research, and practical tools, inspired us to share her insights more widely.
Lisa embodies a combination that is still all too rare.
As a person on the autism spectrum, an activist, a trainer, a consultant, and an expert in autism-specific crisis support, she bridges the gap between lived experience, current research, and practical application. Rather than asking people on the autism spectrum to adapt to existing models of crisis intervention, her work helps professionals understand how to adapt their approach in a way that people on the spectrum experience as safe, respectful, and truly supportive.
At Quantum Way, we believe that meaningful education must challenge preconceived notions while offering concrete tools that clinicians can apply immediately. That is exactly what Lisa does. She addresses one of the most urgent and overlooked public health issues in the autistic community with clarity, compassion, and guidance grounded in current data.
As I listened to her, one thing became crystal clear: improving suicide prevention among people on the autism spectrum starts with knowing how to listen better.
Florence
P.S. Much of what is traditionally taught about crisis intervention assumes that everyone experiences distress in the same way. Lisa’s work reminds us that effective support begins with understanding the person in front of us, and not by applying a one-size-fits-all model.
What this program offers you
1 hour and 47 minutes with Lisa Morgan, organized into 4 parts and 12 chapters, with unlimited, lifetime access upon registration, in the original English version, including the 78 downloadable slides from the presentation.
A dual perspective: the lived experience of an autistic therapist who has herself endured the trauma of a loved one’s suicide, and current research on suicide risk within the autistic community. Lisa does not pit these against each other; she brings them into dialogue and makes them work together.
Concrete guidelines: risk factors specific to autism, warning signs that differ from those in the general population, and the “invisible crisis”—one that exhibits none of the expected warning signs.
A detailed presentation of the resources developed by the Autism and Suicide Prevention Workgroup, which Lisa founded: the crisis support guide, the “Reasons to Live” resource, the resource dedicated to LGBTQ+ people on the autism spectrum, and the guide for caregivers of young people on the autism spectrum. Lisa explains the purpose of each individual resource, and how to use it.
A tailored safety plan: the Stanley-Brown model, first in its standard version, then in its version adapted for people with autism—including coping strategies and sources of comfort—all the way through to making the environment physically safe.
Learn how to recognize a suicidal crisis even when there are no warning signs
“Suicide prevention is understanding autism and the culture of autistic people, so that they don’t have to hide or mask their autism.”
This sentence sums up the spirit of the program. Suicide prevention doesn’t begin at the time of crisis. It begins long before, in the accumulated exhaustion of a life spent imitating social norms that don’t resonate with you, just to be accepted in a world that wasn’t designed for you.
For whom is this program intended?
This program is intended for:
First and foremost, professionals who work with people with autism in their practice: psychologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, doctors, nurses, crisis intervention specialists, emergency medical technicians, social workers, teachers, educators, and support staff.
It is also intended for parents, family members, and caregivers. Many of the people who wrote to us after Lisa’s lecture were mothers, sisters, and other close relatives or friends. This program is designed for them just as much as it is for clinicians.
There are no prerequisites: Lisa begins by covering the basics of autism.
Note: this program is not a substitute for in-depth clinical training in suicide prevention or specialized care. It provides guidance, insight, and resources. It does not constitute professional certification, nor does it replace the support provided to a person at risk by trained professionals. If you are personally affected or concerned about someone else, emergency resources are listed at the bottom of this page.
Understanding autism to provide better support, whether you’re a clinician, parent, or loved one
What you will learn from this program?
- Understand autism through the medical and social models, and assess how this perspective concretely changes the way you intervene.
- Recognize autistic culture: its strengths and challenges.
- Assess suicide risk among people with autism compared to the general population—among both adults and children—based on research data.
- Identify specific risk factors: late diagnosis, masking and camouflaging, autistic burnout, repeated invalidation, and increased risk among autistic women.
- Recognize warning signs specific to people on the autism spectrum, including the “invisible crisis”—one that exhibits none of the signals you’re looking for.
- Adapt your communication during a crisis: what helps, what overwhelms, what causes someone to shut down, and why unintentional harm is the primary risk of well-intentioned support.
- Navigate autism-specific resources developed by the Autism and Suicide Prevention Workgroup, and learn which ones to use depending on the person and the situation, including for LGBTQ+ autistic people and autistic youth.
- Develop a safety plan with a person on the autism spectrum by adapting the Stanley-Brown model: coping strategies, sources of comfort, emergencies, and practical steps to make the environment safer.
Watch an excerpt
In this excerpt, Lisa Morgan explains autism from two perspectives: the medical model and the social model.
Program Content
A continuous 1h47mn presentation in 4 parts and 12 chapters.
Introduction
(7 minutes, 2 chapters)
- Introduction and content warning
- Personal testimony: the night of her husband’s suicide
Part 1
Understanding Autism
(23 minutes, 3 chapters)
- The basics of autism: neurodevelopmental disorder, communication, specific interests, repetitive behaviors, eye contact, learning and memory difficulties, associated disorders
- The medical model and the social model: how changing our perspective makes a difference, and how well-meaning professionals can cause harm without realizing it
- Autistic culture, strengths, and challenges: creativity, literal honesty, adherence to routines, sense of justice; as well as sensory and social challenges, cognitive rigidity, and comorbid conditions
Part 2
Autism and Suicide
(13 minutes, 2 chapters)
- What the numbers say: prevalence of suicidal ideation among autistic adults and children; differences compared to the general population
- Specific risk factors: late diagnosis, masking and camouflaging, increased risk among autistic women, autistic burnout, invalidation
Part 3
Supporting People with Autism in Crisis
(50 minutes, 3 chapters)
- The work group and its resources: the origins of the Autism and Suicide Prevention Workgroup; presentation of the crisis support guide and its practical application
- Warning signs in people with autism: anxiety, agitation, sleep disturbances, withdrawal, feeling trapped, despair, discarding cherished items, new interest in death, invisible crisis, invalidation, persistent ruminations
- “Reasons to live”, LGBTQ+ Resources, and Young People on the Autism Spectrum: the “Reasons to Live” resource, the resource dedicated to LGBTQ+ individuals on the autism spectrum in crisis, and the guide for caregivers of young people on the autism spectrum.
Part 4
Developing a Safety Plan
(14 minutes, 2 chapters)
- Safety planning: the standard Stanley-Brown model, followed by a version adapted for people on the autism spectrum (coping strategies, sources of comfort, emergency section)
- Making the environment safer, and Conclusion: practical steps to secure the environment, and everyone’s role in suicide prevention
A program available immediately upon registration, with unlimited, lifetime access
1h47mn video with Lisa Morgan, in 4 parts and 12 easy-to-navigate chapters
The 78 slides in the presentation
Unlimited access – at your own pace, as many times as you like
Why Quantum Way offers this program
At Quantum Way, we are first and foremost therapists – each of us trained in our respective specialties, with in-depth expertise in attachment issues and the treatment of psychological trauma.
Our mission: to build bridges across languages, cultures, and disciplines, making the teachings of inspiring researchers, authors, speakers, therapists, and practitioners from around the world accessible to as many people as possible.
Since our inception, we have worked to share this knowledge beyond its original language—in English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Polish, Romanian, and other languages currently being added.
This program allows you to explore Lisa Morgan’s teachings in their original English version, featuring a 1-hour-and-47-minute video and downloadable presentation materials.
Register for the program
Crisis Support and Suicide Prevention for Autistic People
An Overview
With Lisa Morgan
1 video, 1 hour 47 minutes long
60,00 € incl. VAT
Money-Back Guarantee
Purchase your course or program risk-free and take advantage of Quantum Way’s “Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Money Back” policy. If you’re not completely satisfied, send us an email at info@quantum-way.com explaining why, within 15 days of your purchase, and we’ll refund you.
At Quantum Way, we’re confident you’ll learn a great deal—even more than you might imagine.
Who is Lisa Morgan?
Lisa Morgan is a trauma-informed consultant specializing in crisis support and suicide prevention for people on the autism spectrum. She is the founder and co-chair of the Autism and Suicide Prevention Workgroup and has led the development of several autism-specific resources to support people on the autism spectrum in crisis.
Lisa, who is herself on the autism spectrum, is an activist, committed to a strengths-based approach. She has written several books, articles, and resources, all available on her website: www.autismcrisissupport.com. She is a member of AASET (Autistic Adults and other Stakeholders Engaged Together), where she has contributed to participatory research projects, notably by co-leading a clinician training team.
Lisa holds two Master’s degrees: one in social work and the other in education (Art of Teaching). She is a professional trainer, lecturer, research consultant, and the director of Lisa Morgan Consulting LLC.
FAQ
A continuous 1-hour-and-47-minute presentation by Lisa Morgan, in 4 parts and 12 chapters, with the 78 slides from her presentation.
A single, continuous video. It is divided into 12 chapters, allowing you to jump directly to the section that interests you and revisit it as often as you like.
This program is pre-recorded. You can watch it whenever you want, at your own pace, all at once or in several sessions.
In the original English version.
You’ll have unlimited, lifetime access once you sign up.
No. Lisa starts with the basics of autism and assumes no prior knowledge. The program is designed for clinicians as well as parents, family members, and caregivers. However, it is not a substitute for clinical training in suicide prevention or specialized care.
Discover how to adapt your support to avoid unintentionally worsening distress
If you need help
If you’re going through a difficult time yourself, or if you’re worried about someone else, there’s help available. In case of immediate danger, call your local emergency services.
United States: 988 — Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Canada: 988 — Suicide Crisis Helpline
United Kingdom and Ireland: 116 123 — Samaritans
Australia: 13 11 14 — Lifeline
Other countries: Find A Helpline