Supporting people who are experiencing severe distress
The Samaritans have tips on how to listen and talk to people when you are worried about their feelings.
Listen, giving people the time to speak. Don’t be afraid of silence – sometimes a pause of a few seconds will give a person time to put things into words that they are finding difficult.
Visit samaritans.org
You may also wish to look at the training provided by the Zero Suicide Alliance.