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ASIST, safeTalk, Suicide Awareness & Suicide First Aid Courses
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)
ASIST is a two day intensive skills building workshop that prepares professionals, volunteers and informal helpers to provide suicide first aid interventions, and help persons with thoughts of suicide in ways that increase their suicide safety. The course is designed to be interactive and practice-dominated, and although ASIST is widely used by healthcare providers, participants don’t need any formal training to attend the workshop-anyone 16 or older can learn and use the ASIST model.
Learning goals and objectives
Over the course of their two-day workshop, ASIST participants learn to:
- Understand the ways that personal and societal attitudes affect views on suicide and interventions
- Provide guidance and suicide first aid to a person at risk in ways that meet their individual safety needs
- Identify the key elements of an effective suicide safety plan and the actions required to implement it
- Appreciate the value of improving and integrating suicide prevention resources in the community at large
- Recognize other important aspects of suicide prevention including life-promotion and self-care
Workshop features:
- Presentations and guidance from two registered trainers
- A scientifically proven intervention model
- Powerful audio-visual learning aids
- Group discussions
- Skills practice and development
- A balance of challenge and safety
Next in person course: 14th & 15th February at Mind in Salford
safeTALK
Whether directly or indirectly, most people with thoughts of suicide invite help to safe. safeTALK is a 3 to 4 hour training that prepares participants to recognise these invitations and connect a person with thoughts of suicide to intervention resources. Powerful videos illustrate the importance of suicide alterness, while discussion and practice stimulate learning. Anyone 15 or over who wants to help people be safer from suicide can attend this course.
Learning goals and objectives
safeTALK participants will be better able to:
- Move beyond common tendencies to miss, dismiss, or avoid suicide
- Recognise people who have thoughts of suicide
- Apply the TALK steps (Tell, Ask, Listen, and KeepSafe) to connect a person with thoughts of suicide to a suicide first aid intervention caregiver.
The role of safeTALK in a Suicide-Safer Community:
safeTALK helps connect people with thoughts of suicide to caregivers who can support them. Often, these caregivers are trained in the ASIST programme.
Suicide Awareness
Suicide Awareness is a short, half-day awareness session. Its goal is to make direct, open and honest talk about suicide easier.
Suicide Awareness is structured by and organised around the question “Should we talk about suicide”?
By looking at this question in a number of ways, participants may discover some of their beliefs and ideas about suicide and those of their community. Participants also examine the range of things they can do to help prevent suicide.
During this session ways to help a person at risk are discussed. The pain of those touched by suicide is acknowledged.
- Examines why people experience thoughts of suicide
- Encourages open discussion about suicide and attitudes toward it
- Explores ways people can help to prevent suicide
To find out more, please visit: https://theolliefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/suicideTALK-and-esuicideTALK.pdf
One Day Suicide First Aid Course – Accredited by City and Guilds
Course overview:
This course teaches the theory and practice of suicide intervention skills, that can be applied in any professional or personal setting, Accredited by City and Guilds of London, this course is for anyone who seeks greater understanding and confidence to intervene with people at risk of suicide.
Course content:
- The impact and value of personal and professional experience with suicide
- Barriers that prevent people at risk seeking help
- Prevalence of suicide thoughts and suicide behaviours
- The Signs of Suicide and the Suicide-Safety Guide
- Partnership working and community resources
Methods of delivery:
Taught over 6 hours using tutor facilitated Socratic learning, tutor-led role-play, mini lectures, group work and audiovisual presentations. This is a highly interactive and emotionally engaging learning experience.
Learning outcomes:
– Suicide behaviour; reasons and magnitude of the community health problem.
– Role of the carer in managing suicide interventions; different roles with different people
– Understand approaches and process of suicide intervention including desired outcomes
– Understand the importance of self-reflection and personal impact when working with suicide and people at risk
Who should attend?
Multi-sector practitioners including health, housing, social care, education, criminal justice, call centre operators, private, voluntary and public sector workers and community members.
No previous experience or training is necessary. Participants will be asked to self- reflect and empathise with a person having thoughts of suicide.