ASIST - Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training
On March 5th and 6th, several members of Team Suicide Prevention participated in perhaps the most consequential event that we’ve done by completing the two-day ASIST workshop. Since the founding of our organization, our goal has been to raise awareness for Suicide Prevention and to raise funds to contribute to those organizations on the front lines of Suicide Prevention. There’s been so many situations that one of our team members has been thrusted into a situation with an individual or concerned friend or family member in the midst of a mental crisis and we’d have to rush/scramble to connect them with the appropriate organization(s) to offer help.
Now with the knowledge and new skill sets that have been acquired with the completion of the ASIST workshop, we hope to be better prepared to offer a more immediate and appropriate response to these crisis situations while we pursue professional intervention options. We know that time is of the essence in these situations and being equipped with the skill sets learned in the workshop gives us the opportunity to make a time effective difference that could help save a live. We are profoundly proud of our TSP members who completed this important training and they will be engaging in skills transfer efforts to help educate the rest of our members with these critical skill sets.
Our sincere thanks to Linda Pulver, Founder of Hope Is Oxygen, for bringing this workshop to Tulsa.
So you ask, “What is ASIST?”
ASIST is a two-day, two-trainer, workshop designed for members of all caregiving groups. Family, friends, and other community members may be the first to talk with a person at risk, but have little or no training. ASIST can also provide those in formal helping roles with professional development to ensure that they are prepared to provide suicide first aid help as part of the care they provide.
The emphasis is on teaching suicide first-aid to help a person at risk stay safe and seek further help as needed. Participants learn to use a suicide intervention model to identify persons with thoughts of suicide, seek a shared understanding of reasons for dying and living, develop a safeplan based upon a review of risk, be prepared to do follow-up, and become involved in suicide-safer community networks. The learning process is based on adult learning principles and highly participatory. Graduated skills development occurs through mini-lectures, facilitated discussions, group simulations, and role plays.
988 Lifeline | Crisis Resources
988 Provides Emotional Support For People In Suicidal Crisis Or Emotional Distress. The 988 Lifeline Is A National Network Of Local Crisis Centers. Text Services. Chat Online. 24/7 Support.