Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training [ASIST]

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training [ASIST] is a 2-day intensive, interactive and practice-dominated course designed to help individuals recognize the risk of suicide, and learn how to intervene to prevent the risk of suicidal thoughts from becoming suicidal behaviours.

Although ASIST is widely used by healthcare providers, participants don’t need any formal training to attend the workshop — ASIST can be learned and used by anyone.

ASIST participants learn to:

• Understand the ways 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.

Current Training Sessions

• January 18, 2023 | Truro | SOLD OUT
• February 14 and 15, 2023 | Yarmouth | SOLD OUT
• March 13 and 14, 2023 | SOLD OUT

Learning Objectives

• Recognize that caregivers and persons at risk are affected by personal and societal attitudes about suicide.
• Discuss suicide with a person at risk in a direct manner.
• Identify risk alerts and develop a safe plan related to them.
• Demonstrate the skills required to intervene with a person at risk of suicide.
• List the types of resources available to a person at risk of suicide, including themselves.
• Make a commitment to improving community resources and networking.
• Recognize that suicide prevention is broader than suicide intervention and, includes life promotion and self-care for persons at risk and for caregivers.

ASIST makes a difference

As the world’s leading suicide intervention workshop, LivingWorks’ ASIST program is supported by numerous evaluations including independent and peer-reviewed studies. Results demonstrate that ASIST helps participants become more willing, ready, and able to intervene with someone at risk of suicide.

ASIST is a resource for the whole community. It helps people apply suicide first-aid in many settings: with family, friends, co-workers, and teammates, as well as formal caregiving roles. 

Many organizations have incorporated ASIST into professional development for their employees. Its widespread use in various communities creates a common language to understand suicide safety issues and communicate across different organizational backgrounds.

Details:

• ASIST workshops are taught over two days (14 hours class time with an hour lunch break both days)
• For ages 18+. Participants can include but not limited to: parents and caregivers; natural helpers and advisors; educators and ministers; health practitioners; justice, law enforcers, emergency workers, and community volunteers.
• The course costs $275 per person and includes course materials and nutritional breaks.
• Taught by two registered trainers per 15–30 participants.

Download the ASIST Information Sheet

To learn more about ASIST or book a training session, contact: 

Elizabeth Baker, Provincial Lead, Education and Training

Email: [email protected] | Direct Line: 902.517.2440

We are able to offer ASIST Training to communities and to organizations for whom the regular fees are a barrier at a reduced rate thanks to our generous funders:

About LivingWorks: LivingWorks is dedicated to saving lives through the creation, development, and delivery of innovatve training experiences that empower individuals, organizations, and communities to be safer from suicide. To learn more, visit www.livingworks.net.