A suicide first-aid course is going to be offered in Peace River Sept. 28-29 to help people acquire skills to help intervene with a person thinking about suicide.
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is being offered as a two-day skills-based workshop to teach people how to intervene in suicide situations.
“ASIST is led by two instructors from the Centre for Suicide Prevention,” explains Peace River Family and Community Support Services director Tamara Brunham.
“It is a two-day informed suicide prevention training that is designed to help participants recognize the signs of suicide risk.”
The course is being offered as a collaborative effort between Town of Peace River, Peace River FCSS, Northern Sunrise County, and Resource Centre for Suicide Prevention. The course is open to anyone over 18 years who is interested. If a person under 18 is interested in the course, they can call Peace River FCSS and they will help to find the right resources.
“Signs can be subtle, and resources are different in every region,” explains Brunham.
“Just like it’s important to know where you can find a Band-Aid, it’s important to have this information before you need it.”
Brunham says anyone who is in the major demographics of people who are statistically at higher risk (men, First Nations people and teenagers) should consider taking this course.
“There’s quite a loneliness epidemic out there,” says Brunham, who notes much of our communication in a rural area comes from the internet and other social media outlets.
“We are seeing lots of different hate groups that are online. We’re seeing that kind of hate come out in different facets of people’s lives and I think it’s a big deal.”
Brunham says they believe this is in large part as to why there are more issues with suicide and mental health.
“ASIST instructors teach what and general why someone begins thinking this way, the signs and symptoms you may see, coping mechanisms and language,” she says.
“Often we are left speechless when someone shares something so powerful, having the knowledge and tools to help someone is invaluable.”
Learning objectives will include recognizing that caregivers and people are affected by personal and societal attitudes about suicide, providing life-assisting guidance to a person thinking about suicide in a flexible manner, identifying what needs to be in a person thinking about suicide’s plan for safety, demonstrating the skills required to provide suicide first-aid to a person thinking about suicide, and so much more.
“This is a beneficial course to offer yearly in our community so that we can attempt to help people who are struggling,” Brunham says.
“(It is a two-day event because) there is a lot of information and it’s important to be able to check in with participants due to the nature of the topic and people’s experiences.”
The course will run from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. each day. It costs $75 to take and will be administered at Northern Lakes College in Peace River. They are also considering running the refresher course in the next few months, so anyone who has taken the full two-day course and would like to take the refresher is urged to phone FCSS to express their interest.
To register or if you have any questions or concerns, please call Tamara at (780) 624-1000 extension 1036 or email her at tbrunham @peaceriver.ca.
Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter