Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter
If you think someone you love may be considering suicide, a workshop coming to Peace River this week may help you with some insight on how to provide some help to them.
Close Connections Suicide Prevention Training will be offered at the Peace River Municipal Library on October 6. Alberta Health Services mental health promotion facilitator Trevor Lusby says the workshop will help provide training on various topics.
“This is an in-person program for adults over the age of 18 and would benefit anyone interested in learning more about helping others by supporting day-to-day wellness, promoting life and preventing suicide,” says Lusby.
“It can be hard to know if someone is thinking about suicide, but recognizing the risk factors and warning signs is important,” he adds.
Lusby says that sometimes through our close connections, we can help others by supporting wellness, promoting life and preventing suicide.
“People can be more at risk of suicide when they experience barriers accessing social and health services, mental illness, traumatic life events, family violence, or have a diagnosis of a serious physical illness,” he explains.
The workshop will be held from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Interested participants can register by phoning (780) 624-6151 or emailing Lusby at trevor.lusby@ahs.ca.
“The workshop aims to increase knowledge and practice skills to use the REACH Pathway to help support someone who is struggling,” says Lusby.
“(That includes) recognize when someone you care about might be thinking of suicide, engage in conversation and listen with empathy, ask about thoughts of suicide, connect the person to safety, supports and resources, and heal and take care of your own mental health while helping others,” he adds.
Lusby says there is no cost to this training, that it is a free workshop offered to the public and community agencies to raise awareness and education around suicide prevention.