Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter
A suicide first-aid course is going to be offered in Peace River Sept. 24 and 25 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.
“Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training is the best, most informative training there is for helping someone thinking about ending their life, while keeping you safe as well,” explains Peace River Family and Community Support Services Director Tamara Brunham. “Before we can recognize individuals considering suicide, we must look at our own perceptions of suicide. This course helps us understand suicide and empowers people who they have reached out to help them and with the right resources.”
The course is being offered as a collaborative effort between Town of Pece River, Peace River FCSS, Resource Centre for Suicide Prevention, and Aspenroad Resources. The course is open to anyone over 18 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 of suicide should consider taking this course. The high-risk demographics include men, First Nations people, and teens.
“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 recognize that caregivers and people are affected by personal and societal attitudes about suicide, provide life-assisting guidance to a person thinking about suicide in a flexible manner, identify what needs to be in a person thinking about suicide’s plan for safety, demonstrate 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 am until 4:30 pm each day. It costs $74 plus GST to take and will be administered at Northern Lakes College in Peace River. To register, email peaceriver.ca/registration. If you have any questions or concerns, please call Tamara at 780-624-1000 extension 1036 or email her at tbrunham@peaceriver.ca.