ASIST Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training

ASIST

Attending this two-day course will train you to intervene with an individual who is thinking about suicide.

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is a two-day interactive workshop in suicide first aid. ASIST teaches participants to recognize when someone may have thoughts of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety. Although ASIST is widely used by healthcare providers, participants don’t need any formal training to attend the workshop—anyone 18 or older can learn and use the ASIST model.

This workshop contains content that may be upsetting for some people, especially those who have lost a loved one to suicide.

What this workshop achieves

After attending this workshop, participants feel more ready, willing, and able to help someone considering suicide.

91% of participants feel more prepared to help. No prepared Prepared Before After 88% of participants feel more confident to help. Not confident Confident Before After

I am feeling more comfortable asking if someone has had thoughts of suicide. Even asking someone can let them know that they are heard and I feel more prepared to have that conversation. ASIST Participant

I am grateful because taking this workshop helped me save my friend. ASIST Participant

Learning Objectives

Over the course of their two-day workshop, ASIST participants learn to:

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;
appreciate the value of improving community resources including the way that they work together; and,
recognize that suicide prevention is broader than suicide intervention and, includes life promotion and self care for people thinking about suicide and for caregivers.

This workshop is not recommended for people who have had a recent suicide loss.

Audience

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.

Focusing upon the role of ASIST caregivers in a suicide-safer community, the goal of ASIST is to train caregivers who are willing, ready and able to provide life-assisting, suicide first aid. Studies show that the ASIST method helps reduce suicidal feelings and is a cost-effective way to help address the problem of suicide.

Certificate and Accreditation

All participants who complete the course (14 hours of instruction time) will receive a certificate of participation. In Alberta, your certificate is valid for 3 years. If you take a half-day ASIST Tune Up workshop within 30 days of the expiration of your certificate, it will be renewed for another 2 years.

ASIST is recognized by the Association of Social Work Board (ASWB). Participants who have current ASIST certificate can obtain 14 hours of Category A professional development credits. If you do not belong to ASWB, please check with your professional association to see if you qualify for credits.

Special Accommodations

The ASIST has materials available in large print, Braille and other language translations. Please contact the Centre for Suicide Prevention if you need specific accommodations.