ASIST training helps soldiers save lives

Soldiers were given the opportunity to attend the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training or ASIST on October 12, 2017 at Camp Taji, Iraq. This two-day course shows soldiers the signs of suicide and how to better intervene.

“The class helps you be on the lookout for people that might be at risk for suicide. It gives you the confidence and care to ask directly about suicide,” said Maj. Nicholas Chou, 317st Sustainment Brigade chaplain. “Students learn to be patient and hear that person’s story before engaging.” 

This class goes beyond the U.S. Army’s ACE Suicide Intervention Program, which assists soldiers in looking for the signs in co-workers and peers. ASIST gives leaders and care givers more specific intervention skills to meet the needs of the person at risk.

Over a million people have attended ASIST training and the programs updated regularly. This brings new knowledge and practices to the for-front to improve suicide prevention. 

“I had a situation about a year ago were I picked up on a soldier being suicidal. The next day I was going to talk with him but I was too late and for a while I’ve lived with that guilt,” said Sgt. Justin Clay, 275th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. “Coming here I’ve been able to more effectively pick up those signs and using my experience of what I learned here I feel I can better educate my soldiers to recognize the signs in others if not themselves.”

Attendees identify an effective suicide plan and see the value of improving the resources of their community to help. 

“We have found that for every soldier who attends this course that they engage in an intervention on average within the next couple years of this training,” said Chou. “We have command support to make this happen and our goal is to train over 500 soldiers throughout the theater operating 20 workshops.”

“I highly encourage every unit to have 15 percent attend in the hopes to save lives,” said Clay. 

The more people who take part in this course the more we could help bring down suicide numbers in the military.

(Source: www.Dvidshub.net)

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is for everyone 16 or older–regardless of prior experience–who wants to be able to provide suicide first aid. Shown by major studies to significantly reduce suicidality, the ASIST model teaches effective intervention skills while helping to build suicide prevention networks in the community

Virtually anyone age 16 or older, regardless of prior experience or training, can become an ASIST-trained caregiver. Developed in 1983 and regularly updated to reflect improvements in knowledge and practice, ASIST is the world’s leading suicide intervention workshop. During the two-day interactive session, participants learn to intervene and help prevent the immediate risk of suicide. Over 1,000,000 people have taken the workshop, and studies have proven that the ASIST method helps reduce suicidal feelings for those at risk. 

• Workshop features:
• Presentations and guidance from two LivingWorks registered trainers
• A scientifically proven intervention model
• Powerful audiovisual learning aids
• Group discussions
• Skills practice and development
• A balance of challenge and safety

ASIST has saved and changed hundreds of thousands of lives around the world. 

• Want to get involved with this award-winning program? Here’s how:
• Attend an ASIST workshop in your area
• Organize or sponsor an ASIST workshop
• Learn how to become an ASIST trainer and provide workshops to others