Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is a two day workshop that enables people to recognise the signs when someone is at risk of suicide and learn how to prevent the immediate risk to their life. Just as ‘CPR’ skills make physical first aid possible, training in suicide intervention develops the skills used in suicide first aid.

The ASIST course has been developed and refined by the Canadian organisation LivingWorks and is recognised by the Department of Health. With over 900,000 people trained in suicide intervention skills, ASIST is by far the most widely used, acclaimed and researched suicide intervention skills training in the world. It enables caregivers of all kinds (professionals, volunteers and informal helpers) to become more willing, ready and able to recognise and intervene effectively to help persons at risk of suicide.

Additional benefits of ASIST:

• It is an effective tool for challenging stigma and taboo around suicide.
• It encourages direct open and honest communication about suicide.
• It provides a common language to respond effectively to a person at risk.
• It helps break down barriers between organisations & individuals working with people at risk.
• It sets up a gateway for community networking and increases knowledge of local resources.
• ASIST Skills are applicable in many "helping" situations, not just where suicide is a risk.

There has been extensive evaluation carried out on the effectiveness of ASIST in Scotland which found that:

“The evidence that we have gathered shows ASIST to be a high-quality, effective training programme that has achieved its aim and made an impact by raising awareness of suicide, and by improving the skills and willingness of a wide range of people to identify and help individuals who may be at risk of suicide”.

Source: www.scotland.gov.uk.