ASIST Course

The 2 day applied suicide intervention skills training workshop is conducted in a safe & supportive environment, where people can build their confidence and competence to be able to intervene successfully with a person at risk and apply suicide first aid skills that will enable the person to keep safe until he/she can be linked up with community resources.

Working mostly in small groups of one trainer to a maximum of 10 participants, ASIST uses many different teaching processes to create a practice-oriented and interactive learning experience.

During the workshop, participants are taken through how to use a simple, step by step and easy to use model. There are whole group presentations/activities and small group discussions with many opportunities to practise applying the Suicide Intervention Model.

At the conclusion of the workshop to further support your learning, we will provide you with a database of resources and a Suicide Intervention Handbook.

An ASIST course can be delivered for between 12 and 30 participants.

Workshop Structure

Participants will learn how to:

  • recognise invitations for help
  • reach out and offer support
  • review the risk of suicide
  • apply a suicide intervention model
  • link people with community resources

during the following five learning sections of the course:

  1. Preparing: Sets the expectations for the workshop and considers the national suicide statistics and the extent of the problem.
  2. Connecting: In small group discussions this section puts participants in touch with their own attitudes and beliefs about suicide and considers the impact that attitudes can have when intervening with a person at risk.
  3. Understanding: Introducing the Suicide Intervention Model we identify the needs of a person at risk. Participants are taken through the stages of the model with opportunities to apply this knowledge by practicing in a small group.
  4. Assisting: A more detailed exploration of the model is presented and opportunities given to practice using the model in whole group and small group practice sessions.
  5. Networking: The group generates information about resources in the local community which promotes a commitment by participants to transform local resources into helping networks.