Today, as part of the preparation for a new training contract, I attended ASIST training at Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre in Bangor.  What is ASIST?  It is:

A course which teaches people to recognise suicidal thoughts and gives them the confidence and the skills to intervene

We started the morning looking at our attitudes to suicide, something that is often taboo in our society and something that no-one wants to address, for fear of saying the wrong thing, fear of tipping someone over the edge, or fear of offending someone by asking the question:

Do you feel suicidal?

Today I learned that it is OK to ask the question, but at the appropriate moment.  And, that moment is part of a structured suicide intervention model.  The first aider metaphor was employed to help us understand our role as care-givers.

As someone coming new to this area in a professional capacity, I’d thoroughly recommend the course to anyone.  It would be especially beneficial to care-givers, teachers, youth-club leaders, parents, and those who work with vulnerable groups of all kinds.  Click here for a list of FAQs.