ASIST Trainings

www.TheCitizensWhoCare.org

Are You At Risk?
ASIST 2-Day Training
Who should attend?
Who provides ASIST workshops?
What are the core features of an ASIST workshop?
What is the structure of an ASIST workshop?
Does ASIST provide CEU credits?
How much does it cost to attend?
What is ASIST 11?
How does ASIST align with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention's clinical workforce preparedness guidelines?
“Suicide Intervention Training for K-12 Schools: A Quasi-Experimental Study on ASIST”Frequently Asked Questions

Which does my community need - awareness or intervention skills training?
Working together to prevent suicide

How can my community get involved?
Additional Reading
Bully Resources, Response, Kognito, ASIST

 

ASIST 2-Day Training


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 16 or older can learn and use the ASIST model.

Since its development in 1983, ASIST has received regular updates to reflect improvements in knowledge and practice, and over 1,000,000 people have taken the workshop. Studies show that the ASIST method helps reduce suicidal feelings in those at risk and is a cost-effective way to help address the problem of suicide.

Learning goals and objectives

  • Over the course of their two-day workshop, ASIST participants learn to:
  • Understand the ways that personal and societal attitudes affect views on suicide and interventions
  • Provide guidance and suicide first aid to a person at risk in ways that meet their individual safety needs
  • Identify the key elements of an effective suicide safety plan and the actions required to implement it
  • Appreciate the value of improving and integrating suicide prevention resources in the community at large
  • Recognize other important aspects of suicide prevention including life-promotion and self-care

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 helps to build regional networks of trained caregivers who can support each and use common terminology to approach suicide and safety.
Source: www.livingworks.net/programs/asist/

Who should attend?


We mean it when we say that ASIST is for everyone. Virtually anyone aged 16 and older can learn the skills to intervene and save a life from suicide. Professionals as well as members of the community at large have all found great value in ASIST over the years.

Many professionals attend ASIST because suicide intervention skills are essential for their work. In many organizations, ASIST is a mandatory component of training. Nurses, physicians, mental health professionals, pharmacists, teachers, counselors, youth workers, police, first responders, correctional staff, school support staff, clergy, and volunteers have all found that ASIST complements their existing training and knowledge.

Other people attend simply because they want to be able to help someone in need, in much the same way they might learn CPR. Because the training is comprehensive and doesn’t rely on prior qualifications, they can have the same meaningful experience as a professional caregiver.

Ultimately, ASIST is founded on the principle that everyone can make a difference in preventing suicide. The more people in the community who have suicide intervention training, the more likely it is they will be able to identify someone at risk and intervene to keep them safe.
Studies show www.livingworks.net/resources-and-support/research-and-evaluation/

Who provides ASIST workshops?


Each ASIST workshop is led by at least two registered LivingWorks trainers. In order to become registered, trainers must complete an intensive course called an ASIST Training for Trainers (T4T), present workshops regularly, and submit continuous quality assurance reports. Some ASIST trainers work independently while others belong to agencies and organizations, but all of them share a commitment to excellence in suicide intervention skills training.

There are currently more than 6,000 active ASIST trainers around the world, and all trainers receive ongoing support from LivingWorks as they work to build suicide-safer communities.

What are the core features of an ASIST workshop?


Each ASIST workshop shares many core features that make up the LivingWorks international standard. Here is what you can expect at your ASIST training:

  • ASIST is held over two consecutive days for a total of 15 hours.
  • ASIST is based on principles of adult learning. It values participants’ experiences and contributions and encourages them to share actively in the learning process.
  • ASIST workshops always have a minimum of two active ASIST trainers present for the entire two days. If there are more than 30 participants, there will be at least three trainers. Workshops over 45 participants are not recommended and should be split into two separate sessions instead.
  • Trainers show two award-winning videos in the course of the workshop. Cause of Death? provides a common starting point for the discussion of attitudes about suicide, while two versions of It Begins with You illustrate the process of a suicide intervention.
  • Some parts of ASIST take place with all participants together, and others take place in a smaller work group. This helps create a balance between safety and challenge. Participants need not disclose personal experiences to the whole group.
  • Local resources are provided and their availability in the community is discussed.
  • Participant materials include a 20-page workbook, wallet card, and stickers. Participants also receive a certificate upon completing the workshop.

What is the structure of an ASIST workshop?


The ASIST workshop is divided into five sections that follow in a logical progression to gradually build comfort and understanding around suicide and suicide intervention.

Preparing: Sets the tone, norms, and expectations of the learning experience.

Connecting: Sensitizes participants to their own attitudes towards suicide. Creates an understanding of the impact that attitudes can have on the intervention process.

Understanding: Overviews the intervention needs of a person at risk. It focuses on providing participants with the knowledge and skills to recognize risk and develop safeplans to reduce the risk of suicide.

Assisting: Presents a model for effective suicide intervention. Participants develop their skills through observation and supervised simulation experiences in large and small groups.

Networking: Generates information about resources in the local community. Promotes a commitment by participants to transform local resources into helping networks.

Does ASIST provide CEU credits?


Although CEU standards vary from one organization to another, many agencies and licensure boards will grant CEU (continuing education unit) credits for attending an ASIST workshop. For more information, please see the CEU resource page.

How much does it cost to attend?


The cost of attending an ASIST workshop varies by location for a number of reasons. For example, some organizations may subsidize workshop costs. You will be able to see these costs when you find a local training and register.

The small financial return to LivingWorks offsets development costs, participant materials, trainer support, and quality assurance. As a social enterprise, we finance all of these costs without subsidies, government grants, or tax benefits.

What is ASIST 11?


ASIST started in 1983. ASIST 11 is the current program version. Why you should take the latest version if you had taken an ASIST workshop before 2013 (ASIST 10 version.). Details and information can be found here.

How does ASIST align with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention's clinical workforce preparedness guidelines?


We are pleased to note that the ASIST workshop is a strong match for the clinical workforce preparedness training guidelines developed by the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, meeting or exceeding virtually all of the recommendations within the intervention scope. To help illustrate this alignment, we have prepared a downloadable document outlining ASIST’s alignment with the guidelines.

this document does not exist https://www.livingworks.net/programs/asist/

Those who are providing ASIST within their organizations are already doing their part to support clinical workforce preparedness in accordance with these guidelines. The downloadable document can be useful in demonstrating alignment with these guidelines for reports, funding applications, and other uses.

Founded in 2010, the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention is a public/private partnership that supports, develops, and advocates for the United States national suicide prevention strategy. Published in 2012, the updated edition of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention recognizes the importance of a broad clinical workforce that is well-prepared to assess and intervene when necessary. The Action Alliance’s Clinical Workforce Preparedness Task Force developed these guidelines as a core set of minimum requirements for the development, adoption, and dissemination of training efforts to support this preparedness. These guidelines are detailed in the 2014 document Suicide Prevention and the Clinical Workforce , a 64 page pdf file
Source: www.livingworks.net/programs/asist/  

“Suicide Intervention Training for K-12 Schools: A Quasi-Experimental Study on ASIST”


Evidence of effectiveness is important—it lets us know that what we’re doing is working, and it enables participants and organizers around the world to make informed decisions about which suicide prevention training programs to use. To help the LivingWorks community learn more about evaluation studies of our programs, we’re launching a new newsletter feature: get to know a study! We encourage you to share information about these studies with the participants, organizations, and key stakeholders you work and train with.

This month, we’re looking at some exciting new research published in the Journal of Counseling & Development this January. The study was conducted by Laura Shannonhouse, Yung-Wei Dennis Lin, Kelly Shaw, and Michael Porter, and examines the impact of ASIST for training teachers and counselors in K-12 schools. As a quasi-experimental study using a test group (104 staff who went through ASIST) and a purposefully matched control group (45 similar staff who didn’t go through ASIST), it is one of the most rigorous studies ever conducted on the impact of ASIST.

That study examined the effects of ASIST training by asking participants to complete the Suicide Intervention Response Inventory—Second Edition (SIRI-2). Developed by Neimeyer and Bonnelle in 1997, the SIRI-2 presents caregiver replies to a person-at-risk of suicide and assesses how closely respondents’ ratings of those statements match ratings given by expert suicidologists. The closer the match, the more likely the respondent would say something beneficial in an intervention. This assessment approach is more objective than asking for self-rated skills or knowledge—however, the authors did note some nuanced findings about understanding SIRI-2 scores.

The researchers found that, relative to the control group, the ASIST-trained group of school staff improved on all variables. Regression analyses determined how much of the improvements were attributable to the training rather than other factors, such as job role. In each case, a majority of the improvements could be attributed to the training, and all were statistically significant. At post-test, the trained group improved as follows (presented as variance explained by ASIST training and relative score improvement).

  • Suicide intervention skills: 13% more variance explained; 0.32 standard deviation (SD) score increase
  • Attitudes toward suicide: 35% variance explained; 0.63 SD increase
  • Knowledge of suicide: 43% variance explained; 1.86 SD increase
  • Comfort, competence, and confidence in responding to individuals at risk of suicide: 33% variance explained; from .68 to 1.71 SD increases

The authors concluded that their research aligns with previous studies indicating that ASIST participants report feeling more comfortable, competent, and confident intervening with people who have thoughts of suicide. They note that in school settings, ASIST is particularly valuable to teachers, who often have less training in suicide intervention compared to counselors and administrators. “[O]ur findings provide support for the use of ASIST in schools, particularly those in rural areas with limited access to mental health services,” wrote the authors.

Another important takeaway from the study is the value of building intervention capacity among all school staff so that many people, regardless of role, can intervene when a student with thoughts of suicide chooses to confide in them. They refer to the term “natural helper” from the literature, and suggest targeting for training those people in systems that naturally display warmth or empathy, and have high interpersonal interactions. Accordingly, even if school counselors already have some knowledge of suicide intervention, they “should be interested in suicide intervention skills training that builds the capacity of their school community and provides suicide first aid to students at the moment when it is most needed,” concluded the authors.

Citing this research: Shannonhouse, L., Lin, Y.-W. D., Shaw, K. and Porter, M. (2017), Suicide Intervention Training for K–12 Schools: A Quasi-Experimental Study on ASIST. Journal of Counseling & Development, 95: 3–13.
Source: Email from March, 2017 LivingWorks Newsletter

Frequently Asked Questions


Source: www.livingworks.net/resources-and-support/livingworks-faq/

Which does my community need - awareness or intervention skills training?


Suicide prevention programs tend to focus on either awareness or skills training. Both are important and can contribute to a community's suicide safety.

Awareness

Awareness programs, like LivingWorks' esuicideTALK, can serve a number of purposes. These presentations are for people interested in learning more about suicide and what can be done to help those at risk. They are designed to stimulate or build on concern about suicide. They often provide basic information about signs of suicide risk along with initial helping steps. Some address the needs of those bereaved by suicide. Sometimes, they discuss broader issues about building more supportive suicide-aware networks in communities, schools, and workplaces.

Awareness programs usually provide basic information but do not offer opportunities to develop suicide intervention skills. Some find that attending an awareness presentation is sufficient for their needs and interest, while others choose to become more involved and recognize that they will need more skills to do this effectively.

Awareness presentations are shorter and aimed at the large number of persons who are sensitized to the problem of suicide. The goal is that members of the audience will identify ways to help, supporting suicide prevention and life-assisting programs in their communities while becoming more willing to refer persons at risk to helpers with intervention skills. Most awareness program audiences will recognize that there is more to learn before they feel willing, ready, and able to intervene to prevent the immediate risk of suicide.

Skills training

Crisis intervention skills training programs, like LivingWorks' ASIST, equip people to identify and respond to someone at immediate risk of suicide. Just as CPR skills make physical first aid possible, training in suicide intervention develops the skills to offer knowledgeable, competent suicide first aid. These programs also typically explore options for linking people with resources for ongoing help. They should also address caregiver attitudes towards suicide since these personal elements can affect the willingness and effectiveness of an intervention.

Skills training programs are longer and are often aimed at people in positions of trust. Depending on the community or organization, these might include chaplains, counselors, mental health professionals, social workers, teachers, and wellness managers—among many others. They are often the ones others turn to in times of difficulty, and in intervention skills programs, they are typically called caregivers or gatekeepers.

Intervention training programs are skills-based and provide a solid foundation for intervention and follow-up with someone at risk. Those participating in a suicide intervention skills workshop should leave feeling willing, ready, and able to intervene and prevent the immediate risk of suicide. Intervention skills training participants often feel more empowered to take a leadership role in suicide prevention and life-assisting programs in their communities.

Working together to prevent suicide

In the end, both awareness and intervention skills are essential. Every community needs people who support suicide prevention as well as caregivers who are prepared to intervene. LivingWorks offers a variety of programs in each category. Together, they can contribute to a robust suicide prevention framework for any community.
Source: www.livingworks.net/resources-and-support/livingworks-faq/

How can my community get involved?


Communities come in all shapes and sizes. Because communities are so diverse, there is no “one size fits all” solution for suicide awareness, prevention, and intervention. This is why LivingWorks offers a range of programs with adaptable components to meet specific needs.

For some communities, even having one or two suicide intervention caregivers can make a big difference as long as they are widely recognized as people who can help. The more caregivers or alert helpers who are trained, the better—and the more likely that someone at risk of suicide can get timely, life-saving help.

Suicide intervention, alertness, and awareness all have a part to play in making a community or organization safer from suicide. To learn more about the ways you or your organization can get involved, please visit our Programs page.

If you aren’t certain about what your community needs, we will be happy to discuss your situation and suicide prevention goals. Please contact us to inquire. Together, we can help your community become safer from suicide.
Source:  www.livingworks.net/resources-and-support/livingworks-faq/

Are You At Risk?


Do you feel you're at risk? Are you concerned about someone being suicidal? Sometimes people end up on the LivingWorks website because they are actually looking for personal help. If someone were to ask you right now if you are having thoughts of suicide, what would your honest answer be? If yes, this is likely a difficult time for you. You do not need to go through this alone.

Likely, you are already taking your thoughts of suicide seriously. Being alone with thoughts of suicide is one thing that is known to increase the risk of harm or death. Find someone who is comfortable talking about suicide—someone who will work with you to prevent the risk of these thoughts leading to suicidal actions. One of the quickest and best ways to find out if the helper has these abilities is to tell them that you are having thoughts of suicide and watch their reaction. Don't expect them to be comfortable immediately, but do expect them to show more concern for you than for themselves. If they don't measure up, there are others who will. Don't give up.

Once you have found someone, don't expect that the helper is going to keep the danger secret or not want extra help. You want a helper who is honest about how much they can do. Lastly, be honest. Don't say anything just to please the helper or promise anything you can't or won't do. Everyone needs to take the time to find what will really help. Suicide is not the only way out.

If you do not know who to reach out to in your community, please see the information by region below. Telephone and text crisis services have provided effective help to many people who are feeling suicidal and can do the same for you.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for 24-hour service
Crisis Text Line - 741741 for 24/7 access to a trained couselor through the safety of texting.
Veterans Crisis Line: Call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1 or text to 838255
Source: www.livingworks.net/resources-and-support/are-you-at-risk/

Contact


LivingWorks Education LP
P.O. Box 9607
Fayetteville, North Carolina 28311

Tel: 910-867-8822?
Toll Free (in NA): 1-888-733-5484
Fax: 910-867-8832?
Email: usa@livingworks.net
 

Additional Reading

Clinical Workforce Guidelines Alignment (4 page PDF)
ASIST Information Sheet (2 page PDF)

 
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