Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) – CMHA Edmonton

Attending this two-day course will train you to intervene with an individual who is suicidal.

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is an intensive, interactive, and practice-dominated course designed to help caregivers recognize and review risk and intervene to prevent the immediate risk of suicide. It is by far the most widely used, acclaimed and researched suicide intervention training workshop in the world. 

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize that caregivers and persons at risk are affected by personal and societal

  attitudes about suicide

• Discuss suicide with a person at risk in a direct manner

• Identify risk alerts and develop a safe plan related to them

• Demonstrate the skills required to intervene with a person at risk of suicide

• List the types of resources available to a person at risk of suicide, including themselves

• Make a commitment to improving community resources and networking

Recognize that suicide prevention is broader than suicide intervention and, includes life promotion and self-care for persons at risk and for caregivers

Audience: Ages 18+. Participants can include but are not limited to: parents and caregivers; natural helpers and advisors; educators and ministers; health practitioners; justice, law enforcers, emergency workers, and community volunteers.

For more information: CMHA-Edmonton ASIST

To register: ASIST Upcoming Sessions

UPCOMING TRAINING DATES:

Suicide Prevention, Risk Assessment & Management (SPRAM) – Alberta Health Services

Learn how to assess and manage individuals at risk of suicide, from a healthcare provider perspective.

Suicide Prevention, Risk Assessment & Management (SPRAM) is an e-learning series that responds to the foundational learning needs of health care providers, particularly those working in Addiction and Mental Health (AMH). The content supports developing foundational competence in suicide prevention, risk assessment, and managing individuals at-risk for suicide. The learner can use this content in a manner that is relevant to their practice domain, and it is intended to complement rather than replace any existing suicide prevention training. SPRAM does not provide formal certification.

SPRAM consists of nine (9) e-Learning modules. The content has been developed using evidence-informed best practices and is organized sequentially to create a seamless, flowing learning experience; the modules must be taken in order.

SPRAM is considered an Accredited Self-Assessment Program (Section 3) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and approved by the University of Calgary Office of Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Professional Development. It is duly accredited by the Canadian Addiction Counsellors Certification Federation.

To register: AHS - SPRAM

Our Children Are Sacred - Ben Calf Robe

A youth focused suicide prevention course and resource for adults interacting with individuals at risk for suicide.

This 2-day interactive course is designed to increase awareness around preventative and protective factors that put people at risk for suicide and provide participants with the skills to respond to a person considering suicide.

For more information: Ben Calf Robe – Our Children Are Sacred

To register: Our Children Are Sacred

UPCOMING TRAINING DATES:

Wise Practices for Life Promotion – Thunderbird Partnership Foundation

Free for First Nations community wellness workers, this is a 3-day virtual training that focuses on suicide prevention and life promotion practices through an Indigenous lens.

This course supports First Nations communities interested in building their capacity to connect youth with life and living via implementing life promotion ideas from the wisepractices.ca website. The topics that will be covered include how life promotion contributes to suicide prevention, the strength-based approach to life promotion, land based life promotion practices, the role of First Nations knowledge in community-based life promotion efforts, and the relationship between colonial violence and suicidal behaviours, and how Indigenous Knowledge resists this. The training respects the unique characteristics and priorities of each community and recognizes that First Nations communities have their own teachings and practices related to community wellness.

To register: ThunderbirdPF – Training Calendar

LivingWorks Start – LivingWorks

An introductory course that will provide anyone over the age of 13 with basic skills on how to recognize and support someone who is thinking about suicide.

In just one hour online, LivingWorks Start teaches trainees to recognize when someone is thinking about suicide and connect them to help and support.

LivingWorks Start teaches valuable skills to everyone 13 and older and requires no formal training or prior experience in suicide prevention.

When you sign up for LivingWorks Start training, you’ll learn a powerful four-step model to keep someone safe from suicide, and you’ll have a chance to practice it with impactful simulations. Safety resources and support are available throughout the program.

For more information: LivingWorks

To register: LivingWorks Start

Counselling on Access to Lethal Means – Zero Suicide

Learn how to reduce access to methods that people use to die by suicide.

Reducing access to lethal means, such as firearms and medication, can determine whether a person at risk for suicide lives or dies.

This course is about how to reduce access to the methods people use to kill themselves. It covers who needs lethal means counseling and how to work with people at risk for suicide—and their families—to reduce access.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain that reducing access to lethal means is an evidence-based strategy for suicide prevention.

• Explain how reducing access to lethal means can prevent suicide.

• Identify clients for whom lethal means counseling is appropriate.

• Describe strategies for raising the topic of lethal means, and feel more comfortable and competent applying these strategies with clients.

• Advise clients on specific off-site and in-home secure storage options for firearms and strategies to limit access to dangerous medications.

• Work with your clients and their families to develop a specific plan to reduce access to lethal means and follow up on the plan over time.

Audience: While this course is primarily designed for mental health professionals, others who work with people at risk for suicide, such as health care providers and social service professionals, may also benefit.

To register: Zero Suicide