By Payton Tholstrup

ASIST Training in Concordia will take place on July 30th and 31st at the North Central Kansas Medical Center from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. ASIST stands for Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training.

The Kansas Suicide Prevention Coalition partnered with the Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas to provide these trainings.

ASIST is a two-day interactive workshop in suicide first-aid. The training will teach participants to recognize when someone may be at risk of suicide and give them the knowledge of how to work with them on creating a safety plan.

ASIST is widely used by healthcare providers, but participants don’t need any formal training to attend the workshop. ASIST can be used by anyone.

The objectives of the workshop are listed below:

· Understand the ways personal/societal attitudes affect views on suicide and interventions.

· Provide guidance and suicide first-aid to a person at risk.

· Identify the key elements of an effective suicide safety plan and the actions needed to implement the plan.

· Appreciate the value of improving and integrating suicide prevention resources in the community at large.

· Recognize other important aspects of suicide prevention such as life promotion and self-care.