Suicide Among Aboriginal People in Canada - Institut universitaire ...

Appendix ARecommended Suicide Prevention andMental Health Promotion Training ProgramsThis appendix summarizes selected programs in suicide prevention and mental health promotion forAboriginal people. These programs were chosen for the following reasons:1) The program has an Aboriginal community focus in that it is either community created and driven,adapted in part or in whole by the community, or is intended to help the community mobilize toward acommunity created and implemented prevention initiative.2) An evaluation component is included, whether the evaluation has been completed, is ongoing, or isincluded in the design.3) The programs are wide-ranging, ongoing, and currently accessible to anyone who wishes to find outmore about them.Although only a few of these programs have had rigorous evaluations, they are all reasonable places to startin developing a comprehensive prevention program.Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)ASIST is a two-day, interactive workshop designed by Livingworks Education, a public service corporation,to prepare all caregivers including professionals, paraprofessionals, and lay people to intervene in a suicidecrisis. ASIST is currently the most widely used suicide intervention workshop in the world. It has beenin place for nearly 25 years, is multilingual and employs over 3,000 trainers worldwide. This workshoptalks about attitudes and how they affect one’s work as a caregiver (a caregiver in this case is anyone whosework—professional or volunteer—involves suicide prevention). It also gives the caregiver an understandingof who commits suicide and how to do a risk assessment. Participants have the chance to practice talkingto a person at risk, using role play in which they follow the intervention model taught through ASIST.Participants learn to recognize individuals at risk and how to intervene to reduce the immediate risk ofsuicide. ASIST is designed to help all caregivers become more ready, willing, and able to help personsat risk. Fundamental to the program is the belief that prepared caregivers can help prevent suicide. Theprogram has five learning sections:1) Preparing – sets the tone, norms, and expectations of the learning experience.2) Connecting – sensitizes participants to their own attitudes toward suicide. Creates an understanding ofthe impact that attitudes have on the intervention process.3) Understanding – overviews the intervention needs of a person at risk. It focuses on providing participantswith the knowledge and skills to recognize risk and develop safe plans to reduce the risk of suicide.4) Assisting – presents a model for effective suicide intervention. Participants develop their skills throughobservation and supervised simulation experiences in large and small groups.5) Networking – generates information about resources in the local community; promotes a commitmentby participants to transform local resources into helping networks.113