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

Appendix ADay 1 and 2: ASIST-Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training. The first two days are spent in theLivingWorks/SPTP ASIST training. Participants learn to recognize and assess suicidal behaviour as wellas how to undertake the short-term management of a crisis situation.Day 3: Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD). This component of the workshop is grounded in the beliefthat caregivers working on the front line need to have a system that allows them to deal successfully with thestress of their job. Burnout, identifying stressors, and strategies for dealing with stress are discussed.Cultural Awareness and Traditions. In some communities, there are requests for a local Elder to come andtalk about local traditions, culture, and the Aboriginal view of life, death, suicide, and grieving.Day 4: Talking Circle. It is important to understand how life experiences impact the ability to be an effectivecaregiver. The full-day talking circle gives participants the opportunity to explore their own feelings andfears about suicide in a very safe and supportive environment.Day 5: Development of a Suicide Prevention Strategy. It is essential that communities develop practicalstrategies to address their high rate of suicide behaviour. This segment introduces the concept of communitydevelopment, and encourages groups to examine gaps in services and to develop a realistic plan for suicideintervention/prevention.The workshop was evaluated by an outside source in 2000. The evaluation was designed to meet thediverse needs of Aboriginal communities. It took place in three communities that had previously hostedthe workshop. The evaluation involved a sharing circle in which community members were asked to discussspecific questions regarding suicide and suicide prevention and how these related to the workshop andtheir communities. The discourse of the participants was tape recorded, transcribed, and analyzed throughcontent analysis, thus allowing the voices of the community to speak to the effectiveness of the workshop.Summative results indicated that the workshop goals were well met. Formative results indicated that therewas a need for more content involving youth and suggested an additional prevention program for youth.The evaluation is available on request from the Centre for Suicide Prevention.White Stone: Aboriginal Youth Suicide Prevention Training for Youth EducatorsWhite Stone was developed in partnership between the RCMP National Aboriginal Policing Servicesand Suicide Prevention Training Programs (SPTP) in response to Aboriginal community requests for aprevention program involving youth. Suicide Prevention Training Programs is a branch of the Centre forSuicide Prevention, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing information, research, and trainingregarding suicide prevention.The purpose of White Stone is to train participants to deliver education sessions to youth in their community.Participants are Aboriginal and Inuit youth 18–25 years of age who have been identified as leaders bytheir community and community-based service providers (youth worker, teacher, nurse, police, etc.). Whenthey return to their community they work in partnership to offer Youth Education Sessions. The YouthEducation Sessions are intended to be presented to youth over the age of 16 who are not actively at riskof suicide. The curriculum includes suicide prevention and may incorporate self-esteem, problem-solving,goal-setting, communication, and coping skills.115