Suicide Prevention & Intervention
Training & Workshops that improve your understanding of suicide and how you can help
About 4000 Canadians die by suicide every year. Suicide is the second-most common cause of death among young people, but men in their 40s and 50s have the highest rate of suicide. While women are three to four times more likely to attempt suicide than men, men are three times more likely to die by suicide than women.
Suicide is a complicated issue. People who die by suicide or attempt suicide usually feel overwhelmed, hopeless, helpless, desperate, and alone. In some rare cases, people who experience psychosis (losing touch with reality) may hear voices that tell them to end their life.
While we often think of suicide in relation to depression, anxiety, and substance use problems, any mental illness may increase the risk of suicide. It’s also important to remember that suicide may not be related to any mental illness.
- CMHA National 2016 -
These workshops will provide participants with important information about suicide, strategies to prevent suicide and how to intervene if someone is having thoughts of suicide.
Understanding Suicide
This 1-hour session helps participants explore the common myths and facts about suicide, recognize the signs of suicide ideation, and learn how to have a conversation of suicide and offers guidance on how they can help to prevent it in their communities.
ASIST
This 2-day workshop is for anyone who wants to feel more comfortable, confident and competent in helping to prevent the immediate risk of suicide. Just as “CPR” skills make physical first-aid possible, training in suicide intervention develops the skills needed for suicide first-aid. ASIST is intensive, interactive and practice-dominated; designed to help caregivers recognize risk and learn how to intervene to prevent the immediate risk of suicide.
For more details about the ASIST11 Workshop, please go to the website here.
ASIST TuneUp
ASIST 11 TuneUp is a half-day seminar for improving participant comfort, confidence, and competence in using the Pathway for Assisting Life or PAL. The ASIST 11 TuneUp is the consolidation and refinement of previous learning. This workshop is only for participants who attended ASIST 11. Participants, who attended ASIST prior to June 2013, should register the 2-day ASIST 11 workshop.
safeTALK
About 3-hours in duration, safeTALK training prepares anyone over the age of 15 to identify persons with thoughts of suicide and connect them to suicide first-aid resources. Most people with thoughts of suicide invite help to stay safe. Alert helpers know how to use these opportunities to support that desire for safety.
For more details about safeTALK, please go to the website here.
Start
Learn life-saving skills anytime, anywhere. In just 90 minutes online, Start teaches participants to recognize when someone is thinking about suicide and connect them to help and support.
As many people struggle with stress and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic, suicide prevention skills are more needed than ever. Here's what we're doing to help:
For more details about Start and to register, please go to the website here.
The ASK Workshop
The ASK Workshop was developed by Lifeline Workshops, an organization who works very closely with LivingWorks, the developers of the ASIST, safeTALK, and suicideTALK workshops. One of the best ways to prevent teen suicide is to intervene earlier on in a child’s life. Learn more at The ‘ASK’ Workshop.
This one-day workshop challenges commonly held notions about children’s capacity to consider suicide. It facilitates awareness of the signs that a young child may be at risk, and what is needed to help. Case studies provide opportunities to apply what is learned, a helper tool teaches how to organize and summarize the available information about a given child in a form that can be used by someone, perhaps the participants themselves, in safety planning.
- Learn about the risk factors and warning flags signalling that a child may be at risk of suicide.
- Practice using an evidence based brief screening tool that anyone can use to match a child who needs support or help to the most appropriate helper.
- Benefit from working with a group of passionate and experienced colleagues who share their unique perspectives.
- Learn from an experienced facilitator using current wisdom from clinical practice and published research.
Participants are typically people who routinely come into contact with children age 5-14. While not required, prior completion of safeTALK or ASIST is recommended.
For more information, or to arrange a workshop for your organization, contact our
Education and Training Team:
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