Suicide Prevention Training In the Community  

CESPHN has commissioned the delivery of suicide prevention training courses which includes free access to the following for people living or working in the CESPHN region:  

• SafeTALK: a half-day in person workshop, LivingWorks SafeTALK helps participants recognise a person with thoughts of suicide and connects them with resources who can help them stay safe. Participants don’t need any formal preparation to attend the training. Anyone aged 15 or older can learn the simple safeTALK steps.  

• ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training): a 2-day workshop LivingWorks ASIST has been training people to provide suicide first aid interventions for 40 years. Participants don’t need any formal preparation to attend the training professionals and non-professionals welcome. The training is updated continually to reflect new knowledge. This workshop is suitable for people aged 18 or older.

Psychologist Joe Tighe, PhD, will be delivering these workshops.  

What is this about? 

It is widely accepted that providing suicide prevention training to ‘community connectors’ in the community decreases suicide rates, and it is recommended by the United Nations and the World Health Organisation.  

A community connector is a person in a position to recognise a crisis and the warning signs that someone may be contemplating suicide.

Examples of community connectors include sporting coaches, disability workers, teachers, youth workers, pharmacists, aged care workers, hairdressers, and others. 

What do we aim to do?  

• Educate the community about suicide prevention and suicide intervention.  

• Support the community to implement suicide prevention skills. 

Will I be paid?  

If you are not salaried by your employer to attend the training course, you may be eligible for financial remuneration. SafeTALK will be reimbursed at the rate of $200 in gift vouchers for the half day workshop. ASIST will be reimbursed at the rate of $400 in gift vouchers for the 2-day workshop.  

Available workshop dates 

Please contact CESPHN directly (info@cesphn.com.au) if you wish to enquire about arranging training at a location of your choice for your team.