safeTALK
The workshop
Suicide Alertness For Everyone (SafeTALK) is a suicide alertness programme that teaches participants to recognise persons with thoughts of suicide and connect them to suicide intervention resources. Delivered as a half-day course, SafeTALK trains suicide alert ‘helpers’ to:
- be aware that opportunities to help a person with thoughts of suicide are sometimes missed, dismissed or avoided
- recognise when someone might be having thoughts of suicide
- feel confident in listening to the person’s feelings and talk with them in an honest and direct way
- know what the local suicide intervention resources are
- act quickly to connect a person with thoughts of suicide to someone trained in suicide intervention.
SafeTALK is facilitated by an experienced trainer and incorporates discussion, practical guidance, video clips and interactive learning. SafeTALK concentrates on linking people at risk with those who have already been trained in suicide interventions. It complements (but does not replace) the longer Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) course, which provides participants with skills to do a suicide intervention.
How do I sign up for a course?
SafeTALK is only available as an in-house training programme at the moment in Wales. Because of the way in which this links with ASIST, organisations interested in SafeTALK will need to have sufficient staff trained in ASIST. We will consider community SafeTALK training as part of an integrated community response which includes ASIST training. If you would like to find out more or discuss arranging a SafeTALK course, please contact Nicole Burchett, Positive Choices Project Officer, at n.burchett@mind.org.uk or on 02920 346583.
