safeTALK
Malahide Lions club in partnership with HSE hosted a SafeTALK suicide Alertness Training Workshop in the Grand Hotel in March. In the first instance this was offered to our members, then to local Lions Club and local sporting and other clubs.

Details
This training is a half day programme that prepares participants to identify persons with thoughts of suicide and connect them to suicide first aid resources. These specific skills are called suicide alertness and are taught with the expectation that the person learning them will use them to help reduce suicide risk in their communities. Participants learn how to provide practical help to persons with thoughts of suicide in only a few hours. Following a safeTALK workshop, you will be more willing and able to perform an important helping role for persons with thoughts of suicide.

The training is free.

Who should attend safeTALK training?
safeTALK offers valuable skills to attendees and requires no formal training or prior experience in suicide prevention. Because it only takes half a day to learn, safeTALK is an excellent tool for people who want to become alert to the dangers of suicide in a convenient timeframe. Although formal caregivers such as social workers and counsellors employ safeTALK skills, the program is also used by students, teachers, community volunteers, first responders, Gardaí, public and private employees, and professional athletes—among many others. By providing a universal model with adaptable components, safeTALK offers useful skills to every audience.

What can I expect at safeTALK training?
safeTALK is a powerful experience. You can expect to feel challenged, empowered, and hopeful. Your safeTALK trainer will demonstrate the importance of suicide alertness and help you identify ways people invite help when they’re having thoughts of suicide. safeTALK’s steps provide a simple yet effective method to engage with people who are having thoughts of suicide and connect them with resources that can carry out a full-scale intervention. At the end of the training, you’ll have a chance to practice these skills firsthand. All in all, you can expect to leave safeTALK with practical knowledge of how to identify someone having thoughts of suicide and link them to life-saving resources.

Learning goals and objectives:
Over the course of their training, safeTALK participants will learn to:

• Notice and respond to situations where suicide thoughts might be present.
• Recognize that invitations for help are often overlooked.
• Move beyond the common tendency to miss, dismiss, and avoid suicide.
• Apply the TALK steps: Tell, Ask, Listen, and KeepSafe.
• Know community resources and how to connect someone with thoughts of suicide to them for further help.

NOTE:

• The content of the safeTALK workshop may be difficult to deal with if you feel emotionally vulnerable. If you have suicidal thoughts or have been recently bereaved, particularly through suicide, you may wish to delay taking part in this course until you feel stronger emotionally.
• SafeTALK training is not suitable for those aged under 18.
• Training is free, but booking is essential.

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Download the HSE Booklet on safeTALK.