- by Maxine Iharosy

Just finished day 2 and completed the ASIST certification at Canadian Mental Health Association Grey Bruce with #mentallyfit and @livingworkseducation.

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training is a global training program for caregivers of all backgrounds. If you've got people you care for, this training applies to you. It's affordable and accessible with training dates posted regularly.

Just like physical first aid that we use if someone's life is at risk, these skills are used when someone is at risk of suicide.
It's about getting someone safe for now, connecting supports, and compassionate action with clear, effective speech and unwavering presence to patiently listen. Taking care of yourself as a caregiver is also corner stone in this training.

This training also asks of you to put your personal bias waaay in the background to be fully present to the task at hand. That's a skill that's always of benefit, and for me, worth practising over and over.

Thoughts of ending ones life are more common than we acknowledge. The stats in Grey Bruce are pandemic. There were 9 reported suicides last week. Most who end their own life are in the moment unable to see any other way out.
Isolated elderly people are extremely high up on the stat list.
If you see someone with the ASIST sticker on them (the logo on the booklet) you know they are open to talk to you when you are struggling, and they have a network of people to connect you with further. They are also trained to look for signs in those who withdraw and don't reach out.

I'm so thankful for all the hard after-hours work people have poured into making this training happen and equipping me with skills to feel confident in intervening. And I'm very thankful that I've had supports as well throughout my own struggles.

Thank you if you've ever lent me your ear. You never know what reaching out can really mean for someone.
Keep connecting, the mind is fragile, the heart breaks, people need people and resiliency can be developed.