safeTALK: Suicide Alertness For Everyone
At a glance
Role: Safety Connector
Course length: 3.5 hours
Key features:
- Improves suicide alertness
- Examines barriers to talking
- Easy-to-remember 4-step model of suicide alertness
- Connect people with further help
- How to hand over to other care providers
Number of trainees: Up to 30
safeTALK is a half day (3.5 hour) suicide prevention training course that can help you make a difference. Know what to do if someone’s suicidal by following the easy to remember TALK steps – Tell, Ask, Listen and Keep-safe. These practical steps offer immediate help to someone having thoughts of suicide and helps you both move forward to connect with more specialised support.
The safeTALK course was developed by LivingWorks in Canada and is delivered worldwide. It complements the more comprehensive 2 day ASIST course by conveniently widening the net of suicide alert helpers to ensure that thoughts of suicide aren’t missed, dismissed or avoided. The safeTALK course is based on the principles of maximum dissemination and minimum cost.
For more information about this course, please visit the safeTALK page at LivingWorks.net.
safeTALK is informative, clear and concise. I feel much more confident to ask people if they are thinking about suicide and know how to help them.
A safeTALK participant
Who is it for?
safeTALK is suitable for all community members and professionals.
What are the course aims?
- Identify people thinking of suicide.
- Overcome barriers in talking about suicide.
- Identify reasons we may miss, dismiss or avoid suicide.
- Practice using the 4-step model of suicide alertness.
- Connect people at risk of suicide with further appropriate help.
What are the teaching methods?
The session combines various teaching methods, including:
- Video clips.
- Discussion.
- Practice.
What are the training outcomes?
As a safeTALK-trained suicide alert helper, you will be better able to:
- Move beyond common tendencies to miss, dismiss or avoid suicide.
- Identify people who have thoughts of suicide.
- Apply the TALK steps (Tell, Ask, Listen and Keep-safe) to connect a person thinking about suicide to a suicide intervention resource.
Additionally, each participant will receive a certificate, a wallet-sized reference card plus a resource pack with information about sources of support for people having suicidal thoughts.
Grassroots safeTALK course feedback
Below are the average course evaluation scores taken from participants who attended our safeTALK courses in 2017-2018.
How would you rate safeTALK?
(1 = did not like at all, 10 = liked a lot)
I intend to tell others that they will benefit from this training.
(Yes / No)
Related courses
A one day course that helps you identify someone who may be thinking about suicide, and create a safe plan.
A 2 day interactive workshop in how to safely initiate and complete a full suicide intervention.
A half day course exploring the dynamics of self-injury and considering some of the issues involved in working with someone who self-harms.
