Description: ASIST is a two-day interactive workshop in suicide first-aid. ASIST teaches participants to recognise when someone may be at risk of suicide, and to work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety. Although ASIST is widely used by healthcare providers, participants don’t need any formal training to attend the workshop—ASIST can be learned and used by anyone.

Outcomes:

As the world’s leading suicide intervention workshop, LivingWorks’ ASIST program is supported by numerous evaluations including independent and peer-reviewed studies. Results demonstrate that ASIST helps participants become more willing, ready, and able to intervene with someone at risk of suicide. ASIST is also proven to reduce suicidality for those at risk.

• A 2013 study that monitored over 1,500 suicidal callers to crisis lines found that callers who spoke with ASIST-trained counsellors were 74% less likely to be suicidal after the call, compared to callers who spoke with counsellors trained in methods other than ASIST.
• Callers were also less overwhelmed, less depressed, and more hopeful after speaking with ASIST-trained counsellors.