LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - A two-day training seminar taught caregivers from around the Deh Cho about a topic that's often kept silent.

How to intervene with people who are considering suicide was the focus of the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), that 20 people from Fort Simpson, Trout Lake, Jean Marie River and Fort Providence attended.

Learning suicide intervention skills helps break down the taboos surrounding suicide, according to facilitators Frank Hope, left, Dwayne Heinsen and Ann Firth-Jones. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

Suicide is something that people need to feel more comfortable talking about, said Marian Johnston, the manager of the Brighter Futures program that hosted the training in Fort Simpson.

"It's not a horrible word. It's just a word," said Johnston.

Bringing together a wide range of caregivers from different communities for this training was a way to develop a network of individuals for people to go to for help if they are at risk of suicide, Johnston said. Participants included teachers, staff from Deh Cho Health and Social Services, the Justice Department and the Deh Cho Friendship Centre.

"It's the best turn out we've had for something that's been brought to the community," said Johnston.

Referred to as suicide intervention, the goal of ASIST is to make people more ready, willing and able to assist people who are at risk of suicide, said Dwayne Heinsen, an ASIST facilitator.

The training teaches people how to deal with the immediate concerns of a person at risk. Participants learn how to get someone through their first suicidal impulses and then refer them to someone who can provide appropriate help.

ASIST is a standardized program that is used throughout the world, said facilitator Frank Hope from Inuvik.

Because the training involves a straightforward model it's often referred to as suicide CPR. Like CPR it contains basic skills that are easy to learn, said Hope.

Anyone can learn this," Hope said.

The first day of training is spent looking at the attitudes people have towards suicide, understanding the needs of people at risk and their concerns. During the second day participants learn about the intervention model and do simulations to practise intervening with people who are considering committing suicide.

As people take the training it gathers awareness and helps to break down the stigma or taboo around suicide. Many people still avoid talking about suicide, said Ann Firth-Jones, a facilitator from Hay River.

"It's OK to talk about it," said Firth-Jones.

There's a myth that if you talk about suicide you'll put the idea into someone's head, said Heinsen.

People who are at risk want to talk about suicide because they're ambivalent and have feelings both for and against committing suicide, he said. By talking, it means the person still wants to live and that gives a trained person something to build on, said Heinsen.

Training is important for everyone because suicide isn't confined to one culture or ethnicity and can be found across a range or age groups, said Heinsen. A study conducted in Canada found that one in 20 people have thoughts of suicide in a two week period, he said.

"It's quite rampant for those who have thoughts," said Heinsen, referring to suicide.

In 2007 in the Northwest Territories there were nine suicide deaths.

Although the training won't change the world, it will change the world of the person at risk you're talking to, said Heinsen.

The training was "really informative," said Justin Carre, a community wellness worker in Fort Simpson.

By including a good mix of theory and hands-on practice the training made it easier to talk about suicide and taking a life, Carre said.