CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - Soldiers with the 371st Sustainment Brigade are organizing and hosting the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) available to service members and civilians post-wide at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait since October 2013.
“The goal is to be able to connect with at-risk people and get them to higher care, so you can save their lives,” said Sgt 1st Class Michael P. Miller, the chaplain’s assistant for the 371st Special Troops Battalion, 371st Sus. Bde.
Miller, a Blanchester, Ohio native, is in charge of operating the ASIST program that is available to all service members and civilians at Camp Arifjan, and he has trained service members in Ohio as well, he said.
“In Ohio, participants in the ASIST program have, on average, intervened in one suicide after completing their training,” said Miller.
ASIST is a15 hour interactive program created by Living Works Inc., which trains civilians and service members on suicide intervention.
“I realize now that there’s more to trigger suicide than death or the loss of a job; relationship problems in general can trigger suicidal thoughts for some people,” said Sgt. Angela Barney, an Ottawa, Ohio native and the resiliency sergeant with the 371st Sus. Bde. who attended the ASIST course during her deployment to Camp Arifjan.
During the training, participants explore their own thoughts and feelings on suicide, learn about different community resources available to at-risk people, participate in role-playing exercises and learn how to spot the warning signs of suicide.
“I know it sounds really simple, but I really want people to learn to recognize and pay attention to the signs of suicide,” said Miller.
As the only certified trainer hosting ASIST classes on post, Miller has encountered a variety of participants and each class comes with its own unique challenges, he said.
“The course has different layers of learning to ensure that it reaches different types of people, which is great because we want everyone to be able to spot the signs of suicide and help stop them,” said Miller. “You can’t help somebody if you don’t know the signs.”
Date Taken: | 01.22.2014 |
Date Posted: | 01.24.2014 00:55 |
Story ID: | 119582 |
Location: | CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
Hometown: | BLANCHESTER, OH, US |
Web Views: | 147 |
Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 371st Sus. Bde. soldiers train Camp Arifjan in ASIST, by SFC Kimberly Hill, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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