By Chaplain (Maj.) Jonathan Landon
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - Soldiers and Sailors attached to Third Army took part in a two-day training class at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, to certify them in a suicide intervention program called Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training.
In the past, the Army has used knowledge-oriented suicide awareness training, built around relaying statistical information. In contrast, ASIST is skills-oriented, teaching people specific actions they can take that can influence a person at risk of suicide to choose to live long enough to get help from a qualified, professional caregiver.
ASIST is published by a Canadian company, LivingWorks Education Inc., and it is validated by nearly thirty years of study and experience to increase the willingness and capability of program graduates to intervene when they become aware of a person showing signs of suicidal thoughts and plans.
Staff Sgt. Hallie Whitmore, medic, 343 Medical Company, believes ASIST takes service members to a whole new skill level as far as being able to prevent military brothers and sisters from taking their own life.
"I think this class gives Soldiers, first line leaders especially, the confidence and knowledge they need to make a difference when someone in their unit is not well mentally and emotionally, said Whitmore. "I can see how this class could have been very beneficial to me with past deployments."
Army Regulation 600-63, Army Health Promotion, states that ASIST is the Army-approved suicide intervention training for "gatekeepers," and goes on to define gatekeepers as, "individuals who, in the performance of their assigned duties and responsibilities, provide specific counseling to Soldiers and Civilians in need."
The Army values ASIST training so much that — effective April 1, 2010 — qualified ASIST trainers will be able to add the additional skill identifier 1S (Suicide Intervention Trainer) to their personnel records.
Col. Ann Johnson, behavioral health consultant, 3rd Medical Deployment Support Command and native of Atlanta, Ga., sees the military as an organization that is working hard to help and save those service members with mental health issues.
"We have had problems in recent years with military members taking their lives," said Johnson. "Training programs like ASIST that go step by step on ways to recognize and intervene when someone is not well mentally are extremely beneficial in saving lives."