If you’ve ever taken an ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) workshop with me you would have heard me refer to Kevin Briggs’ TED talk, “The bridge between suicide and life.”
Briggs was a highway patrol officer in San Francisco, mainly on the Golden Gate Bridge; the most frequented spot in the world where people go to end their lives. Briggs has helped hundreds of people facing suicide find their life voice again. He doesn’t do that by fixing their problems. In fact, if you listen to him talk he is basically describing the ASIST model. One of the reasons I believe this model is so powerful is because it emphasises listening, and minimizes the “fix.”
If you haven’t already taken an ASIST workshop I encourage you to do so. You too can learn how to intervene when suicide is threatening someone’s life. At the very least you’ll learn how to become a better listener. But you’ll also walk away with so much more knowledge than that.
Our next workshop is on February 6th and 7th in Guelph. If you’ve already taken ASIST perhaps consider gifting a workshop to a friend this season. To register, please click here.