The website to save lives
Feeling alone, scared and think
no one is there? Does the world
just seem like it's too much to take
on? There is always help. The London-
Middlesex Suicide Prevention
Council has launched a new website,
lmspc.ca, which is dedicated to
increasing awareness and educating
the public about suicide.
The website was put up in early May but started developing last year after the LMSPC received a government grant from the Trillium Foundation to provide suicide information to the public. “We provide valuable information on how to help yourself or someone else dealing with suicide, coping with suicide loss, along with general suicide information,” said Lynda Cowie, the site's project coordinator. “We need to educate people so we can break down these stigmas associated with suicide and make suicide awareness more out in the open.”
The website includes information about how and where to get help for someone at risk, coping after a suicide death, how you can help to create a suicide-aware community and details about registration for suicide alertness training such as safeTALK and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) workshops.
SafeTALK is a three-hour training course that trains attendees to identify people with thoughts of suicide and connect them with suicide counsellors. This teaches the safeTALK steps: Tell, Ask, Listen, and Keep safe.
ASIST Training is a two-day workshop that teaches participants how to conduct a suicide intervention. ASIST is designed to help all caregivers become more willing, ready and able to help persons at risk. “The program is similar to CPR training, in the way it teaches you the emergency response techniques used to preserve life in time of need,” said Cowie. “People can be guided to get help, but just like telling someone to eat well or exercise, they need to want to do it on their own; you cannot force someone into getting help.”
Cowie said she understands why it is so hard for people to come out and seek help after having thoughts about suicide. “People don't want to die; they just don't want to live with the pain they're experiencing.”
To find out more or to sign up for a training session, go to lmspc.ca.
The website was put up in early May but started developing last year after the LMSPC received a government grant from the Trillium Foundation to provide suicide information to the public. “We provide valuable information on how to help yourself or someone else dealing with suicide, coping with suicide loss, along with general suicide information,” said Lynda Cowie, the site's project coordinator. “We need to educate people so we can break down these stigmas associated with suicide and make suicide awareness more out in the open.”
The website includes information about how and where to get help for someone at risk, coping after a suicide death, how you can help to create a suicide-aware community and details about registration for suicide alertness training such as safeTALK and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) workshops.
SafeTALK is a three-hour training course that trains attendees to identify people with thoughts of suicide and connect them with suicide counsellors. This teaches the safeTALK steps: Tell, Ask, Listen, and Keep safe.
ASIST Training is a two-day workshop that teaches participants how to conduct a suicide intervention. ASIST is designed to help all caregivers become more willing, ready and able to help persons at risk. “The program is similar to CPR training, in the way it teaches you the emergency response techniques used to preserve life in time of need,” said Cowie. “People can be guided to get help, but just like telling someone to eat well or exercise, they need to want to do it on their own; you cannot force someone into getting help.”
Cowie said she understands why it is so hard for people to come out and seek help after having thoughts about suicide. “People don't want to die; they just don't want to live with the pain they're experiencing.”
To find out more or to sign up for a training session, go to lmspc.ca.
