How well prepared and able are your staff to deal with people who are having thoughts of suicide?

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is a two day brief intervention workshop that will train your staff to help people at risk of suicide stay safe and seek further help. This training is essential for all staff who are likely to come into contact with people experiencing thoughts of suicide. Not only will it help save lives, it can help protect your staff from feeling overwhelmed and being unsure how to respond, keeping them safe from unnecessary stress and pressure.


2009 course dates:

January 12/13 Cwmbran
January 21/22 (Group bookings Only) Full
February 2/3 Porthcawl
February 18/19 (Group bookings only) Full
March 9/10 Cardiff Gate
March 25/26 (Group Bookings only) Full
April 01/02 Cwmban (Parkway)
April 20/21 Cwmbran
May 11/12 Porthcawl
May 27/28 (Group Bookings only) Full
June 8/9 Cardiff Gate
June 24/25 (Group Bookings only) Full
July 6/7 Cwmbran
July 28/29 (Group Bookings Only)
September 7/8 Porthcawl
September 23/24 Porthcawl
October 5/6 Cwmbran
October 28/29 Cwmbran
November 9/10 Porthcawl - Full
November 25/26 Porthcawl
December 7/8 Cardiff Gate


Course places are £150 per person. Please note as of April 01, 2009 Course cost is £185.00 per person

If you have any questions or you would like to book a place, please click on the link below:

ASIST or contact

Ceri Taylor, Torfaen Mind, 24 George Street, Pontypool, Torfaen NP4 6BY

Tel: 07775870321

Expressions of interest are now being collated for additional courses.

ASIST is an evidence-based “suicide first aid intervention” designed to be used in the immediate moment of someone disclosing suicidal thoughts. It is important to stress that ASIST is not about training non-specialist staff to deliver therapy, but it does equip these staff with tools to help keep a suicidal person safe during the timeframe of the intervention and whilst other referrals to more specialist services are made if needed. This referral process will be aided if these specialist services also have an understanding of ASIST in order to aid communication and risk assessment transferral. Of course, a successful Tier 1 intervention may negate the need for a referral to Tier 2 altogether, thus reducing the pressure on already overstretched specialist services.

All staff that regularly come into contact with people having suicidal thoughts need training to be able to cope. It can be a very stressful experience for staff to have thoughts of suicide disclosed to them and it can leave individuals feeling overwhelmed and unsure how to respond. This can in turn lead to stress, depression and burnout. In a case where suicide is completed, the trauma can be more extreme, resulting in feelings of guilt or extreme sadness. ASIST training places a strong emphasis on the welfare of the caregiver and the importance of building strong networks.


Professionals that have already benefited from this training include Drug Intervention workers, Alcohol Workers, Community Psychiatric Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Police, Coastguards, Youth Offending Team Workers, Nurses, Midwives, Counsellors, Social Services and Housing Support Workers.


All these professionals found the workshop to be extremely useful, feeling more confident and able to intervene with a person at risk.