safeTALK and ASIST in the US Army: The big three benefits

safeTALK (suicide alertness for everyone) and ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) are both skills-oriented training programs that advance beyond the awareness of suicide received in suicideTALK.

safeTALK: The half-day safeTALK teaches suicide alertness skills, appropriate for first line supervisors and members of the chain of command. Specific MOS’s would also benefit from the half-day program including military police and trial defense lawyers. In safeTALK, the goal is to learn how to do the TALK action steps (Tell, Ask, Listen and KeepSafe) and activate a suicide alert. It provides powerful reminders of the difference suicide alert helpers can make, which in turn, motivates practice and skill development.

ASIST: The intensive two-day ASIST workshop is designed specifically for gatekeepers (those that are most likely to come in contact with a person at risk for suicide) and teaches the only Suicide Intervention Model™ known in the free world. Chaplains, Chaplain Assistants and all counselors would benefit from the skills learned from ASIST.

Together, these programs help fulfill the Army’s primary health care philosophy, which is to treat the soldiers as far forward, and as quickly as possible. safeTALK and ASIST help in other ways. Utilizing a multi-tiered training platform, each aimed at a particular group with specific learning objections has other benefits, but the bottom line is instilling confidence in our soldiers (at all levels) to be willing, ready and able to help a person at risk for self-harm. Used together, suicideTALK, safeTALK and ASIST create a synergy that leads to suicide-safer communities.

The "big three" benefits

1. Fewer false positives: With enough gatekeepers and unit members trained in suicideTALK, safeTALK and ASIST, the Army can reduce the number of false positive referrals to mental health (MH). Only soldiers that indicate that they are thinking of suicide, or those that are believed to be suicidal are referred to a keepsafe, intervention-trained MH professional. With the proper training, the chain of command can be proactive and utilize the trained resources immediately available to them to ascertain whether or not one of their soldier’s life or well-being is in jeopardy of self-harm. Those trained in safeTALK and ASIST have sufficient skills to help the commander make an informed decision as to the immediate well-being of the soldier. ASIST trained members help reduce the number of false referrals to MH that contribute to a more expedient referral system and increased time that MH can spend with a soldier who is at risk.
2. Triage at the unit level: In theory and application, ASIST is similar to the Army’s Combat Lifesaver Program. Army combat lifesavers are trained in advanced first aid to stabilize a soldier until the medic can arrive, or until the soldier is medevac’d. ASIST provides soldiers at the unit level with special skills to intervene when the Chaplain or Chaplain Assistant is not immediately available. This was crucial during the early stages of OIF when MH units were scattered across vast unit boundaries and small units were operating on their own or far away from their parent unit. safeTALK makes those trained in ASIST more visible, and therefore, useable.
3. Common language: suicideTALK, safeTALK and ASIST provide a common language to foster understanding and communication between the MH provider, gatekeepers, various counselors and the entire chain of command.

 

"This is great training—just enough information in the right amount of time. This should be mandatory for all soldiers."
—A participant comment following a safeTALK training (Fort Bragg NC, July 2007)

"It is an easy to understand and practical way for every individual to approach a potential suicidal person."
—A participant comment about the ASIST workshop (Fort Sill OK, July 2004)