SafeTALK Training Aims to Save Lives

Anyone 15 or older who wants to become a lifesaver can attend a SafeTALK training workshop, sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Maryland chapter and the St. Mary’s County Health Department, with support from MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital. The event is scheduled for 11 am to 2 pm April 21, 2018, at 21580 Peabody St. in Leonardtown.

The half-day SafeTALK training will prepare participants ages 15 and older, regardless of prior experience or training, to become suicide-alert helpers. Usually, people with thoughts of suicide don’t actually want to die, but struggle with the pain in their lives. With their actions and words, they invite help to stay alive. People who have been trained through SafeTALK can recognize these invitations and take action by connecting them with life-saving intervention resources, such as trained caregivers.

During the April 21 training, SafeTALK participants will learn to:

• See and respond to situations where suicide thoughts might be present
• Recognize that invitations for help can be overlooked
• Get past the common tendency to miss, dismiss, and avoid suicide
• Apply TALK steps: Tell, Ask, Listen, and KeepSafe
• Know community resources and how to connect someone with thoughts of suicide to these resources for help

Training will include:

• Presentations and guidance from a trainer registered by LivingWorks
• Access to support from local community resource people
• Powerful audiovisual learning aids
• The simple, yet effective TALK steps: Tell, Ask, Listen, and KeepSafe
• Hands-on skills practice and development

There is no charge to attend the training workshop, but registration is required.

Since its development in 2006, safeTALK has been used in over 20 countries around the world, and more than 200 selectable video vignettes have been produced to tailor the program’s audio-visual component for diverse audiences. safeTALK-trained helpers are an important part of suicide-safer communities, working alongside intervention resources to identify and avert suicide risks.

CEU credits are only available through LivingWorks.

For questions about the training, contact Kat Olbrich, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Maryland area director, at [email protected] or 202-770-8973.

For more information and one-click access to a full list of resources available at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital, visit their Leader Page.