By Katelyn Earhart
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
The student advocacy center is hosting a free two-day Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 10 and 11 in Room 212.
Courtesy
This training is designed to help people learn about suicide and the skills necessary to reach people contemplating suicide. The training allows participants to develop confidence in their ability to intervene.
Sophomore Allison Disher said the ASIST training was “one of the best trainings I’ve had.”
Disher decided to sign up for the training eight months after her niece’s dad committed suicide.
This training teaches practical steps on how to move people through Pathway for Assisting Life, or PAL, a model to help trainees become confident in assisting people.
Disher wishes she had taken the training sooner because maybe she “could have helped.”
Another part of the training Disher liked was being surrounded by people who have similar experiences.
Discussing suicide and people who are struggling with it help make talking about suicide “less taboo.”
Coordinator Robyn Stassen said this training costs about $250, but the advocacy center has made it free for students and faculty.
“Mental health is really important.” Stassen stressed this is one of the major reasons the student advocacy center exists.
For more information or counseling, email Stassen at rstassen@alamo.edu.
Here are some statistics about suicide from safecolleges.com
- Suicide is the second most common cause of death among college students.
- 1,000 students take their lives each year on college campuses.
- More than half of college students have had suicidal thoughts and 10% seriously think about attempting suicide.
80-90% of college students who die by suicide were not receiving help from college counseling centers.
