A two-day suicide prevention course is available at Poundmaker School in July. (file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Suicide prevention

Suicide prevention course to be offered to area First Nations

Jun 20, 2019 | 12:13 PM

Those who want to learn more about what they can do to help someone come out of a bad phase in their life and not give up hope will be interested in this two-day course offered at no cost at Poundmaker First Nation.

Battle River Treaty 6 Health Centre (BRT6HC) is hosting this internationally-recognized course called ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training).

By learning the skills about how to prevent suicide, people who take the course may be able to save a life.

“It’s two days of skills-learning on how to support and help somebody stay safe from thoughts of suicide,” Jose Pruden, the centre’s wellness director, said. Pruden will be delivering the course.

“The course is well designed and researched,” she said. “It’s been around for over 30 years. Because you can include your own cultural beliefs in it, it works for everybody. ”

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She said people will learn skills on what to look for to identify when someone may be at risk of suicide, learn what to do next, and learn how to “create safety.”

The training is open to individuals ages 16 and over from any of the seven First Nations communities that the centre services – Little Pine, Lucky Man, Moosomin, Mosquito, Poundmaker, Red Pheasant and Sweetgrass.

People taking the course are required to attend both days to register. After completing the course, they will receive a certificate.

The centre is sponsoring the course with funding provided by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), so there is no cost for band members.

“We talk about why we need to do this, and a little about the stats. Then, we go into the suicide-intervention model, or the pathway-to-assist-life model. That’s what we spend most of our days on,” Pruden said.

“Suicide is scary, and (this training) helps you get over that fear of talking with somebody about suicide,” she added. “You learn, but you also practise the skills. So people feel a little more comfortable when they leave to actually do an intervention.”

A maximum of 30 people are allowed in the course. To date, about eight people have signed up.

“There are limited spots, so generally speaking there will be mostly Poundmaker and Little Pine community people who will take the course,” Pruden said.

She added the course will be offered again through North West College at a later date as well, so there will be opportunities for people in North Battleford to access the training in the future. Pruden said she has provided the course previously, but this is the first time she has offered it at Poundmaker, since the First Nation community requested it.

“They are trying to create a suicide-safer community,” she said. “I’m really proud. As a community, they are stepping up and wanting to do something to create suicide safety. We’ll never be free of suicide, but we definitely can support people who are thinking about it.”

The course will be held July 16 and 17 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Poundmaker FN School. Anyone interested in taking the course must register in advance by contacting Pruden at BRT6HC.

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

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