A participant’s review of the experience and learning from participating in the SafeTALK Course .

Abstract

Suicide is a significant public health concern in Ireland. In response to this the National Office of Suicide Prevention has been the forerunner in the development of standards for training in suicide prevention. This training entails the SafeTALK (Suicide Alertness For Everybody – Tell, Ask, Listen, Keep-safe), and the ASIST (Applied Suicide Invention Skills Training). The aim of these programs is to improve and enhance the skill levels and confidence of people within the community in responding to people in suicidal crisis.The purpose of this study is (1) to investigate the perceived knowledge and attitude towards those who engage in suicidal ideation before and after completion of the SafeTALK; (2) To explore the perceived skill of participants in dealing with a person with a suicidal ideation before and after completing the SafeTALK course, and (3) to investigate any perceived strengths and limitations of the course from the perspective of course participants. It is expected that the research will lead to recommendations for the implementation for future suicide prevention initiatives which will be relevant both on a national and international level, and will also lead to a model of best practice for Athlone Institute of Technology which will ultimately lead to a high bench mark being set by the college being so proactive in suicide prevention in Ireland.