It’s never too late to learn the signs

LEARNING about suicide and how to prevent one can be very daunting for anyone at any age, but the team at Hope Bereavement is hoping to help others to learn.

safeTALK is a half-day alertness workshop that prepares anyone over the age of 15, regardless of prior experience or training, to become a suicide-alert helper.

“Most people with thoughts of suicide don’t truly want to die, but are struggling with the pain in their lives,” volunteer and community relationship coordinator at Hope Bereavement Care Rylie Jabornik said.

“Through their words and actions, they invite help to stay alive. safeTALK-trained helpers can recognise these invitations and take action.”

safeTALK workshops were first provided as a part of Hope Bereavement Care’s “kids grieve too” program, funded by the Anthony Costa Foundation and Quantum Community Grant.

One of Hope Bereavement Care’s counsellors Sue Eddy is a trained facilitator and delivered the workshop over two separate days at the Deakin Cats Community Centre earlier this week.

“We recognised the need for these workshops after providing bereavement counselling and support for many parents, teachers, students and community group leaders who were having conversations with others that were having suicidal thoughts,” Ms Eddy said.

“Suicide has such a big ripple effect and we wanted to do something to take away some of the helpless feeling that we all feel when we are impacted by suicide, particularly youth suicide.”

Each workshop features presentations and guidance from a LivingWorks registered trainer, access to support from a local community resource person and powerful audio-visual learning aids.

They also cover the simple yet effective TALK steps: Tell, Ask, Listen, and KeepSafe, in addition to hands-on skills, practice and development.

Hope Bereavement Care is available to run further safeTALK workshops for community groups and you can enquire at [email protected].

If you need help, phone Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14, headspace on 1800 650 890 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.