ASIST: Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training

Pre-Conference: September 27 – 28, Rosen Center Hotel

The Statewide Office of Suicide Prevention is sponsoring ASIST in order to offer this training (valued at $250) for only $85.

REGISTRATION

Click here to register

What is ASIST?

ASIST is designed to help all caregivers become more willing, ready and able to help persons at risk. Suicide can be prevented with the help of prepared caregivers.

Just as CPR skills make physical first aid possible, training in suicide intervention develops the skills used in suicide first aid. ASIST is a two-day intensive, interactive and practice-dominated course designed to help caregivers recognize risk and learn how to intervene to prevent the immediate risk of suicide.

ASIST has five learning sections:

Preparing: Sets the tone, norms, and expectations of the learning experience.
Connecting: Sensitizes participants to their own attitudes towards suicide. Creates an understanding of the impact which attitudes have on the intervention process
Understanding: Overviews the intervention needs of the person at risk. It focuses on providing participants with the knowledge and skills to recognize risk and develop safe-plans to reduce the risk of suicide.
Assisting: Presents a model for effective suicide intervention. Participants develop their skills through observation and supervised simulation experiences in large and small groups.
Networking: Generates information about resources in the local community. Promotes a commitment by participants to transform local resources into helping networks.

Emphasizing structured small-group discussions and practice, the course uses a 20-page workbook and two award-winning audiovisuals. Participants receive a 152-page Suicide Intervention Handbook and a full-color, tear-resistant pocket card featuring intervention, and risk review and safe-plan development principles. They serve as living refreshers of the workshop learning.

ASIST is designed to help all caregivers become more ready, willing and able to help persons at risk. Prepared caregivers can help prevent suicide.

Experience ASIST: Click here to see an audiovisual overview, Flash player required.

Who Should Attend?

The workshop is for all caregivers (any person in a position of trust). This includes professionals, paraprofessionals, and lay people. It is suitable for mental health professionals, nurses, physicians, pharmacists, teachers, counselors, youth workers, police and correctional staff, school support staff, clergy, and community volunteers.

Workshop Schedule (subject to change)

Day 1:

(intermittent breaks provided throughout day)

8:30 AM – 10:10 AM Whole group

10:10 AM – 12: 30 PM Small work groups

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Lunch on your own

1:30 PM – 4:30 PM Small work groups

Day 2:

(intermittent breaks provided throughout day)

8:30 AM – 11: 50 AM Whole group

11:50 AM – 12: 30 PM Small work groups

12: 30 PM – 1:30 PM Lunch on your own

1:30 PM – 4:00 PM Small work groups

4:00 PM Whole group networking

ASIST Caregiver Competencies:

A willing caregiver:

Recognizes that their attitudes can affect what they do in an intervention.
Recognizes that an intervention unfolds in response to the needs of a person at risk.
Values life.

A ready caregiver:

Understands that the person at risk likely has reasons for living.
Understands that first aid intervention focuses upon the immediate situation and a commitment to avoid suicide for an agreed amount of time.
Understands that there are several possible risk alerts and that each needs to be addressed in the planning for safety.

An able caregiver:

Explores the meaning of things they see, hear, sense, or find out about to see if they are connected to thoughts of suicide.
Talks openly, honestly and directly about suicide.
Tries to listen to the reasons for dying before searching for the reasons for living.
Reviews risk and creates a safe-plan for the risk alerts found in that review.
Involves a person at risk in as much decision-making about their safety as is possible.
Knows local resources and how to access them.
Follows up on safe-plan commitments.

Jerry Macdaid

Prior to founding Jerry Macdaid Consulting, Jerry served on staff at the Center for Applications of Psychological Type (CAPT) for eighteen years, where he held posts of Chief Executive, Director of Research, Consultant, and Trainer. In his leadership role, Jerry presided over the longest and most profitable growth cycle in CAPT's history. He led an organization that is widely recognized and respected in its industry, and that set high standards in customer service, research, and professional training.

Jerry was trained in Jungian Psychological Type and the Myers Briggs Type Indicator by Dr. Mary McCaulley, the globally recognized expert. Mary McCaulley and Isabel Myers, the author of the MBTI founded CAPT and worked together over twelve years until Myers death. Jerry Macdaid and Mary McCaulley worked together growing CAPT for over twenty five years until Dr McCaulley’s death in 2005.

In his training role at CAPT, Jerry has trained thousands of professionals on the competent and ethical use of psychological type assessment with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Jerry provided training for teachers and students on teaching and learning styles as well as executives on management and leadership style. He has presented at countless national and regional conferences on research and applications of type

In his technical role at CAPT, Jerry worked closely with Mary McCaulley, on the development of the Manual: A Guide to the Development and Use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, 2nd ed., running extensive databank analyses and compiling data from dissertations and published studies. Other major projects while at CAPT have included the longitudinal Engineering Education Research Consortium, MBTI Form AV validation analysis, validation studies for the Spanish and Korean translations of the MBTI, and the University of Florida Freshmen Ten Year Follow-up Study. Each year Jerry has presented reports about his ongoing CAPT databank studies at regional and national conferences. There are dozens of other studies Jerry contributed to or collaborated on including large scale studies of realty professionals, anesthesiologists, and optometrists. He is collecting data on the relationship between type and training crisis counselors. Recent research projects include validation studies for the Turkish and Bulgarian translations of the MBTI and validation studies for an instrument that assesses the personality of organizations called Companies Are People Too (CAP2).

Jerry is a contributing author for Applications of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator in Higher Education and co-authored The MBTI Career Report Manual and CAPT's Computer Scoring Career Reports. He is the senior author of the CAPT Atlas of Type Tables, a compendium of type data on careers.

Jerry has been extensively involved in suicide and crisis intervention with the Alachua County Crisis Center where he has been a trainer, consultant, and crisis counselor since 1979. Jerry has trained generations of crisis counselors. He has a broad and varied experience providing in the field, face to face crisis intervention. Jerry also has extensive experience in community trauma response having been involved with major trauma from serial murders to five different hurricanes. Jerry deployed with a team of colleagues to Louisiana to participate in the Hurricane Katrina and Rita response efforts. Additionally, Jerry has been working with law enforcement as a crisis intervention trainer. Most recently he has had the opportunity to be part of a Crisis Center team participating in training scenarios with local law enforcement’s negotiation team. Jerry has presented on his work in suicide and crisis intervention at the American Association of Suicidology conferences and National Suicide Prevention Lifeline conferences.

Jerry started his education in photographic engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology, where he also worked in residential life. He continued his work in student development and counseling as a Residence Hall Director and Learning Skills Center Director at the University of Florida while finishing his Bachelor of Science in psychology.

Alexandra “Ali” Martinez

Alexandra received her Master's and Specialist's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. Ali then worked for several non-profit organizations providing counseling services to families struggling with issues of domestic violence, child abuse and substance use. Ali joined the Alachua County Crisis Center in 2005 and now runs the training program for crisis line counselors. In addition, she provides consultation and training on crisis and suicide and serves as a supervisor and site coordinator for the Crisis Center’s internship and Family Clinic programs. Over the past five years, she has offered over 250 workshops and trainings locally and nationally on crisis intervention, suicide and family therapy issues.