A suicide prevention workshop was hosted by LivingWorks at Kiama Library on 7 February. 

The event introduced a small group of like minded individuals to a number of critical skills and mechanisms to help make our community more suicide alert. 

The SafeTALK skills training runs for four hours and emphasises the importance of suicide alertness for everyone, fostering safer communities through education and awareness by teaching life-saving skills of communication and empathy. 

The group learned about the importance of the safeTALK model, one of the many programs that LivingWorks makes available for free to individuals, communities and businesses or organisations. 

The TALK part of SafeTALK stands for Tell, Ask, Listen and KeepSafe. These are steps designed to connect a person who needs help to the services that can provide help, it is a framework for engaging with someone who may be contemplating suicide.

The program teaches crucial skills in the correct language to use to help someone having a difficult time with their mental health as well as the correct ways to listen and to be present in the conversation. The goal, of course, is to create communities where suicide alertness will be so well embedded within our society that education like this is completely depleted.

Throughout the four hour course, the group was shown video examples of individuals struggling with suicidal thoughts that exemplified the right ways to check on someone and to generate open discussions around suicide and mental health. 

One participant attended the event for personal interest and work development purposes. She said the program is well informed, engaging and an important undertaking for any community member. 

Another participant said she tries to attend educational sessions like this regularly in order to stay informed and current on new tactics and terminology. 

Margie Jirgens, the trainer, did an excellent job with a vested interest in the topic and a strong motivation to educate her community. Margie was a friendly, thoughtful and very informed trainer who hosts programs like this often.

The workshop emphasises the fact that suicide is preventable and with the right skills and resources, everyone has a role to play in saving lives. Community engagement and education is a vital step in fostering a supportive and informed future for effective suicide prevention. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, you can find immediate help at Lifeline (13 11 14) or Beyond Blue (1300 224 636) and many others. If you are in an emergency please call emergency services on 000. For those interested, there is another course scheduled at Kiama Uniting Church this Saturday 8 February.