Suicide prevention training offered

Community member Suzanne Jacobs believes that knowing the warning signs of suicide is something everyone should know. She lost her 15-year-old daughter, Lexi Fox, to suicide three years ago this month.

“Silently crying out is so misunderstood. I didn’t see or know the signs until it was too late,” Jacobs said. “It’s important to be educated about suicidal or mental health crises so that we can save a life.”

Kahnawake Shakotiia’takehnhas Community Services (KSCS) is on a mission to help make more community members aware of the signs of suicide and mental health problems, and in the coming weeks, will be offering multiple sessions on the topic.

On February 6 and 7, a free two-day applied suicide intervention skills training will be offered, as well as a separate training next Friday called SafeTALK, where community members will learn more about how to help someone who may be suffering in silence.

The SafeTALK training runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and is being coordinated by Terry McComber in association with LivingWorks, who administer the training to over 120,000 people each year.

“The more people that we have who are trained in SafeTALK, the better we are at saving people,” McComber said. “We need as many people as possible trained so that we can recognize the signs.”

McComber said that people assume it would be obvious to recognize the signs of suicidality in loved ones, or that someone would seem visibly depressed if they were contemplating suicide. But often, the warning signs can be hard to notice, and an individual might seem happy on the surface.

“You could be sitting next to someone in the next cubicle and not notice things,” she said.

The training will teach participants how to connect others with life-saving resources, both in the community and beyond, and help people learn how to keep someone safe until those resources can step in. The training also covers how to speak directly to someone about suicide - something that can be especially intimidating, but that is an essential component of saving lives.

“If you say it in a way that the person knows you’re listening, and you’re alert, and you’re caring, then they know that you’re caring enough to want to hear their answer,” she said. “Even if that person says ‘No, I’m not considering that,’ at least they know you’re an open person to that discussion if they do feel that feeling.”

Participants will learn from facilitators and have the chance to work in small groups to practice what they’ve learned. Part of that practice will be working on asking those questions, McComber said.

“You’re going to understand how to say those tough questions, and we’re going to practice saying the word ‘suicide’ because some people can’t even say that word because they’re used to it being such a taboo thing and nobody talks about it,” she said.

KSCS is striving to offer these kinds of resources preventatively, to help community members know the signs before it’s too late.

“We’re a small community. Even one suicide is already too many,” McComber said. “It’s so, so important to be alert, because you don’t want to miss the signs.”

Jacobs said that since Lexi’s passing, she’s made an extra effort to continue educating herself and others around her about suicide. Last year, she and her two younger children attended the National Suicide Prevention Conference in Vancouver.

“This conference opened my eyes that mental health is such a bigger issue than we could ever imagine,” she said.

She hopes more and more people will get suicide prevention training in future, and said she dreams of there being even more support for those experiencing suicidality in the community.

“We need a drop-in centre or a safe hotline, we need people to be taken seriously,” she said. “We need hope and love for all.”

To register for or ask questions about the SafeTALK training, community members should contact McComber directly at 450-632-6880 (ext. 34107) or via email at [email protected] by January 23.

To register for the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, community members should contact [email protected] by January 31.

[email protected]