Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)

In this training, you'll learn to:

• recognize caregivers and those at risk are affected by personal and societal attitudes about suicide.
• directly discuss suicide with someone at risk.
• identify risk alerts and develop a safety plan for them.
• demonstrate the skills required to intervene with someone at risk of suicide.
• list the supports available to a person at risk of suicide.
• improve community support and networks.

Suicide prevention is broader than suicide intervention, and includes life promotion, and self-care for those at risk and for caregivers.

About the program

ASIST is the most widely used, acclaimed and researched suicide intervention training workshop in the world.

This training program is open to current UCalgary students, staff and faculty in a helping and supporting role. ASIST is designed to be immersive and to mimic realistic scenarios that may contain sensitive material. The workshop also involves a ten-minute roleplay in front of a small group. Please be advised that this workshop contains content that may be triggering, especially to those who have recently encountered suicide.

ASIST is made possible in partnership with the Students' Union.

Upcoming sessions:

In-person trainings have resumed for the Fall 2022 semester. 

Sessions run 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. both days. Full attendance is mandatory to receive certification.

If you have questions about ASIST or registration, please email [email protected].

Please note that no shows and last minute cancellations could result in being ineligible to participate in future ASIST sessions with the University of Calgary.