Training

CommUnity offers a variety of trauma-informed care, suicide prevention, and suicide intervention trainings. Contact Liz Orton, Communications & Development Manager, to learn more (319-351-2726 ext. 113).

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is a two-day interactive workshop in suicide first aid. ASIST teaches participants to recognize when someone may have thoughts of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety. Although ASIST is widely used by healthcare providers, participants don’t need any formal training to attend the workshop—anyone 16 or older can learn and use the ASIST model.

All CommUnity Crisis Services volunteers and most staff members are trained in ASIST. We have five trainers on staff who have conducted over 50 ASIST’s combined!

QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training: Question, Persuade & Refer is a shorter program. The QPR program teaches three steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide. Just like CPR, the training prepares you to respond to someone in crisis and save a life.  There is a 1 hour or 2 hour format, depending on your group’s needs and availability. No prior knowledge or background in mental health is necessary in order to be trained.

QPR for Youth

QPR for Youth is a 1 hour, modified version of QPR that is designed for high school students.

In our experience, talking openly about suicide can sometimes lead to someone privately or publicly disclosing that they are having thoughts of suicide. For this reason, we send multiple trainers and/or crisis counselors when we conduct QPR for Youth trainings in case a one-on-one intervention is needed. We want to stress that this is a good thing and allows students to get help who otherwise might not have sought help!

 

Trauma Informed Care Training

Experiencing trauma can affect individuals in diverse and wide-ranging ways. All caregivers can benefit from learning about trauma and its effects; how trauma can affect development; trauma and the brain; and how secondary trauma can impact caregivers. For more information, please contact Rochelle Honey-Arcement (319-351-2726 ext. 132).