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Suicide is not an easy topic to talk about, but the Religious Ministries Department on Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola is preparing to introduce Sailors to a program to help them become aware of opportunities to help prevent suicide and how to help their shipmates connect to resources through a program called safeTALK.
The three and a half hour long class will consist of both multimedia presentations and group interaction. The class will be facilitated by an instructor who has completed the safeTALK Training for Trainers (T4T) course. Before the classes begin, 30 service members from the NAS Pensacola area will complete the T4T course.
“One death by suicide is too many,” said Capt. Tim Kinsella, commanding officer, NAS Pensacola. “Suicide is never the answer no matter how bad or dark life seems. When someone takes their own life, it doesn’t stop the pain; it just spreads that pain to their friends, families and shipmates. We need to reach out to every Sailor, Marine, Coast Guardsman, Airman, and Soldier and show them how to recognize signs of suicidal thoughts and how to intervene when needed.”
According to the Defense Suicide Prevention Office, 498 service members died by suicide in calendar year 2019. According to Navy Personnel Command, there were 73 active duty Sailor suicides in 2019 and 62 to date in 2020.
“Sometimes people are afraid or don’t know how to ask for help,” said Cmdr.Kurt Michaelis, the base chaplain for NAS Pensacola. “SafeTALK empowers Sailors with the tools and confidence to help connect shipmates in need of resources when struggling with thoughts of suicide."
Those who attend the class will learn about applying the T.A.L.K. steps: tell, ask, listen, and keep safe. These steps help Sailors deal with a difficult situation by creating a formula to help get someone to a safe place. SafeTALK also helps train individuals to move beyond the tendencies to miss, dismiss, or avoid signs of suicide ideations in others. Sailors will be encouraged to challenge the all too common stigma and taboo surrounding suicide in the military culture.
“Sailors will feel more comfortable in engaging someone thinking of suicide,” said Michaelis referring to the results of implementing safeTALK into the Navy.
Regular SafeTALK classes are scheduled to begin in January 2021. After completing the class, Sailors can request to participate in a two day follow-on course, for Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), which dives even deeper into helping someone with suicidal thoughts. The ASIST workshop is for anyone who wants to feel even more comfortable, confident and competent in helping prevent a suicide.
For those interested in attending a safeTALK or ASIST workshop, they can contact their unit chaplain.
If you are in a crisis, call the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK.
| Date Taken: | 12.14.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 12.14.2020 15:49 |
| Story ID: | 384955 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 612 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, SafeTALK: New Suicide Awareness Training Beginning at NAS Pensacola, by Jason Bortz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
