Photo By Sgt. Skyler Schendt | Spc. Kelayjha Fleming, a military police officer with the 938th Military Police...... read more read more
Professionals that study suicide have stated that approximately 135 people are impacted by each suicide death. Within the U.S. Army, these numbers statistically effect the junior enlisted Soldiers between the age of 18-24. The Walter Reed Institute of Research saw these numbers and decided to take action.
The U.S. Army rolled out a new and improved pilot program to replace the current suicide prevention course. Ask, Care, Escort-Suicide Prevention or ACE-SI. The catch for the pilot program? It is being taught to junior enlisted Soldiers with the end goal that they will go back and train their squads beginner level ACE training.
Jason Nolet, a training specialist with the research transition office at the Walter Reed Institute of Research, is leading the charge by implementing this pilot program. Nolet and his colleagues chose the Indiana Army National Guard as one of the first groups to tackle this new concept.
“This pilot course is more of a proof of concept and not a proof of content,” Nolet said. “With the concept being that junior enlisted Soldiers can be trained at the instructor level to train the beginner workshop, which is staff sergeant and above.”
With this peer-to-peer style training, the goal is for Soldiers to receive information in a conversational style and instead of a mandatory briefing. It also allows Soldiers up and down the chain-of-command to connect with one another on a more level scale.
“We know that feeling connected to others and experiencing empathy can be a turning point for someone who is experiencing suicidal crisis,” said Maj. Jennifer Nevers, a behavioral health officer with the Indiana Army National Guard. “If junior enlisted Soldiers are trained in offering this level of support to one another, they will be more equipped to support their fellow Soldiers, connect them to help sooner and potentially decrease rates of suicide among our force.”
According to Nevers, this is the first time this type of pilot program has been conducted within the Army National Guard. By Indiana engaging in this effort, it sends the message that the Indiana National Guard prioritizes the health and welfare of its Soldiers.
“I feel like this course is important to teach for the junior enlisted because it shines a light on things that they probably don’t know,” said Spc. Kelayjha Fleming, a military police officer with the 938th Military Police Detachment. “It will benefit not only them, but Soldiers in the future.”
Fleming observed that this course helped to break certain stigmas when it comes to discussing mental health issues and suicide prevention.
During the course of the training, Soldiers not only learned the ACE-SI content material for themselves, but also learned how to teach it to their fellow Soldiers. Instructors gave teaching advice during a practical exercise at the end of the training.
According to Nolet, this allows individual states to become self-sustainable in creating their own trainers for platoon-level discussions.
“They won’t be dependent on big Army or outside schoolhouses to come and [teach],” Nolet said.
Along with the autonomy that comes with training this material internally, junior enlisted Soldiers are uniquely positioned within their units.
“They are able to connect with Soldiers that may not feel comfortable speaking to a noncommissioned officer or an officer,” said Nevers.
Phase I of this pilot program is complete for the small group of Indiana Army National Guard specialists. The students were given two weeks to study the material and will return as a group to teach one another and critique one another on their instructing capabilities for the second and final phase of the course.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, use the resources below to reach out for help:
IN AN EMERGENCY
CALL the Veterans Crisis Line: 988 + 1
Or TEXT: 988
Non-Emergency Resources
Indiana 211 (24/7)
Military OneSource
800-342-9647
www.militaryonesource.mil
If your emergency situation requires immediate assistance from the police, fire department or ambulance/medical personnel, CALL 911.
| Date Taken: | 03.08.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.19.2024 10:29 |
| Story ID: | 465716 |
| Location: | INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 109 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, A New Take on Suicide Prevention and Intervention, by SGT Skyler Schendt, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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