The world’s leading suicide intervention skills training program.
Trusted by professionals, approved by the World Health Organization and learnable by anyone, LivingWorks Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is the only workshop of its kind.
Updated continually to reflect new knowledge, LivingWorks ASIST has been training people to provide suicide first aid interventions for 40 years.
LivingWorks ASIST has 40 years of research and evidence behind it. More than 50 peer-reviewed studies and government reports on LivingWorks ASIST have found:
People count on LivingWorks training to build safer communities and workplaces. Thatʼs why weʼre committed to offering programs that are tested, proven, and evidence based. With over 50 peer-reviewed studies and government reports validating the impact of our programs, we have the most robust evidence base in the suicide prevention training field. LivingWorks ASIST is the gold standard suicide intervention skills course across the globe.
LivingWorks ASIST participants help make their communities safer from suicide by providing life-changing suicide first-aid interventions. They’re a vital resource that participants in connector programs – such as LivingWorks Start and LivingWorks safeTALK – can call to help others.
LivingWorks ASIST workshops can be arranged for your organization or group, tailored to the needs of your staff, volunteers or members. Our training team can support you with workshop logistics, promotion and a tailored training experience that fits with your existing suicide prevention initiatives or priorities.
Our team can work with you to help you find the best training solution. If you still have questions after reading the information on this page and the frequently asked questions below, please contact us and one of our team will be in touch.
Most people who die by suicide (in particular young people and men) are not in the healthcare system. Therefore when they are thinking about suicide, they are at home, in the workplace and/or community. This means we need a whole-of-community approach to protect them from suicide.
It is estimated that each year, more than 700,000 people die by suicide. Evidence tells us family, friends, and coworkers are the people best placed to notice when someone is having thoughts of suicide and to provide support and refer them to crisis services. However, research also indicates that suicide-related knowledge and confidence to intervene is really lacking in the community. This is why LivingWorks has dedicated the last 40 years to empowering communities with the knowledge and confidence they need to intervene through our skills training.
Everyone over the age of 16 years who wants to help keep the people around them safe from suicide should attend.
LivingWorks ASIST workshops are provided by registered LivingWorks trainers. In order to facilitate the workshop, trainers must attend an LivingWorks ASIST Training for Trainers (T4T) and extensively study the program. They must also participate in a rigorous quality control process and maintain their skills by presenting LivingWorks ASIST workshops on a regular basis. We can also identify specific trainers within your sector/discipline/region if required.
Although LivingWorks safeTALK and ASIST are separate programs, they are designed to complement each other. The two-day LivingWorks ASIST workshop provides skills to intervene with someone who may be having thoughts of suicide, helping them feel less overwhelmed. The LivingWorks ASIST model also involves creating a safety plan with the person to help them keep safe, access help and find hope.
It would not be possible to learn and practice all of the LivingWorks ASIST skills in LivingWorks safeTALK’s half-day timeframe, although many who attend LivingWorks safeTALK later decide to take LivingWorks ASIST. What LivingWorks safeTALK does do is help participants identify people who may be having thoughts of suicide, confidently ask them about the topic of suicide, and connect them with resources that can help keep them safe. This might be a professional caregiver or someone trained in LivingWorks ASIST—often, they’re one and the same! By providing a connection to intervention resources, LivingWorks safeTALK offers an important avenue to assistance when people need it most.
Many communities and organizations use both LivingWorks safeTALK and ASIST. By working in concert, people with LivingWorks safeTALK and ASIST training create a larger, more effective network of safety.
LivingWorks ASIST is run strictly face-to-face. If you are looking for an online option, please consider our program LivingWorks Start.
If you have lost your LivingWorks certification of completion for your LivingWorks safeTALK, LivingWorks ASIST, or LivingWorks suicide to Hope training, we can replace it for you. Click here to fill out the replacement form.
“ASIST has been the most significant and practical training I have ever received for my job as an educator of young people.”
““I think this training has been invaluable. So much so this is the second time I’ve completed the course! I find that the model (PAL) works (I’ve used it several times) and the language gave me confidence in my intervention and in knowing I was on the right track””
“Most impactful suicide prevention class I’ve received in 21 years of service”
“As an administrator I attend a great many workshops, conferences & training sessions. This has been by far the most relevant and practical and been engaged start to finish with real world applications”
Please fill out the following form to receive information about hosting a private face to face workshop for your organization/community group, or receiving a set of Start online training licenses.