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26 June 2023
Thirteen members of the Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools community have qualified as ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) caregivers.
The training was delivered by two in-house qualified ASIST workshop facilitators – Miss Jo Johnson (Head of Department, Ethics and Philosophy/Psychology teacher) and Mrs Alex Copley (Teacher Learning Support).
The course was a two-day interactive workshop in suicide first aid.
It taught participants to recognise when someone may have thoughts of suicide and to work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety.
People with a range of different roles took part, and their comments ranged from: “An engaging, informative workshop that kept me glued to my seat…I learnt a lot!” through to: “A practical and essential course to help me deal with people at work and in life…so well delivered in a professional and empathetic way.”
This was the second course that had been run by Miss Johnson and Mrs Copley at Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools.
Miss Johnson said: “Our colleagues are the most highly dedicated team of individuals who will go above and beyond to support others, no matter what their role.
“This course has given them the skills to open up the conversation with someone – whether that is a colleague, student, friend, or a family member, potentially saving lives in the whole community. They should be extremely proud of their achievement, which was thoroughly deserved.”
The schools would like to thank the Mindstep Foundation charity (set-up in memory of a former pupil) for enabling Mrs Copley and Miss Johnson to qualify as ASIST trainers, and in their mission to fund research into the causes of suicide and support those who have been bereaved by, or are at risk of, suicide.
For more details about Mindstep, or to donate, please visit: https://mindstepfoundation.com/
