The LivingWorks Programme is a comprehensive, coordinated and integrated approach to preventing suicide that involves the entire community.

Working with caregivers of all kinds,

LivingWorks prepares helpers to competently intervene with a person at risk of suicide. All caregivers master “suicide first aid” for reasons similar to those for learning CPR “heartsaver” or basic physical first aid. Advanced and other skills are then “layered” on to this suicide first aid foundation.

At present, the LivingWorks Programme consists of six fully-developed packages, the first three of which are widely implemented:

· SuicideTALK - a two-hour presentation

· Training for Trainers (T4T) - a five-day course

· Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) - a two-day workshop

Most people know about LivingWorks because of ASIST. ASIST was developed in 1983 by Prof Richard Ramsay and Dr Brian Tanney of LivingWorks Education in Canada. The two-day ASIST is by far the most widely used, acclaimed and researched suicide intervention skills training in the world. It has been refined over 23 years with feedback from over 500,000 participants and 3,000 active trainers.

Anna Brown initially sampled the ASIST training on behalf of PAPYRUS in Lewes, Sussex where it is franchised by Mind.  In May ‘05 funding was obtained through the Children & Adolescent Mental Health Teams’ Grant to train 15 front line staff in the North East. This was made possible by collaboration between PAPYRUS, Mind and Humber Mental Health

Teaching NHS Trust.  A second pilot will take place in Hull in June ‘05.

 

The two day, practical course provides caregivers with the tools to prevent the immediate risk of suicide.  It provides emotional first aid by

Recognising invitations for help

Reaching out and offering support

Reviewing risk

Applying interventions

Linking with community resources

Anna says ‘The feedback on the effectiveness has been extremely

The Living Works Programme and ASIST

First class

first-aid

FUNd-raising with the emphasis on FUN.

 

It is just over a year since a group of us set up PIMs - PAPYRUS-in-the-Marches, a local society support group whose aims are to raise the awareness of, and funds for PAPYRUS.  We have 59 members as we speak, and several more in the pipeline.  All 59 are automatically PAPYRUS members but also members of the Local Society - made aware of all the local fund raising events by a news letter twice a year and by local publicity. 

 

The support for these events has been tremendous and we are proud to say that due to this support we have been able to send over £6000 to PAPYRUS. 

 

We have concentrated on lectures, shows and concerts so far which seem to have proved to be popular - every single one has sold out and our next event, a black tie Chopin concert, scheduled for July 2nd, sold out by May 17th, so we guess we must be doing something right!

 

It does take a fair amount of organisation and some culinary skill on the part of the committee - we always do some sort of food and wine with the event.  However, it is immensely rewarding - we raise the money for a cause dear to our hearts and we give really good entertainment to appreciative audiences. 

 

 So, if you are reading this and think it sounds like a good plan, why not start a society in your area?  If you need any initial help or advice then email or telephone the PAPYRUS office and Tony will put you in touch with us. 

Go on - give it a try !

Stephanie Lyth-Lawley

positive, empowering front line staff to use a self harm incident to engage young people in finding help, instead of ignoring or avoiding the problem. In my view ASIST training equips caregivers with the skills, confidence and tools to prevent suicide’ 

 

More details can be found at www.livingworks.net  or in Chapter 17 of ‘New Approaches to Preventing Suicide’ A Manual for Practitioners, ed. David Duffy and Tony Ryan.