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3 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,F ebruary 7,2019 theifp.ca 905.877.8023Halton Hills' #1 choice in Heating, Cooling + Fireplaces since 1989 hellowinter! SAVE 20% on All rEpAirS with our PrEVENtAtiVE mAiNtENANcE PlAN Platinum 2018 Halton Hills Georgetown resident Cindy Wood thinks back to that day she sat with her friend in the backyard chat- ting. She wonders if her friend would still be alive if she knew back then what she knows today about suicide. The two had similar con- versations many times pri- or to that day, speaking about her friend's state of crisis and previous at- tempts at ending her life, with Wood carefully choos- ing her words each time, saying what she thought would put her friend most at ease in the moment. "You think you say all the right things, like 'Oh, my god, I love you, what would we do without you,' " she said. "It breaks my heart to think maybe there was something I could have said or done to change the course." After losing her friend two years ago, Wood began to do her research, desper- ate to find any information online that would help her gain the tools to be able to effectively speak to others about suicide. That's when she discov- ered LivingWorks, a suicide intervention training com- pany. There, Woods partici- pated in a two-day course called ASIST (Applied Sui- cide Intervention Skills Training), which changed her way of thinking com- pletely. "People who, from what I understand, think about suicide, they usually have a plan and if you can talk to them about their plan, and basically just come out and ask them, they may appre- ciate that," she added. According to the Halton Suicide Prevention Coali- tion, 4,000 people in Canada die by suicide each year. Halton Regional Police re- ceive one call per day, on average, related to suicide. Data from the World Health Organization also reveal that prior to every suicide there are up to 20 at- tempts. Wood's training provid- ed her with the necessary information to be able to ef- fectively speak and listen to people with thoughts of sui- cide, then connect them to the right form of help if needed. "I've lost a few friends and loved ones and I don't want to be in that situation again where someone is so hopeless and you just don't know what to say to them," Wood said. "I think we need to talk about it more." Next month, Wood plans to put her thoughts into ac- tion by hosting a safeTALK training session in George- town on Feb. 27. SafeTALK is a half-day workshop that prepares those 15 years of age and older to become suicide- alert helpers. The session, which will be run by suicide interven- tionist and president of Life Voice Shawna Percy, teach- es participants step-by-step tips, which each coincide with a letter in the acronym TALK. The meaning of the "T" is twofold, Percy says. On the one hand, it is im- portant to be able to try to tell someone as clearly and directly as possible if you are having thoughts of sui- cide. However, she adds, this is often a lot to ask of a per- son in distress, so it is also important for those who no- tice someone who may be having thoughts of suicide to encourage that person to talk openly about it. The "A" stands for ask, which refers to directly ask- ing the person in need about suicide. "We really just need to put it on the table and ask them, 'Are you thinking about ending your life?' Or 'Are you thinking about sui- cide?' And when we are ask- ing a clear and direct ques- tion like that we are com- municating that we are peo- ple who are willing to have that conversation and that alone can create some relief for people from the pain they are in," Percy said. The next step, and quite possibly the most impor- tant, Percy says, is to listen. "Most people are not looking to be fixed - they are looking to be seen and heard," Percy said, adding that it often goes a long way to sit with the person and hear about what they are feeling, rather than to try to find a solution or something optimistic to say in re- sponse. "For someone who's feel- ing really bad, they may just need a person to come along and sit in the muck with them and that's part of what will help free them from be- ing in the muck," she added. The final step, or "K" of the acronym, is to keep the person safe for the time be- ing. In this step, people are encouraged to make a con- nection between the person in need and someone who is able to perform a full inter- vention piece. Often, Percy says, it may be helpful to give the person in distress some options as to who they would prefer to speak to, prior to making that connection. "Having thoughts of sui- cide is part of the human ex- perience for many people," Percy said. "Really what it comes down to is someone is facing some kind of obsta- cle in their life and what they are struggling with is how to get on the other side of that." The safeTALK training session will be held at at St. Andrew's United Church (89 Mountainview Rd. S, Georgetown) on Feb. 27 from 6 to 9:30 p.m. To access resources for crisis support, visit https:// www.lifevoice.ca/crisis- supports. NEWS SUICIDE ALERT WORKSHOP COMING TO GEORGETOWN 4X AGES 10 TO 24 Women attempt suicide at a rate 4x higher than men, while men die by suicide at a rate 4x higher than women 4000 Approximately 4,000 people die by suicide in Canada each year 1On average, Halton Regional Police receives one call each day related to suicide SUICIDE STATISTICS HALTON 4X Suicide is the second leading cause of death for individuals ages 10 to 24 20 ATTEMPTS / 1 SUICIDE According to a World Health Organization estimate, there are up to 20 attempts for every suicide Source: Halton Suicide Prevention Coalition VERONICA APPIA vappia@metroland.com Georgetown resident Cindy Wood is hosting a safeTALK workshop on Feb. 27. Veronica Appia/Metroland SHAWNA PERCY'S TIPS: • There are certain phrases that should be considered when broaching the subject of suicide. • Don't say somebody "committed suicide." Rather, say somebody suicided, somebody took their life or somebody died by suicide. • Don't say somebody had a "successful suicide attempt" or a "failed suicide attempt." Rather, simply call it a suicide attempt. • When asking someone about thoughts of suicide, don't say "You're not thinking of suicide, are you?" or "Are you thinking of harming yourself?" Rather, use a direct and unbiased approach by asking them, "Are you thinking about suicide?" Metroland graphic