LEARN Saves Lives Training Participant Testimonial Quote: “As someone with lived experience in, being a veteran, losing friends to suicide and having my own suicidal ideations, it has helped me connect with my participants. By integrating parts of my story that are relevant and useful to the group, it helps connect dots with what I’m talking about to real life situations. Being a veteran and talking about veteran suicide makes it more than just a percentage or stat that’s on a slide, it gives it a human connection and the audience I’m training become more involved and invested in what they take away from the training”. - Don, Suicide Prevention Peer Specialist, Southwest Washington
September is National Suicide Prevention Month – it serves as a powerful reminder that everyone must look out for loved ones, the people in our community and those who have been impacted by this leading cause of death.
Suicide is a difficult topic to address. It brings up a lot of emotions and hard feelings. However, it is a necessary and important conversation to have when someone is struggling or in deep despair. While it is emotionally frightening to address, there are ways to make the process compassionate and comfortable for everyone.
One of the first steps to take, practice. Practice on your family and friends. Practice on your co-workers, baristas, members of your gym, your church and any other community members you can get in front of. Practice asking, “Are you having thoughts of suicide?” Those six words, asked with compassion and support, can safe a person’s life. That's right, speaking up can, literally save a life! As more people become comfortable asking this question; the more it will be as comfortable as suggesting a ride home after a night out.
If you would like to learn more about how to ask that question, or additional suicide intervention skills trainings, you can enroll in an upcoming L.E.A.R.N: Saves Lives training. This is a completley free training offered by the Suicide Prevention Program at your Washington Department of Veterans Affairs. In this 90 minute in-person or virtual training you will learn what protective factors and risk factors associated with suicide risk. You will also learn about how to create a safe home environment to prevent overdoses and reduce the risk of death by firearms.
"LEARN" more by requesting a LEARN training or by contacting the Suicide Prevention Program at Connect@dva.wa.gov.