MANGILAO, Guam, November 4 – Fourteen University of Guam students participated in suicide prevention training Saturday, Oct. 24, at the School of Nursing and Health Sciences. The students took the training, safeTALK, as part of their Introduction to Community Service on Guam course under the instruction of Tim Dela Cruz Ph.D. adjunct faculty.
safeTALK, is a four hour, evidence-based program produced by LivingWorks that introduces suicide prevention and certifies participants, 15 years of age and older, as a suicide alert helpers. These suicide alert helpers are able to recognize the warning signs of suicide, address the person clearly and directly, listen properly and connect them to someone who can provide additional help.
Sara Dimla-Harrell is a local safeTALK trainer working as Keep-Safe during the UOG training. She explained that her role was to provide assistance to participants with any issues in the training.
Dimla-Harrell is a program coordinator with the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center’s Prevention and Training Branch. She is a trainer for both safeTALK and ASIST conducting trainings locally and regionally.
“Because suicide is very a sensitive topic, the stories or the curriculum itself can bring up emotions or past experiences so we want to make sure all the participants feel safe,” Dimla-Harrel said.
In explaining the importance of safeTALK, Dimla-Harrel said that the island faces a huge challenge in dealing with suicide. Many people on Guam tend to avoid the topic making it even more difficult to address. This training aims to ease that uncertainty and provide participants the tools to deal with this uncomfortable issue.
In addition to safeTALK, there are other suicide prevention related trainings. Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) and Connect Postvention are being offered on Guam through the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center (GBHWC). ASIST is an intensive two-day program that trains participants in the next tier of suicide prevention, intervention. Connect Postvention is a training designed for institutions and organizations to address the final tier of suicide prevention by having the proper procedures in responding to a suicide loss or behavior.
GBHWC host these trainings as a free community event once per month. Although the trainers are currently working to prepare the schedule for fiscal year 2016, organizations and individuals are encouraged to submit a request for one of these trainings at their venue.
Aside from these trainings, UOG also offers suicide prevention related information and services. The Isa Psychological Services Center received a grant to create and manage the campus suicide prevention program, I Pinangon. Through this program, they offer different services including classroom presentations, one-on-one counseling, outreach events, mental health screenings and information about suicide on Guam.
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