Final Two-Day Session Set for Aug 11-12 at Bell Hall
(UCBJ) – Four Tennessee Tech University psychology professors are helping equip community members with life-saving suicide intervention skills through free, grant-funded workshops this summer. The final two-day workshop will be held Aug. 11-12 in Room 266 of Bell Hall on the Tech campus.
“The Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, or ASIST, is regarded as the gold standard in suicide intervention training,” said Katherine Hermann-Turner, professor of counseling and psychology at Tech. “It equips people with the skills to recognize when someone may be in crisis and confidently connect them with help.”
In addition to Hermann-Turner, the university’s certified ASIST trainers include Department of Counseling & Psychology faculty members Derrick Edwards, Mark Loftis and Tony Michael. After completing LivingWorks’ intensive weeklong train-the-trainer program in Colorado, Michael secured grant funding to make the workshops free for participants.
“Registration for these workshops typically costs more than $85 per person, but we were committed to bringing these skills to the community this summer at no charge,” Hermann-Turner said. “It’s about building comfort and confidence, so people aren’t afraid to ask if someone they know needs help. ASIST trains people what to do next; it creates a pathway to assisting life.”
The workshops are funded through Tennessee Tech’s Center for Rural Innovation and its partnership with Empower Upper Cumberland, removing what is often a significant financial barrier for participants. The training supports Empower UC’s mission of helping individuals overcome barriers to employment and economic mobility by strengthening the capacity of community partners, service providers and local leaders to recognize and respond to individuals in crisis.
“Many of the people served through Empower UC are working to overcome significant life challenges,” said Stephanie Byrd, assistant director of rural resilience for the Center for Rural Innovation. “By increasing the number of trained community members across the region, we’re helping ensure that people facing a crisis encounter understanding, support and a pathway to the help they need.”
Designed for community members rather than clinicians, the interactive workshop combines videos, guided discussions and realistic practice scenarios to teach participants how to recognize signs that someone may be considering suicide, provide immediate support and connect the individual with additional resources.
“It teaches people what to look for to recognize the signs someone may be contemplating suicide, what to do if they see those signs and how to develop a safety plan that connects the person with further support,” Hermann-Turner said.
Edwards said one of the program’s most valuable lessons is learning to be present for someone in crisis.
“Sitting with a person in crisis can be overwhelming, but we have to remember that they are a person first. People want to be heard and deserve to be seen,” he added.
Case managers, pastors and college professors are among those who have participated this summer, but anyone age 16 or older is eligible, regardless of prior mental health experience. Participants who complete both days of training become certified Suicide First Aid Helpers.
“Hope isn’t abstract. Hope is practical. It looks like ordinary people who know how to recognize the signs, ask the hard question, and help someone find a reason to keep going. Every person we train becomes another reason someone might choose to stay,” Hermann-Turner said.
For Hermann-Turner, who has spent 15 years as a counselor educator, the experience has reinforced both the importance and accessibility of suicide intervention.
“Every participant this summer has had something positive to say about this program. This is life-saving work, and it shows,” she said.
“I prepare myself academically, mentally and emotionally before every session I lead, but I go into every training knowing lives are going to be changed. Lives are going to be saved,” Hermann-Turner continued.
The Aug. 11-12 workshop will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. Lunch and snacks will be provided, and participants must attend both days to earn certification.
“I feel so much gratitude for the people who helped us bring these sessions to the community this summer, for the people who thought our idea was a good one and for providing the funding to make it happen,” Hermann-Turner said.
To register or learn more, email Stephanie Byrd at sbyrd@tntech.edu.
Pictured above – Mark Loftis, professor of counseling and psychology at Tennessee Tech, speaks at a previous suicide prevention training held on Tech’s campus.
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