Reasons for Living: Airmen learn suicide intervention skills Published July 25, 2009 By 2nd Lt. Cammie Quinn 43rd Airlift Wing, Public Affairs POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- "I just don't think I can face him when he comes back. I'm scared of what he's going to say; it would just be better for everyone if I weren't around," Airman 1st Class Amber Morton said to Tech. Sgt. John Geissbuhler, who acted as her deployed husband's supervisor in this role-playing scenario during a recent Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, commonly referred to as the ASIST program, July 16 and 17. This two-day course offers participants a knowledge base in three areas: learning to connect with a person at risk for suicide, understanding their feelings and providing an open ear. It is an unfortunate truth that suicide is prevalent among the armed forces. With the daily stresses of life combined with the specialized stress of deployments and the difficulty of re-integrating into the family structure, suicidal thoughts find a way of creeping into the minds of Airmen and their families. Suicide intervention, then, is paramount given the influx of high stress situations of the military. The act of suicide affects an entire community, which makes it imperative to identify at-risk behavior before an actual attempt. To promote early awareness a program is available - not intended for those at risk of suicide, but for those around them in order to identify, empathize and assist the individual who feels as though nothing is worth living for. The ASIST program teaches students to think past their own emotions and feelings in order to recognize needs of another person. "It's not about our own contributors and stressors; it's about them," said Dawn Doan, an instructor for the ASIST class. She teaches the importance of removing oneself from the situation in order to truly understand the at-risk individual. Ms. Doan said, "It's natural to want to tell them reasons to live, when really, we need to listen for their reasons for dying." In the classroom, students are given the opportunity to create different scenarios in which students portray people at risk of suicide while their partners practice counseling them. The act allows students to learn by watching and by doing. The simulation includes a suicide announcement to the caregiver who is instructed to show compassion, listen, understand and take control of the situation. After the scene closes, the role players debrief and receive constructive feedback. "It is difficult to put myself in that situation and empathize with his situation, I just don't see myself reacting (as strongly) as he did," Tech. Sgt. Milton Slade, 2nd Airlift Squadron, said after his scene closed. In his role, Sergeant Slade played caregiver to a role player, who admitted to thoughts of suicide following a rough break up with his long-time girlfriend. The class agreed with him and noted that it is intuitive to remind the person at risk of reasons for living, when in fact, it is also necessary to listen for their reasons for dying. Students of the class have several different reasons for attending. Master Sgt. Christopher Alden, 43rd Aerospace Medicine Squadron said, "I have noticed a change in attitude in my duty section with BRAC and wanted to know what to look for, what changes in personality to note and how to follow the correct steps." Tech. Sgt. Michelle Harris, 43rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, said she was simply "scared to say the wrong thing." "Students walk away with workable skills for intervening in suicide situations and receive a better understanding of the motives and circumstances surrounding suicides," said Capt. Charles Hollstein, Chaplain and primary point of contact for ASIST. ASIST classes are offered quarterly at the Airman and Family Readiness Center and are free to all who are interested. For more information, call Captain Hollstein at (910) 394-2677.