Suicide prevention training is changing the culture to reduce suicide
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Tifini Steif, Suicide Prevention Program Manager, 85th U.S. Army Reserve Support Command, leads a class discussion during a three-day Ask Care Escort Suicide Intervention tier two training event at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in Texas. Some of the students attending the class had been personally affected by the suicide of a fellow Soldier. They take the skills learned in the class and teach suicide prevention skills to Soldiers in their units back home.

(U.S. Army Reserve photo by Staff Sgt. David Lietz) (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. David Lietz) VIEW ORIGINAL
Suicide prevention training is changing the culture to reduce suicide
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. 1st Class Lacheri Rennick, Battalion S-1 NCOIC, 2-381 Training Support Battalion, Grand Prairie, Texas participates in a ‘teach back’ during a recent three-day Ask Care Escort Suicide Intervention tier two training event at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in Texas. The overall goal of the ‘train the trainer’ class was for students to return to their units and teach suicide prevention skills to fellow Soldiers and staffs.

(U.S. Army Reserve photo by Staff Sgt. David Lietz) (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. David Lietz) VIEW ORIGINAL
Suicide prevention training is changing the culture to reduce suicide
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Tifini Steif, second from left, front row, Suicide Prevention Program Manager, 85th U.S. Army Reserve Support Command, pauses for a photo with her class during a three-day Ask Care Escort Suicide Intervention tier two training event at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in Texas. Some of the students attending the class had been personally affected by the suicide of a fellow Soldier. They take the skills learned in the class and teach suicide prevention skills to Soldiers in their units back home.

(U.S. Army Reserve photo by Staff Sgt. David Lietz) (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. David Lietz) VIEW ORIGINAL

ELLINGTON FIELD JOINT RESERVE BASE, Texas – The Soldier had just returned from a deployment in Afghanistan. Upon returning home, he had a verbal argument with his girlfriend. The Soldier then told his girlfriend that he wanted to kill himself, so she told him to go ahead and do it. The Soldier later died from suicide.

“I knew this Soldier personally. I wish I had been there to be able to intervene,” said Sgt. 1st Class Lacheri Rennick, battalion S-1, non-commissioned officer-in-charge of the 2-381st Training Support Battalion, 85th U.S. Army Reserve Support Command, Grand Prairie, Texas.

The three-day Ask Care Escort Suicide Intervention tier two training class provided tools for Soldiers to be an effective resource in preventing suicide.

“Our goal is to educate and prepare Soldiers to ask the hard question ‘Are you thinking of killing yourself,’” said Tifini Steif, Suicide Prevention Program Manager, 85th USARSC. “And to provide education on resources and counseling and to be a resource in the event of a suicide ideation attempt or completion.”

Students also learned a variety of suicide prevention tactics including using gun locks on weapons and self-soothing techniques, like bilateral stimulation, which can help the brain process daily events, according to Rhonda Gilchrist, Psychological Health Program Director, 63rd Readiness Division.

“You are going to process your day. You are going to run a tape like a movie preview of everything you did that day,” said Gilchrist. “We are teaching it to fireman, policemen, first responders and nurses. I challenge you to do it for 30 days. It will change your life.”

During the final day of training, students used ‘teach backs’ to teach each other a specific part of suicide prevention training.

“We need the students to understand the legal background,” said 1st Lt. Dat Vo, Judge Advocate General, 120th Brigade Support Element, First Army, Fort Hood, Texas. “Soldiers need to understand that if they are thinking about suicide, it’s not an end to their career. The most important thing I want Soldiers to know is that it’s confidential and we will get you the help you need.”

Instructors and students work and network together beyond the training class, once they return to their duty stations, to help bring awareness and available support to suicide prevention.

“We want to create an environment that encourages help-seeking. The Army is doing a really good job at shifting the culture but there is still a lot of work to do,” said Amanda Pederson, Suicide Prevention Program Manager, 316th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. “One leader and one small change at a time can make all the difference.”