LivingWorks & Defence/Veterans

LivingWorks Suicide Prevention within Defence and Veterans Communities

As the world leader in suicide prevention skills training, LivingWorks trains serving Defence members as well as veterans, their families and their support providers so that everyone can be part of building suicide safer communities.

LivingWorks has 30 years of experience working within Defence and Military settings across the globe.
LivingWorks offers a suite of practical, evidence-based training programs in suicide prevention that any serving or ex-serving members of Defence can learn to help support one another.
Investing in LivingWorks training reflects a commitment to the wellbeing and morale of serving ADF members and veterans, and provides a strong return on investment.
LivingWorks training facilitates unit-based peer support, first line leadership, and health care treatment as far forward as possible.

LivingWorks & Military Around the World

Since the 1990s, LivingWorks has trained hundreds of thousands of Military and Defence personnel, as well as veterans, across the globe.

Global

United States

Australia

“What suicide first aid training does is it gets us used to having the conversation. It’s exactly like weapons training – repetition, repetition, repetition – the more sessions we do or skills that we learn, the more comfortable we are and the easier it is to have those discussions when we think we ourselves or someone around us is not ok.”

Brendan | serviceman in the Australian Army for 7 years

Case Study

In 2009, following the LivingWorks ASIST training, the US Army reported the confidence of the participants willing to help a person with thoughts of suicide increased from 38% to 90%.

38%

90%

Before Training

After Training

LivingWorks Results in Military & Defence Organisations

LivingWorks training at Hurlburt Field yielding remarkable drop in suicides.

Hurlburt Field sits in an idyllic spot along Florida’s Emerald Coast. Air Force Special Operations Command has 10,000 personnel at the installation including active duty and civilians. Given the nature of special operations and scaled-up activity since 9/11, the installation was seeing a higher-than-average number of suicides with approximately five to nine suicides a year, including civilian employees.

The leadership knew it had a serious problem to address so the base collaborated with LivingWorks to receive training in suicide prevention. The base trainers then combined one of LivingWorks training programs, LivingWorks safeTALK, with their in-processing at Hurlburt and included spouses. LivingWorks safeTALK teaches trainees to recognise when someone is thinking about suicide and connect that person to support. The support team was trained in LivingWorks ASIST, another LivingWorks program that teaches people to provide suicide interventions and keep others safe.

The remarkably effective and innovative in-processing combination known as Commando Ready equips all new airmen with the half-day LivingWorks safeTALK training and the drop in suicides on the base is impressive. The Air Force has a calculation based on their suicide prevention program that allows for predictability based on five-year data sets.

“Based on five years of data and the number that we had, rates per thousand and so forth, it came to 260 something days. We went almost 650 before we actually hit a point where we had another suicide,” said Dexter Mitchell, a retired service member who now acts as a community support coordinator at the installation. He is trained in both LivingWorks safeTALK and LivingWorks ASIST.

Based on the buzz this reduction in suicides is creating, Hurlburt is getting calls from bases around the country—from Missouri to California and states in between—who want to duplicate. The simplicity and accessibility of widespread LivingWorks safeTALK training with a smaller group on base LivingWorks ASIST-trained creates a community-wide safety network among the airmen and their families.

Courses for Defence and Veterans

LivingWorks Start

A 90 minute, online training that helps learners develop foundational skills to recognise when someone may be thinking of suicide and connect them to further help.

NOW AVAILABLE

en français and en español!

LivingWorks safeTALK

Learn to talk openly about suicide, reach out to someone with thoughts of suicide, and connect them with further support in a half-day, face-to-face workshop. This more in-depth training also allows learners to practice skills and helps to address myths and barriers around suicide.

LivingWorks ASIST

Recognised as the gold standard in suicide intervention training, LivingWorks ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) is a two-day interactive and in-person workshop in suicide first-aid. Learners become ready, willing and able to intervene with someone who has thoughts of suicide, and help them develop a safety plan, access help and find hope.

LivingWorks Faith

LivingWorks Faith is an online program that empowers Christian faith leaders to increase safety from suicide and minister to those who have experienced suicide loss. Faith training provides hope-centered, safety-focused interventions, and enriches life promoting ministries in support of purposeful living and self-care.

“A good mate came to me and said “I’m too close to the problem to see a solution”. What he didn’t want to do was knock on the door of the psychologist. What he needed was someone around him who could recognise his signs of ‘not normal’ and be in his corner. That’s why suicide first aid is so important.”

Brendan Barry | serviceman in the Australian Army for 7 years

“The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) provides comprehensive peer-based support to all those who are grieving the death of a loved one who served. The population we serve have all suffered a traumatic loss and are therefore more at risk of suicide. TAPS has integrated LivingWorks ASIST training for all staff members and it has been a vital tool in keeping our population safe and instilling confidence for our staff.”

Kim | Chief External Relations Officer, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors

“While the statistic of 20 veterans dying by suicide a day lives in the national consciousness, the solutions live in our communities. At Team RWB, we’ve been partnering with LivingWorks to educate over 2,000 volunteer leaders to engage our veterans to make suicide safer communities in 217 chapters across the country. Leadership and community engagement matters.”

Joe Quinn | Director of Leadership Development, Team Red, White & Blue