SaveCenla to conduct ASIST workshops In Mansura Aug. 2-3, Sept. 27-28

There will be two suicide prevention workshops in Mansura in the coming weeks, sponsored by SaveCenla -- a local non-profit organization focused on suicide prevention and mental health.

The Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) workshops will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. this Friday and Saturday (Aug. 2-3) and on Sept. 27 at the LSU AgCenter on La. Hwy 1 in Mansura. There are still seats available for both.

Because of SaveCenla sponsors and the state’s Central Louisiana Human Services District, the training is free, but registration is required.

The workshop is worth 12.5 continuing education units for social workers needing those to renew their license.

To register or for more information, call 1-337-519-1888.

SaveCenla Secretary Angela Dixon noted that Avoyelles Parish’s suicide rate has been among the highest in the country over the past several years.

“We believe that suicide prevention is possible if communities work together to lift the stigma so that no one feels they have to suffer in silence and educate people on how to help someone who is struggling,” she added.

Dixon said ASIST is the tool SaveCenla uses to “educate and train people throughout our communities to recognize the signs that someone may be thinking of suicide, help that person find hope and a reason to live, and connect them to immediate resources that can help them to keep safe and continue to heal.”

SaveCenla has trained 329 people through Central Louisiana. That number includes 25 high school students and 45 faculty in Avoyelles Parish schools.

“We would like to thank Superintendent Blaine Dauzat, Avoyelles Parish high school and elementary school  principals, and APCS director Julie Roy for supporting our mission by allowing their students and faculty to attend this life-saving workshop during school hours,” Dixon said. “We would also like to thank these 329 people for taking the initiative to make a difference and help create a suicide-safer community.” Dixon said she is especially proud of the “young adults who now have a lifeskill they can use throughout their continuing education, careers, future families, circle of friends, strangers they meet, etc. that may one day save a life.”

SaveCenla awards scholarships to ASIST-certified seniors each year.

Dixon said people should never say mental illness or suicide can’t happen to them or their family.

“You never know when or if mental health concerns will creep into your life and it is best to be prepared,” she said. Mental illness can strike a family “just like cancer, diabetes or any other physical concern,” Dixon added.

“We encourage everyone 16-years-and-older, in all professions, to get ASIST-certified,” she said. “Join the movement to prevent suicide. Become ASIST-certified. Go to SaveCenla.com to find a training near you.”

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