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Gentzelc 2
Gentzelc 2
A few years ago, I was selected to support the Fort Hood Suicide Prevention Program by
administering ASIST training to all incoming leaders assigned to the installation. The training to become
an instructor lasted two weeks and consisted of a lot of practice and guidance on instructing and leading
groups. Before all of that, I had to receive the ASIST training the way any participant would.
ASIST training is a mixed group that blends a task/work group with a psychoeducational group.
Participants are there to acquire the ability to effectively intervene for someone succumbing to thoughts
of suicide. The over-all purpose is for them to be able to apply this skill in helping others. In order to do
this, participants discussed their experiences with suicide with each other. Their perceptions are
challenged with the intention of reducing the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health (Gladding
2016). The group started with 16 participants in a symposium style where we discussed the statistical
impact of suicide, how suicidal thoughts develop and progress, and an introduction of the four trainers.
After a short video showing dramatizations of people exhibiting suicidal behaviors, we broke off
into roundtable subgroups of eight. The two instructors for our group sat us in a circle arrangement and
guided a discussion of the video and how well we thought the caregivers in each vignette did when
confronted with suicide. This discussion was very opinionated, but the nonverbal behavior was stiff. We
were all uncomfortable talking about suicide. We were then guided through introducing ourselves and
discussing any connection or experience we have with suicide. This was very emotional, as we were a
homogenous soldiers and Noncommissioned Officers, which is basically military middle management,
and we all knew friends or coworkers who attempted or died from suicide or had the more direct
experience of a previous attempt. I have lost several soldiers I deployed with to suicide and have had a
very close family member attempt it in the past. I was reticent to bring this up, but hearing others
Charles Gentzel
CNS 742 DG FA 2019
2.1 Reflection
08 September 2019
experiences allowed me to feel comfortable talking about very personal things with people I had met
that morning. There was some conflict as different members worked through their discomfort in
different ways, but the instructors kept everything positive and affirming. One of members of my group
had a spouse who was, at that moment, suicidal and she experienced catharsis when she admitted that
to the group. She was hesitant to speak and chose to go last, but towards the end of her time, she said
she felt better for finally being open about what she was experiencing with others. The universality of
this exercise allowed our group to be cohesive and built trust among us (Gladding 2016). It really
worked, too. I am still in a group chat that has been going since 2017 with all of the participants (who
The remainder of the first day was focused on the imparting of knowledge on the suicide
intervention model. We stayed in our smaller group, but reorganized back into a symposium
arrangement for the remainder of the day. We received informational sessions that were broken up
with verbal interpersonal group activities, such as dividing us into teams and having each team write
reasons someone might feel suicidal, what groups might be at risk of suicide, and what behaviors
someone who is suicidal might demonstrate. We then discussed these answers, but came to the
conclusion, guided by the instructors, that anyone, for any reason could be suicidal and could
demonstrate in any way. We also became familiar with the steps of the Pathway for Assisting Life (PAL)
model and put them to use through role plays were the instructor plays one of the characters from the
film and the collective group tries to utilize the various steps in the model. The activities were useful
because they broke up what would have been an entire afternoon of lectures and “generate[d]
discussion and participation… stimulating members’ energy levels and interaction” (p. 39 Gladding
2016), kept us focused and engaged, and provided experiential learning that increase the confidence of
The second day continued the role playing, this time back in the larger group. One of the more
intense scenarios had an instructor role playing someone on a bridge. We had to, one at a time, stand
up and put the model to use in talking her down. This was done in a symposium structure with the
instructor on a chair while a second instructor moderated the group’s reaction and guided us through
the model. It was surprisingly stressful. When we pulled the curtain back and discussed how we would
administer each scenario, I found out that each instructor comes up with their own story that puts them
on the bridge. Stephanie, our instructor on the chair, had an absolutely heartbreaking story about losing
a child. It gave the whole thing a sense of urgency that allowed us to see how having a model provided
something to fall back on in a difficult situation. This came in useful for the culminating exercise where
we paired off with one of us playing a person at risk and the other attempting an intervention. This was
done in front of our small groups with each pair critiqued by the rest of the group. It was done in a way
Despite the group being focused on the topic of suicide, the training was very hopeful. I came
away from it with the idea that I could definitely make a difference to someone at risk, not by helping
them solve their problems or work through their issues, but just by listening to them and guiding them
References
Gladding, S.T. (2016). Groups: A counseling specialty. (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Education, Inc.