POCATELLO — The Institute of Rural Health at Idaho State University will hold an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, or ASIST, suicide prevention training on Thursday and Friday.

Laurie Brenchley, grant project coordinator and ASIST trainer, said the training, which is part of the Gem State AmeriCorps program, is a workshop-style training that is aimed at members of caregiving groups, but everyone in the community is welcome.

“We find that family and friends and other community members are the first people that people with thoughts of suicide come to,” she said. “But those people often have little to no training.”

Brenchley said this training will help these people gain the skills they need to provide suicide first aid.

“The emphasis is suicide first aid and identifying people with thoughts of suicide,” she said.

Brenchley said the training will include mini lectures, discussions and role plays. Participants will be taught to help people stay safe and find the help they need.

“Everyone participates at their own level,” she said. “It’s a really wonderful training.”

Brenchley said this it the first time the university has held this training.

“This is the first year that the program has been in action,” she said. “We have had a lot of interest in it.”

People hoping to participate in this training will need to register by sending their name and information to irh@isu.edu. They can also call 208-282-1366. Brenchley said she hopes more people will sign up before the training starts.

“We’d like to invite anyone in the community to come and join us,” she said. “Anyone can come, and it’s a great training to participate in.”

The training will be held on Nov. 17 and Nov 18. Participants will meet in the North Fork Room of the Student Union Building on 921 South Eighth Avenue. The training will last from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Suicide resources are available by calling or texting 988 or chatting with a live person at 988lifeline.org.

In Idaho, suicide and crisis assistance can be accessed by calling the Idaho Crisis & Suicide Hotline at 208-398-4357. People can also access a national crisis text line by texting “HELLO” to 741741. More information is available by visiting nimh.nih.gov/suicideprevention.