Published on:19 July 2024
Putting the training into practice
Melanie was at a public engagement on behalf of Rural Mental Health Matters when someone she was talking to said a couple of things that concerned her.
Having just taken the ZSA suicide awareness training a few days previous, Melanie shared that she was more tuned into some of the language that was being used. She recognised some of the phrases being used and felt that she needed to ask the question. Here is Melanie’s story…
Melanie's experience
A few days after I took the ZSA training, I encountered a person who was extremely distressed and I felt strongly that I couldn't walk away...I didn't know this person. It was a chance encounter that led to an intervention, by me. I asked this person if they were feeling suicidal or had thoughts of harming themselves, I used the actual word ‘suicide’. A word I'd always previously avoided!
What was the reaction? I got a reaction I wasn't expecting, a hug and a thank you, for saying "it" that word I'd avoided using for years. This person opened up to me and I was able to leave making sure they were safe and had taken some steps to get support.
Had I not had that interaction, or reacted differently the outcome may or may not have been the same. But with suicide, can we really afford to take that risk?
I'm not saying I'm a hero, or that I 'saved' that person's life forever and ever...but at that crucial moment, I was there. And what I did and said, that is what mattered.
The videos helped me to feel more confident and comfortable using the word suicide, a word we all, if we're completely honest, skirt around, and avoid saying!
I can tell you for certain, that if I'd not had the ZSA training, then I would most probably never have asked that question, and probably things may have turned out differently. I will never know. But I am grateful that ZSA training is there, that it is free, and that it will continue to save many people's lives.
So, my question is, why wouldn't everyone take this training?
