A woman who saved the life of a mental health client has been recalling the dreadful day when her suicide prevention training needed to be put into action.

Just days after trying to help a client with her debt problems, Janet, who works for the NHS locally, received a text message with five words that set alarm bells ringing.

When the client sent a text saying that she needed somebody to “sort out her dog afterwards”, Janet knew exactly what that meant.

It meant that depressive feelings had let to something more serious – suicide.

After immediately recognising the symptoms, she replied to the text and raced around to the house to check that her client was OK.

After banging on the door and shouting through the window, she was eventually let into the house where she found the woman crying and hysterical on the floor.

As she tried to calm her client, she was met with a sight that will be etched in her memory forever. In the living room on a table was a suicide note and a concoction of drugs; however Janet’s quick actions meant they had not yet been taken.

As the scene played itself out, she remained calm and remembered her training, although inside her heart was racing.

“I remember my brain thinking ‘oh no’ over and over again as I came to terms with what was happening,” she said.

“It was so shocking to see her in that state, when only a few days ago she was on top of her situation.

“We had a good relationship so I just proved to her that she had something to live for and explained how we could help her get on top of her problems.

“All the time I was just thinking ‘please let it be OK’ and hoping that I’d got there quickly enough but after I while I just told myself to get a grip and be professional.”

Over the next few hours she talked and supported the woman to help her to rationalise her feelings, regain control of her life again and leave her in a much better state of mind to tackle her problems.

The quick thinking that saved her life was a result of a specialised suicide intervention workshop called ASIST that Janet had recently undertaken, which is available for free to anybody who lives or works in Blackpool.

“The ASIST training made me concentrate on each step and respond calmly and empathetically to everything she was saying,” Janet continues. Because I knew the person as well as having recently done the training, I was able to notice the signs of suicidal thoughts and act quickly.”

Thankfully the woman is now taking control of her money problems and managing to rebuild her life, although doesn’t know what she would have done without the timely help she received.

“I am still supporting her and she is doing well. I still think about that day and I’m grateful it happened because it had a good outcome and has made me more confident that if I ever am in that situation again then I know what to do.”

Janet’s story is being promoted as part of Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs until Sunday, and to promote the two-day ASIST suicide prevention training course, which is funded by Blackpool Council to teach people to become more willing, ready and able to help people at risk of taking their own life.

Developed by LivingWorks in Canada and delivered world-wide to over one million people, it is an interactive and practical course proven to help caregivers learn how to identify risk and intervene to prevent the immediate risk of suicide.

Approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and recommended in the National Suicide Strategy, ASIST is a standardised, certified programme teaching a robust model of suicide intervention with 6 easy-to-remember steps.



Over 600 people in Blackpool have undertaken the training in the last three years, including workers from A&E, paramedics, social workers, teachers, GPs, nurses and police officers.

Despite undertaking the training as part of her work, Janet has encouraged everybody in Blackpool to get involved with it.

“It’s a situation that anyone could find themselves in – whether it is part of your work, or a relative, friend or neighbour who needs your help. You just never know who will need your support or when you’ll be called upon, so it’s best to get trained up as soon as possible,” she said.

On average, more than 6,000 people die through suicide in the UK every year, with it being the biggest killer of men under 50.

Blackpool Council is encouraging more people to take on the ASIST training in order to prevent suicides across the town.

Dr Arif Rajpura, Director of Public Health at Blackpool Council, said: “Depression is an illness that can affect absolutely anybody, no matter what your background is.

“Whether it is work stresses, personal problems or family feuds, the worst thing that people can do is bottle up their emotions to a level where it leads to suicidal thoughts.

“If you do have suicidal thoughts then make sure that you don’t keep them all to yourself. It’s okay to talk and there are so many people across Blackpool who can help you to get a handle on your problems and get your life back on track. Call a helpline, speak to a friend or see your doctor – just make sure you reach out to somebody.

“At the same time, you just never know whether it is your friend, patient or neighbour who is struggling and thinking about taking their own life. Our ASIST training can give you the basic skills needed to be able to spot somebody who is going through a tough time and help them to get their life back on track.

“In many cases just like this, the ASIST training has helped to save people’s lives and it is a vital tool in our work to prevent suicide. You never know when you might be called on to help somebody in need, so I’d encourage people to book on a course sooner rather than later.”

ASIST workshops can be booked throughout the year, although places are limited.

To book a place or to find out more, email Nicki Da Costa at nmdtraining@outlook.com

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, you should contact Samaritans on 116 123 immediately from any phone.

Free educational resources for families, professionals and volunteers around mental health can also be downloaded from www.minded.org.uk